photo: Bryan Torres (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
In division play, the St. Louis Cardinals went 2-3 for the week. Brycen Mautz almost made his MLB debut, though his start was rained out. However, Bryan Torres arrived with a bang. Our history feature revisits two others who had multiple hits including a home run in their first game up.
Game Recaps
Monday, May 18, 2026 – Off day
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 – Cardinals 9, Pirates 6 (10 innings)
The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pirates by a 9-6 score in extra innings on Tuesday at Busch Stadium. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up four runs on seven hits, walked two and fanned nine.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Liberatore and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Ryne Stanek hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning. JoJo Romero pitched 1 1/3 scoreless inning, Riley O’Brien surrendered two runs in the ninth. George Soriano tossed a scoreless 10th to earn his second win.
In the third inning, Pedro Pagés drew a walk before JJ Wetherholt hit a two-run home run.
St. Louis added a run in the fourth to lead 3-0. Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker singled to put runners on the corners. As Nolan Gorman grounded into a double play, Burleson scored.
The Pirates put up four runs in the fifth to take the lead. The Cardinals answered with two runs in the sixth to regain the lead, 5-4. Burleson was hit by a pitch and Gorman followed with a two-run home run.
The Cardinals made it 6-4 in the eighth on a solo home run by Burleson. Pittsburgh tied the game in the ninth.
In the top of the ninth, the Pirates failed to score. The Cardinals posted a three-run bottom of the 10th. With Victor Scott on second, JJ Wetherholt singled, moving Scott to third. Iván Herrera blasted a three-run home run to give the Cardinals the walk off win.
The Cardinals offense scored nine runs on nine hits. Wetherholt was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Herrera had three RBI. Gorman drove in two.
Thomas Saggese was picked off and caught stealing home. Gorman stole his first base of the season.
Jordan Walker made a fielding error. Graceffo made an error on a pickoff attempt.
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – Cardinals 0, Pirates 7
The Cardinals were blanked by the Pirates in the second game of the series on Wednesday. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched five innings, gave up three runs on 10 hits, walked one and struck out one. McGreevy took the loss.
Justin Bruihl relieved McGreevy and threw two scoreless innings. Matt Svanson surrendered four runs in 2/3 of an inning. Matt Pushard tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. They added single runs in the fourth and the sixth to lead 3-0. In the eighth, Pittsburgh put up four more runs to extend the lead to 7-0.
The Cardinals were held scoreless and scattered five hits. JJ Wetherholt was 2-for-4. A double by Victor Scott was the only extra base hit.
The offense was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
Wetherholt stole his sixth base of the season.
Thursday, May 21, 2026 – Cardinals 2, Pirates 6
The Cardinals fell to the Pirates by a 6-2 score on Thursday as Pittsburgh won the series. Starter Dustin May pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up four runs on six hits. walked two and fanned seven.
Gordon Graceffo relieved May and threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Justin Bruihl surrendered two runs while getting two outs. Matt Svanson hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Matt Pushard tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the third on a solo home run by Iván Herrera.
Pittsburgh regained the lead at 2-1 in the fourth, then extended the lead to 6-1 with two runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.
St. Louis scored a second run in the eighth. Herrera and Alec Burleson singled. Jordan Walker plated Herrera on a single.
The Cardinals scored two runs on eight hits. Herrera was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Burleson and Pedro Pagés were both 2-for-4.
Friday, May 22, 2026 – Cardinals at Reds (postponed, rescheduled to Saturday)
Saturday, May 23, 2026 – Cardinals 8 at Reds 1 (game one)
The Cardinals soundly defeated the Reds in the first game of a split doubleheader on Saturday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched six innings, gave up one run on two hits, walked one and struck out three to earn his fifth win.
Ryne Stanek, George Soriano and Matt Svanson tossed a scoreless inning each.
The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Cardinals answered with two runs in the third to lead 2-1. JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera walked. Alec Burleson singled to plate Wetherholt. Herrera scored on a force out by Jordan Walker.
The Cardinals added a run in the fourth to lead 3-1. Masyn Winn, Bryan Torres and Victor Scott singled. Wetherholt drove in Winn on a single.
In the seventh, St. Louis extended their lead to 5-1. Herrera walked and stole second. Walker hit a two-run home run.
St. Louis made it 6-1 in the eighth. Scott singled and scored on a triple by Herrera. The lead increased to 8-1 in the ninth on a two-run home run by Torres.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on 12 hits. Torres was 2-for 4 with two RBI. Herrera was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Scott was 3-for-4. Walker had three RBI. Winn scored two runs.
Scott stole his seventh base of the season. Herrera swiped his second bag.
Saturday, May 23, 2026 – Cardinals 6 at Reds 7 (11 innings, game two)
The Cardinals were edged by the Reds in the 11-inning second game of the split doubleheader. Starter Kyle Leahy pitched five innings, gave up five runs on seven hits, walked two and fanned eight.
Justin Bruihl relieved Leahy and surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning. Gordon Graceffo threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Ryan Fernandez hurled two scoreless frames. JoJo Romero tossed a scoreless inning. Riley O’Brien yielded one unearned run in 1 1/3 innings and took the loss.
The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the second inning. Jordan Walker drew a walk. Nolan Gorman singled, advancing Walker to third. Walker came home on a sac fly by Masyn Winn.
The Reds put up five runs in the fifth to go ahead. The Cardinals responded with a three-run top of the sixth to cut the lead to 5-4. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Alec Burleson doubled. Walker blasted a three-run home run, his second multi-run long ball of the day.
Cincinnati scored once in the home sixth to extend the lead to 6-4. In the top of the ninth, a solo home run by José Fermín closed the gap to 6-5. Victor Scott and Burleson followed with walks. Walker plated Scott on a single to tie the game at 6-6.
The Reds did not score in the bottom of the ninth and the game went into extra innings.
After a quiet 10th, the game moved into the 11th. The Cardinals failed to score. The Reds pushed the tiebreaker runner across the plate to win in a walk off, 7-6.
The St. Louis offense scored six runs on nine hits. Walker was 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.
Sunday, May 24, 2026 – Cardinals at Reds (postponed)
This final game of the series was postponed due to rain. It will be made up on August 17 as part of a split doubleheader.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the week with a record of 2-3 that included an unfinished series with the Reds over the weekend. They lost two of three to the Pirates and won one game of Saturday’s split doubleheader against the Reds. The team is 29-22 and is in second place in the NL Central, 1.5 games back of the Brewers.
The Cardinals could conceivably come away from the upcoming Brewers series in first place if they sweep. This is a tall order, however.
Nevertheless, the offense improved from last week, despite only winning two games. Most of the improvements came from the top of the lineup. The best performances by OPS over the last seven days are Alec Burleson (1.356), Bryan Torres (1.250 in 8 at-bats in his major league debut), José Fermín (1.166 in 6 ABs), Jordan Walker (1.065) and Iván Herrera (1.042).
At the bottom were César Prieto (.000 in 11 ABs), Yohel Pozo (.000 in 2 ABs). Masyn Winn (.293), Thomas Saggese (.333), and Nolan Gorman (.490).
Prieto is hitless and walk-free in 17 plate appearances since being called up from Memphis. Saggese is not hitless, but with little playing time, he has not been successful at the plate. Both infielders would be better served by returning to Memphis to get more consistent at bats. The issue is having a third base backup for Gorman with Ramón Urías still on the injured list.
Pitching took a turn for the worse over the last seven days. Only one starter, Andre Pallante, had an ERA under 4.00 for the week. His ERA was 1.50 in his one start in the doubleheader with the Reds on Saturday. The next best was Michael McGreevy with an ERA of 5.40.
The bullpen was okay but with hiccups from Riley O’Brien, Justin Bruihl and Matt Svanson. Svanson was optioned to Memphis to make room on the roster for Brycen Mautz, who ended up not starting on Sunday because of a rain postponement. Unless an injury occurs to another, Svanson will have to stay in Memphis for a minimum of 15 days before he can be recalled. The time in Memphis should do him good and allow him to work on his shortcomings.
The bullpen needs tweaking but there is no tweaking to be had, as there is no help in Memphis. This has been the refrain for the last month or so. Mautz is reportedly remaining with the team for the Brewers series and could see some time pitching out of the bullpen, though he is primarily a starter.
The Cardinals visit the Brewers to begin the week and end the week at home against the Cubs. The Cubs have lost eight straight games. One must hope they don’t recover against the Cardinals this coming weekend. The final weeks of May have been the first trip of the season through the NL Central.
Stay tuned as the season progresses.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Milwaukee | 30 | 20 | 0.600 | |
| St. Louis | 29 | 22 | 0.569 | 1.5 |
| Chicago | 29 | 24 | 0.547 | 2.5 |
| Cincinnati | 27 | 25 | 0.519 | 4 |
| Pittsburgh | 27 | 26 | 0.509 | 4.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 5/19 The Cardinals transferred LF Lars Nootbaar’s rehab assignment from Palm Beach to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 5/22 The Cardinals placed LF Nathan Church on the 10-day injured list retroactive to May 21. Left shoulder strain.
- 5/22 The Cardinals recalled OF Bryan Torres from the Memphis Redbirds. The 28-year-old made his MLB debut that evening.
- 5/23 The Cardinals recalled RHP Ryan Fernandez from the Memphis Redbirds as the 27th man for that day’s doubleheader.
- 5/24 The Cardinals optioned RHP Ryan Fernandez to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 5/24 The recalled LHP Brycen Mautz from the Memphis Redbirds. Mautz was unable to make the start for St. Louis due to Sunday’s rainout.
- 5/24 The Cardinals optioned RHP Matt Svanson to the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- OF Lars Nootbaar’s (heel surgery) rehab assignment was moved from Palm Beach to the Memphis Redbirds on May 19. Nootbaar has played in left field in four of his six games to date, with a June 1 target to return to St. Louis. This week, with Memphis continuing on the road and Springfield returning home, Nootbaar will shift to the Double-A club.
- 3B Ramón Urías was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 5. He has right elbow lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) Urías is taking dry swings and is close to being cleared to throw.
- LF Nathan Church was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 22, retroactive to May 21. Left shoulder strain. Imaging showed inflammation and a mild strain. No return date has been reported.
Looking Ahead
The Reds series ended on Sunday with a postponement after a doubleheader was played on Saturday. The Cardinals traveled to Milwaukee to begin a three-game series on Monday. Matthew Liberatore’s start on Sunday was moved to Monday, and the major league debut of Brycen Mautz on Sunday was cancelled due to the weather postponement. The pitchers for the rest of Brewers series are Michael McGreevy on Tuesday and Dustin May on Wednesday.
After the Brewers’ series, the team returns to St. Louis to play the Cubs in a weekend series to conclude the month of May.
June will begin with three games against the Rangers. After a Thursday off day, the homestand continues with a weekend set with the Reds.
The team heads out on a road trip on Monday, June 8, traveling to New York to play the Mets for three. The road trip ends in Minnesota vs. the Twins for three.
Blast from the Past
The Cardinals called up outfielder Bryan Torres this past weekend to make his major league debut in Cincinnati against the Reds. Torres was replacing injured outfielder Nathan Church. The weekend series was marred by rain, resulting in a split doubleheader on Saturday and a postponement of Sunday’s game.
Torres was in the starting lineup for both games in his debut, and it was a spectacular debut for the 28-year-old. After 11 years in the minor leagues and independent leagues to get to this moment, Torres made a splash. In the two starts, the rookie outfielder recorded a milestone, becoming only the third Cardinals player in franchise history to record multiple hits, including a home run, in his MLB debut.
Torres went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, and a run scored in the first game of the doubleheader. He recorded a single and a home run. In the second game, Torres was 1-for-4 with a single and a walk.
As stated, Torres was the third player in franchise history to debut in this manner. The other two Cardinals players, and their major league debuts, are the subject of this week’s Blast from the Past.
Outfielder Bobby Smith and first baseman Joe Cunningham debuted for the Cardinals in a similar manner as Torres. Ironically, all three played their first game against the Cincinnati Reds. Below is a synopsis of their debuts with the date and relevant details chronicled.
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Joe Cunningham Joe Cunningham – Cunningham debuted with the Cardinals on June 30, 1954, against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. Cunningham was in the starting lineup at first base, hitting fifth, two spots after teammate Stan Musial.
Cunningham went 2-for-5 with five RBI and two runs scored. His two hits were a three-run home run in the fifth inning, and a two-run single in the seventh. The Cardinals won, 11-3.
Cunningham played for the Cardinals for seven seasons, from 1954-1961. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in November 1961 for Minnie Miñoso.
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Bobby Smith Bobby Smith – Smith debuted on April 16, 1957, playing center field and hitting eighth. The game was a 13-4 win over the Reds at Crosley Field.
Smith went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in the sixth inning and a single to center in the seventh. Smith’s single advanced teammate Hal Smith to third base. Hal Smith scored on a sac fly by Herm Wehmeier.
Bobby Smith played for the Cardinals for three seasons and was traded to the Phillies in December 1959.
Wherever Bryan Torres’ baseball journey takes him, he will always have this achievement to look back upon with pride.
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