photo: Jordan Walker (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals went 4-2 at home, capped by a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jordan Walker had a team-best 1.000 OPS for the week. We again remember notable MLB debuts during this period in team history.
Game recaps
Monday, May 19, 2025 – Cardinals 11, Tigers 4
The St. Louis Cardinals gave the visiting Detroit Tigers an 11-4 beat down on Monday. Starter Sonny Gray six scoreless innings, allowed three hits, fanned 10 and walked one to earn his fifth win.
JoJo Romero relieved Gray and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. John King surrendered one run in the eighth, and Gordon Graceffo yielded three runs, one earned, in a rainy ninth.
The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar doubled. Masyn Winn singled but was caught stealing. Brendan Donovan singled to score Nootbaar.
St. Louis added a second run in the fourth. Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson singled. Herrera scored on a wild pitch.
The Cardinals increased the lead to 5-0 in the fifth. Nootbaar, Winn and Donovan singled. Nootbaar came home on a ground out by Willson Contreras. Herrera reached on a fielder’s choice that plated Winn. Nolan Arenado grounded into a force out as Donovan scored.
The Cardinals posted a big inning with six runs in the seventh. Donovan doubled then a rain delay came. Upon the restart, Contreras singled. Herrera plated Donovan on a single. Jordan Walker drove in Contreras and Herrera on a double. Pedro Pagés followed with a two-run home run. Victor Scott singled and advanced to third on an error. Nootbaar drove in Scott on a sac fly.
The Tigers finally got on the board with one run in the eighth and three in the ninth aided by rain.
The Cardinals scored 11 runs on 16 hits. Herrera was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Donovan was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Winn was 2-for-4. Burleson was 2-for-2. Scott was 2-for-3. Walker and Pagés each had two RBI.
On the bases, Winn was caught stealing for the fourth time. Arenado was picked off first base. On defense, Jose Barrero made a fielding error.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 – Cardinals 4, Tigers 5
The Cardinals were edged by the Tigers by a 5-4 score on Tuesday. Starter Erick Fedde pitched five innings, gave up four runs on five hits and struck out two.
Steven Matz relieved Fedde and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Kyle Leahy surrendered one run in 1 1/3 innings.
Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. They added two more runs in the third to lead 4-0.
The Cardinals mounted a partial comeback, scoring two runs in the fifth. Iván Herrera singled and Nolan Arenado followed with a two-run home run.
St. Louis made it 4-3 in the sixth. Masyn Winn singled and advanced to second on a balk. Winn went to third on a ground out by Willson Contreras and scored on a single by Herrera.
The Cardinals tied the game in the seventh. Victor Scott doubled and later scored on a sac fly by Winn.
The Tigers regained the lead with one run in the ninth to win 5-4.
The Cardinals scored four runs on eight hits. Arenado was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Herrera was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – Cardinals 1, Tigers 5
The Cardinals fell to the Tigers in the final game of the series on Wednesday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on four hits, struck out three and walked four. Pallante took the loss.
Phil Maton threw a scoreless inning of relief. JoJo Romero secured the final out of the seventh. Chris Roycroft surrendered two runs in 1/3 of an inning. John King tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Detroit went up 1-0 in the second inning. They added single runs in the fourth and sixth to lead 3-0. The Cardinals scored their only run in the home sixth. Victor Scott singled and later came home on a single by Willson Contreras.
St. Louis scored one run on five hits. Alec Burleson was 2-for-4. The offense was 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.
On defense, Brendan Donovan had two outfield assists, one at second base and another at home plate. Iván Herrera had a passed ball.
Thursday, May 22, 2025 – Off day
Friday, May 23, 2025 – Cardinals 4, Diamondbacks 3
The Cardinals topped the Arizona Diamondbacks by one run at Busch Stadium on Friday. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched six innings, gave up one run on four hits, fanned four and walked one to earn his fourth win.
JoJo Romero relieved Mikolas and threw a scoreless seventh. Kyle Leahy hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley surrendered two runs in the ninth, but held on to earn his 10th save.
Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.
St. Louis came back with four runs in the sixth to lead 4-1. Victor Scott singled. Lars Nootbaar walked. The runners advanced on a sac bunt by Masyn Winn. Brendan Donovan was intentionally walked. Iván Herrera walked and Scott scored. Nolan Arenado hit a bases clearing triple. Nootbaar, Donovan, and Herrera scored.
The Diamondbacks rallied for two runs in the ninth but fell short.
The Cardinals scored four runs on four hits. Scott was 2-for-3. Arenado had three RBI.
On the bases, Scott stole his 14th base of the season.
Saturday, May 24, 2025 – Cardinals 6, Diamondbacks 5
The Cardinals once again beat the Diamondbacks by one run on Saturday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched seven innings, gave up one run on six hits and fanned four.
Kyle Leahy relieved Liberatore and surrendered three runs in 1/3 of an inning. Steven Matz yielded one run in 2/3 of an inning. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn the win.
The Cardinals scored one run in the first inning. Masyn Winn and Brendan Donovan singled. Winn came home on a single by Iván Herrera.
Arizona tied the game in the fifth.
St. Louis scored three runs in the seventh to lead 4-1. Alec Burleson singled. Nolan Arenado drew a walk. Jordan Walker doubled to plate Burleson and Arenado. Walker advanced to third on a ground out by Victor Scott and scored on a ground by Yohel Pozo.
The Diamondbacks posted a four-run top of the eighth to take the lead 5-4.
The Cardinals answered with two runs in the home eighth to take the 6-5 lead. Herrera walked. Burleson doubled. Herrera came home on a ground out by Arenado. Walker drove in Burleson on a single.
The Cardinals scored six runs on eight hits. Walker was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Burleson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Sunday, May 25, 2025 – Cardinals 4, Diamondbacks 3
The Cardinals swept the Diamondbacks with a third one-run win on Sunday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched six innings, gave up three runs on nine hits and fanned five.
John King relieved Gray and threw a scoreless seventh. JoJo Romero hurled a scoreless eighth. Phil Maton tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his second save.
Arizona scored two runs in the top of the second. The Cardinals cut the lead to 2-1 as Brendan Donovan doubled and scored on a single by Iván Herrera.
St. Louis added a run in the third on a solo home run by Masyn Winn to tie the game at 2-2. In the top of the sixth, the Diamondbacks regained the lead, 3-2.
The Cardinals tied the game again in the bottom of the sixth. Winn drew a walk. Donovan singled and Winn went to third. Winn came home on a sac fly by Herrera.
The Cardinals took the 4-3 lead in the seventh. Jordan Walker singled and advanced to second on a ground out by Pedro Pagés. Victor Scott plated Walker on a single.
St. Louis’ offense scored four runs on eight hits. Donovan was 3-for-4. Walker was 2-for-3. Herrera had two RBI. Winn had an RBI and two runs scored.
On the bases, Herrera stole his first base of the season. Scott swiped his 15th bag.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished with a 4-2 week, taking one of three from the Tigers and sweeping the Diamondbacks in three games. The team has a record of 30-23 and remains in second place in the NL Central, two games back of the Cubs.
The offense wasn’t as prolific as in past weeks, but they scored 11 runs against the Tigers on Monday. Nevertheless, they were able to score enough runs to win four games, three by one run.
The top offensive performers by OPS for the last seven days are Jordan Walker (1.000), and Victor Scott (.950). The next closest were Alec Burleson (.892) and Brendan Donovan (.809). Walker’s resurgence is a big deal considering he was in the bottom rung by OPS for many weeks running. All involved must hope this improvement is sustainable.
At the bottom are Lars Nootbaar (.438), Pedro Pagés (.357), and Nolan Gorman (.286). Nootbaar at the bottom is a first in 2025. Perhaps it is just temporary, as Nootbaar has been an important cog in the wheel all season. Gorman has been near or at the bottom all year, and it remains to be seen how much more runway he will be given.
In the pitching category, three of five starters had ERA for the week under 4.00, Sonny Gray (2.25), Matthew Liberatore (1.29) and Miles Mikolas (1.50). The underperformers were Andre Pallante (4.76) and Erick Fedde (7.20).
The bullpen strugglers for the week were Kyle Leahy (13.50) and Chris Roycroft (54.00). Leahy has been the pen’s stalwart, so his recent slide is disappointing but not unusual in a long season. Roycroft has been in this category more than once, and he again has been sent down to Memphis. Gordon Graceffo and Ryan Helsley had ERAs of 9.00, but Graceffo had to finish a blowout in the rain, so he received a pass. Helsley tends to drama in the ninth, so it is no surprise that he posted a high ERA for the week.
The rest of the bullpen has been fine (despite what some official scorer said about Steven Matz in his last appearance on Saturday). Matz had an ERA of 2.70 over two appearances so he is just fine, thank you.
The Cardinals go on the road in the coming week, playing a series at Baltimore and ending with a series in Texas. The Orioles just won a series with the Red Sox, so they may not be as bad as advertised. The Rangers are always a tough match.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Chicago | 32 | 21 | 0.604 | |
| St. Louis | 30 | 23 | 0.566 | 2 |
| Cincinnati | 26 | 28 | 0.481 | 6.5 |
| Milwaukee | 26 | 28 | 0.481 | 6.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 19 | 35 | 0.352 | 13.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 5/23 – The Cardinals optioned RHP Chris Roycroft to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 5/23 – The Cardinals recalled RHP Matt Svanson from the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 24. He has suffered a setback in his recovery and is being re-examined by team doctors.
- 1B Willson Contreras missed the first all three games of the Diamondbacks series with back spasms. There has been no indication that an IL stint is in the offing, so Contreras is considered day to day.
- 3B Nolan Arenado chased a foul ball into the stands in the ninth inning on Sunday, falling and reportedly experiencing pain in his lower back and having trouble breathing. Despite that, Arenado remained in the game for the final outs.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals travel to Baltimore for a three-game series with the Orioles beginning Monday. Erick Fedde is scheduled for the Monday start, followed by Andre Pallante on Tuesday, and Miles Mikolas on Wednesday.
The team leaves Baltimore for Arlington to play a weekend series in Texas against the Rangers to end the road trip.
The Cardinals return to St. Louis to begin a nine-game homestand with three versus the Royals beginning Tuesday, June 3. The homestand continues with a weekend series against the Dodgers, and three with the Blue Jays.
The team goes on the road again to play the Brewers in Milwaukee for four games. After an off day on Monday, June 16, the Cardinals play the White Sox in Chicago in a three-game set ending Thursday, June 19.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast of the Past continues the series that began last season here, the Debut Series. In this series, we chronicle the major league debuts of notable current and former Cardinals during a relevant period in franchise history.
This week the installment looks at Cardinals players who made their major league debuts during the period May 19 through May 25. The name of the player, the date he debuted, how he performed, and any other important details are included.
May 20, 2012 – On this date, first baseman Matt Adams made his major league debut in a 6-5 loss to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
Adams was in the starting lineup at first base and hit seventh. Adams went 2-for-4 with a run scored. In his first at-bat in the second inning, Adams singled to right against Dodger starter Chad Billingsley for his first major league hit. Adams was stranded. In his third at-bat in the sixth, Adams singled to center and came home to score on a single by Rafael Furcal.
May 20, 2022 – On this date, current Cardinal Nolan Gorman made his debut in Pittsburgh in a 5-3 win over the Pirates.
Gorman was in the starting lineup at second base and batted sixth. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Gorman’s first major league hit was a single to right field in the second inning. He scored in the sixth on an RBI single by Yadier Molina.
May 21, 2022 – Current starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore made his major league debut on this date. Liberatore started in a 5-4 win over the Pirates at PNC Park.
Liberatore pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked two. His first major league strikeout victim was Michael Chavis in the first inning. He also struck out Ben Gamel and Michael Pérez.
Liberatore received his first major league win against the Brewers on May 28 at Busch Stadium.
May 24, 2022 – On this date, the third current Cardinal showcased, Iván Herrera, made his major league debut. Herrera subbed in for Nolan Arenado in the ninth inning and played catcher in an 8-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Busch Stadium. Herrera did not have a plate appearance. He caught Junior Fernández for one inning.
Herrera did not have his first plate appearance until June when he was recalled again to the major leagues. On June 19, 2022, Herrera was in the starting lineup at catcher in a 6-4 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
Herrera’s first major league hit did not come until June 26, in a 6-5 loss to the Cubs at Busch Stadium. Herrera was the catcher and hit ninth. He went 2-for-3 with a walk. His first hit was a single to center against Cubs starter Alec Mills in the second inning. His second hit was a single to right in the ninth inning.
Now Available – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or printed book copy today!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Follow Marilyn Green on Bluesky @mrlyn59.bsky.social.
© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.