photo: Michael McGreevy (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinals fell into fourth place as all four losses in the 2-4 week were by one run. Michael McGreevy posted a 2.19 ERA over two starts with 10 Ks in 12 2/3 innings. As the 2006 champs were recognized, Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Bill Sherdel entered the team’s Hall of Fame.
Pujols, Molina and Sherdel Enter Cardinals Hall of Fame
Prior to Saturday’s game at Busch Stadium, three former greats entered the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Bill Sherdel. The former two were selected by fan vote and the latter was a Veteran Era selection.
An unforgettable day welcoming Bill Sherdel, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols into the Cardinals Hall of Fame ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PU2jEEHuvQ
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 13, 2026
Game Recaps
Monday, September 7, 2026 – Cardinals 4 at Giants 5 (11 innings)
The Cardinals were edged by the Giants, 5-4, at San Francisco’s Oracle Park on Monday.
Starter Michael McGreevy pitched 6 2/3 innings, gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits, walked two and fanned four.
Justin Bruihl relieved McGreevy and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Ryne Stanek hurled a scoreless ninth. Riley O’Brien relinquished one unearned run in the 10th. George Soriano yielded the winning unearned run in the 11th and took the loss.
The Giants scored single runs in the first, third and fifth to lead 3-0.
The Cardinals got on the board with a run in the sixth on a solo home run by Alec Burleson. They made it 3-2 in the seventh when Nolan Gorman walked and scored on a double by Nathan Church.
St. Louis tied the game in the ninth. Joshua Báez and Thomas Saggese singled. Bryan Torres walked. Báez came home on a sac fly by José Fermín.
The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead in the top of the 10th. Burleson, the tiebreaker runner, came home on Leo Bernal’s single.
San Francisco tied the game against O’Brien in the home 10th.
St. Louis failed to score in the top of the 11th. The Giants walked it off 5-4 in the bottom of the 11th against Soriano.
The Cardinals scored four runs on nine hits. Saggese was 2-for-5.
César Prieto stole his first base.
McGreevy made a throwing error.
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 – Cardinals 1 at Giants 2
The Cardinals again lost to the Giants by one run in the second game of the series on Tuesday.
Starter Quinn Mathews pitched six innings, gave up two runs on five hits, walked two and fanned four. Mathews took the tough loss.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Mathews and tossed the final two scoreless innings.
The Giants took a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second innings.
The Cardinals were held scoreless until the ninth. Nathan Church singled and later scored on a single by Bryan Torres.
The offense scored one run on five hits, all singles. The team was 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
Victor Scott stole his 10th base.
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 – Cardinals 6 at Giants 7
After blowing a five-run lead in the eighth, the Cardinals took a 7-6 loss on Wednesday. In the process, St. Louis was swept in San Francisco.
Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up one run on five hits and fanned four.
Justin Bruihl relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless sixth. Luis Gastelum hurled a scoreless seventh. Cade Winquest surrendered four runs in 2/3 of an inning. George Soriano relinquished two runs in the final 1/3 innings.
The Giants took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the second. Joshua Báez doubled and scored on a single by Nolan Gorman.
St. Louis added three runs in the third to take the lead 4-1. Iván Herrera singled. Alec Burleson walked. Leo Bernal followed with a three-run home run.
The Cardinals increased their lead to 5-1 in the fifth. Bryan Torres singled. Herrera was hit by a pitch. Burleson walked. Bernal grounded into a double play and Torres scored.
St. Louis extended the lead to 6-1 in the sixth. Thomas Saggese walked. Nathan Church singled and Saggese advanced to third on an error. José Fermin drove in Saggese on a sac fly.
The game was lost in the eighth when San Francisco put up six runs to take the lead 7-6.
The Cardinals scored six runs on eight hits. Gorman was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Bernal had three RBI.
Victor Scott stole his 11th base.
Thursday, September 10, 2026 – Off day
Friday, September 11, 2026 – Cardinals 7, White Sox 3
The Cardinals returned home to St. Louis and won their first game of the week by a 7-3 score over the White Sox.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up two runs on six hits, walked three and struck out two.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Liberatore and threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning to earn the win. Luis Gastelum hurled a scoreless sixth. Justin Bruihl surrendered one run in the seventh. Ryne Stanek pitched a scoreless eighth. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth.
The White Sox went up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the home first. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch and he scored on Alec Burleson’s double.
St. Louis took the lead 2-1 in the second. Leo Bernal doubled. Thomas Saggese singled. Masyn Winn grounded into a force out and Bernal scored.
Chicago tied the game in the top of the third.
The Cardinals regained the lead 3-2 in the home third. Jordan Walker singled and advanced to second on a ground out. Walker came home on a single by Joshua Báez.
The Cardinals scored three runs in the fifth. Walker doubled and scored on a single by Burleson. Burleson came home on a double by Joshua Báez. Bernal plated Báez on a single.
In the seventh, St. Louis extended the lead to 7-2. Báez doubled and scored on a single by Bernal.
The White Sox scored one run in the eighth to bring the final score to 7-3.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on 13 hits. Báez was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Bernal was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Burleson was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Walker was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Bernal had a passed ball.
Saturday, September 12, 2026 – Cardinals 5, White Sox 6
The Cardinals fell to the White Sox by a 6-5 score on Saturday at Busch Stadium.
Starter Kyle Leahy pitched three scoreless innings, allowed two hits and fanned four.
Cooper Hjerpe relieved Leahy and surrendered four runs in the fourth. Luis Gastelum threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Justin Bruihl hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Ryne Stanek and George Soriano each tossed a scoreless inning. Riley O’Brien relinquished two runs in the ninth and took the loss.
The Cardinals went up 3-0 in the second inning. Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese singled. Masyn Winn doubled to score both runners. Nathan Church singled. Winn came home on a sac fly by José Fermín.
The White Sox cut the lead to 3-1 in the top of the fourth. St. Louis answered with a run in the home fourth. Gorman walked and later scored on a double by Church.
Chicago tied the game with a three-run fifth.
The Cardinals regained the lead 5-4 in the eighth on a solo home run by Leo Bernal. The lead was short-lived as the White Sox put up two runs in the ninth to win the game, 6-5.
The offense scored five runs on eight hits. Church was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Winn was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Gorman scored two runs.
Gorman made a fielding error. Church had an outfield assist at second base.
Sunday, September 13, 2026 – Cardinals 3, White Sox 1
On Sunday, the Cardinals beat the White Sox and took the series.
Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up one run on three hits, walked three and fanned six to earn his seventh win.
Gordon Graceffo relieved McGreevy and threw two scoreless innings. George Soriano loaded the bases in the ninth but escaped with his fourth save.
The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
The Cardinals scored three runs in the sixth to take the lead. Nathan Church and Masyn Winn singled. Iván Herrera reached on an error. Alec Burleson doubled to plate all three.
The offense scored three runs on four hits. Church was 2-for-3. Burleson had three RBI.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals struggled to a 2-4 record over the week because the offense was underwhelming and the bullpen continued to struggle.
St. Louis was swept by the Giants in San Francisco but won 2 of 3 from the White Sox. The Cardinals fell into fourth place in the NL Central, one game behind the Pirates, the Cardinals’ opponent in the final week of the season. St. Louis is seven games out of the final wild card spot with 12 games to play. They haven’t yet been officially eliminated, but practically, they have.
The team is clearly playing on fumes in the last month of the season. The offense struggles to score runs on most days even with reinforcements added in the last several weeks. Leo Bernal was recalled from Memphis and has hit well. Victor Scott was also recalled but has appeared almost exclusively as a pinch runner/defensive replacement. Masyn Winn recently returned from the injured list. JJ Wetherholt is expected back soon.
About half of the position players on the roster concluded the week with an OPS under .500. At the bottom were Nolan Gorman (.494), Thomas Saggese (.467), Masyn Winn (.467), Jordan Walker (.457), José Fermín (.432), and Iván Herrera (.416).
The top offensive performers by OPS were Nathan Church (1.142) and Alec Burleson (.966). The next closest was Leo Bernal (.822).
The pitching was somewhat better than the offense over the week, especially the starters. Only Matthew Liberatore had an ERA for the week over 4.00, and it was 4.15. Kyle Leahy continues to only pitch four innings or less. Cooper Hjerpe was brought up to piggyback Leahy, and after a superb performance the week before, was quite bad in his one appearance against the White Sox, giving up four runs and being pulled after only one inning.
The bullpen has been the weak link for the entire season. Changes over time have not helped much.
The relievers continue to give up leads late in the game. Riley O’Brien, George Soriano, and Cade Winquest had poor performances in their appearances. Brycen Mautz was not used at all during the week, possibly for good reason. Luis Gastelum, Gordon Graceffo, Justin Bruihl, and Ryne Stanek performed in an acceptable manner but it wasn’t enough for the Cardinals to avoid four one-run losses this past week alone.
The team finishes their final homestand of the season with another three-game series with the Giants and a weekend set against the Washington Nationals.
Stay tuned as the season nears its conclusion.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 93 | 57 | 0.620 | ||
| Chicago | 83 | 67 | 0.553 | 10 | |
| Pittsburgh | 75 | 75 | 0.500 | 18 | 6 |
| St. Louis | 74 | 76 | 0.493 | 19 | 7 |
| Cincinnati | 70 | 79 | 0.470 | 22.5 | 10.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 9/6 The Cardinals optioned RHP Hancel Rincon to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/6 The Cardinals recalled LHP Cooper Hjerpe from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/8 The Cardinals optioned 3B César Prieto to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/8 The Cardinals activated SS Masyn Winn from the 10-day injured list.
Injury Report
- 2B JJ Wetherholt was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 30. Right wrist inflammation. Wetherholt plans to hit off a velo machine on September 14 and do all pregame activity on September 15. He could be activated if all goes well.
- 3B Blaze Jordan was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 28. Left ankle sprain. Status listed as “work in progress” as he continues to ramp up baseball activities.
- RHP Peter Strzelecki was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 27, retroactive to August 26. Right forearm extensor inflammation. Strzelecki is currently on a rehab assignment with the Memphis Redbirds.
- SS Masyn Winn was activated from the 10-day injured list last Tuesday.
- OF Everson Pereira was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the eighth inning of the August 21 game and was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 23. Still no clarification on next steps.
- RHP Hunter Dobbins (right flexor strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 22. Dobbins underwent right elbow reconstruction surgery and will be out of commission for a minimum of 12 months.
- RHP Max Rajcic had right UCL reconstruction surgery (Tommy John) on July 23 and will likely return in 2028.
Looking Ahead
The homestand continues with a three-game series with the Giants starting on Monday. The final series of the homestand with the Washington Nationals runs through Sunday, September 20.
The regular season concludes with the final road trip of three games each in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
The postseason begins on September 29 with the first games of the Wild Card Series. This series concludes on October 1. The Cardinals will almost certainly not make the postseason. Getting back to .500 and staying there is a far more reasonable objective.
Blast from the Past
Over the weekend, the Cardinals celebrated the 20-year reunion of the 2006 World Series Championship team. The reunion occurred simultaneously with the 13th annual Cardinals Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Coincidentally, two of the three former players who were inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame were prominent members of the 2006 team, Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols. The third former player inducted was a pitcher, Bill Sherdel, who appeared in two games of the very first of 11 World Series won by the Cardinals in 1926, 100 years ago.
Though Sherdel’s 135 career wins were the most ever for a Cardinals’ left hander, Sherdel was the losing pitcher in both games of the 1926 World Series in which he pitched.
In this week’s Blast from the Past, we look at the 2006 World Series and chronicle some notable facts about that series.
Here are some interesting and significant details concerning the 2006 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers.
- The 2006 World Series was the 102nd since the event’s inception.
- It was the third matchup between the Cardinals and Tigers in a World Series. The first was in 1934, a series won by the Cardinals. The two teams met again in 1968, when the Tigers were the victors. Both times the series went the full seven games.
- The 2006 matchup was the fifth time in 40 years that the series featured two teams that remained in the same city since the formation of the American League in 1901.
- Three games of the 2006 series were played in Busch Stadium III, which had just opened that season. The Cardinals became only the fourth team to win the series in their home stadium’s debut season.
- The Cardinals’ record at the end of the regular season was 83-78, which was the second worst record ever for a league champion and the worst record for a World Series champion. The worst record for a league champion was held by the New York Mets (82-79) which lost to the Oakland Athletics in the 1973 World Series.
- The 2006 win by the Cardinals was a massive upset. The Tigers entered the series with 12 more regular season wins than the Cardinals. The Tigers were the heavy favorites, so much so that USA Today sportswriter Bob Nightengale predicted the Tigers would “win in three.” (a statistical impossibility in a best-of-seven series). Nightengale’s gaffe has been the butt of many jokes ever since.
- The 2006 World Series win ended a 24-year drought for the Cardinals, which last won the World Series in 1982.
- The series marked the first time in World Series history that two rookie pitchers started Game 1. They were Justin Verlander for the Tigers, and Anthony Reyes for the Cardinals. Verlander is still pitching today.
- 2006 was the 10th World Series win for the Cardinals. The Cardinals were the first National League team to reach the milestone.
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