photo: Thomas Saggese (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals had a rough 1-5 road trip and fell to four games below .500 for the season. Thomas Saggese hit .375 with three RBI in the week. Our history feature looks at records broken during this week in years past, including the all-time battery mates record.
Game recaps
Monday, September 8, 2025 – Cardinals 2 at Mariners 4
The Cardinals lost to the Mariners in a 4-2 game in Seattle on Monday.
Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out two and walked one.
Gordon Graceffo surrendered two runs in the sixth in relief of Mikolas and took the loss. Nick Raquet threw a scoreless seventh in his MLB debut. Jorge Alcalá tossed a scoreless ninth.
St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Alec Burleson. Seattle came back to score four runs in the sixth to move ahead 4-2 and eventually bring home the win.
The Cardinals offense scored two runs on three hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits. Burleson had two RBI. The offense was 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position and left two men on base.
On defense, center fielder Victor Scott II had an outfield assist at home plate.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 – Cardinals 3 at Mariners 5
The Cardinals lost to the Mariners again in a second straight two-run loss on Tuesday.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched four innings, gave up five runs on six hits, struck out one and walked three. Liberatore took the loss.
Kyle Leahy threw two scoreless innings in relief of Liberatore. Jorge Alcalá hurled ⅔ scoreless innings. Nick Raquet tossed a shutout frame. Ryan Fernandez secured the final out of the eighth.
The Cardinals struck first and went up 2-0 in the second inning. Willson Contreras singled. Nolan Gorman doubled to score Contreras for the first run.
Thomas Saggese drove in Gorman on a single.
The Mariners came back to take the lead 3-2 in the third. St. Louis answered with a run in the top of the fourth tie the game. Saggese walked. Pedro Pagés singled. Jose Fermín plated Saggese on a single.
Seattle scored two more runs in the home half of the fourth to regain the lead at 5-3.
The Cardinals scored three runs on nine hits. Fermín was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Contreras was 2-for-4.
On the bases, Victor Scott II stole his 32nd base of the season. On defense, Contreras had a missed catch error.
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 – Cardinals 2 at Mariners 4 (13 innings)
The Cardinals fell to the Mariners in the final game of the series and suffered the sweep in Seattle.
Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up one run on five hits and fanned four in a quality start.
Matt Svanson relieved McGreevy and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. JoJo Romero hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien surrendered one unearned run in two innings pitched. Ryan Fernandez yielded two runs, one earned, in the final inning and took the loss.
St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a solo home run by Iván Herrera.
Seattle tied the game in the second.
The game remained tied 1-1 through regulation to force extra innings. Neither team scored in the 10th. The Cardinals scored one run in the top of the 11th to briefly take the lead 2-1. With Willson Contreras on second base to begin the frame, Thomas Saggese singled to score Contreras.
The Mariners tied the game again with a run in the bottom of the 11th. Again, neither team scored in the 12th. St. Louis did not score in the top of the 13th.
In the bottom of the 13th, Seattle put up two runs to walk-off the game 4-2.
The offense scored two runs on eight hits. Saggese was 4-for-5 with an RBI. Pedro Pagés was 2-for-5.
On the bases, Iván Herrera stole his seventh base of the season. Saggese swiped his third bag.
The Cardinals did not commit an error.
Thursday, September 11, 2025 – Off day.
Friday, September 12, 2025 – Cardinals 2 at Brewers 8
The Cardinals were defeated soundly by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first meeting of a three-game series at American Family Field on Friday.
Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up five runs, four earned, on four hits and walked four and took the loss.
John King relieved Pallante and threw 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Jorge Alcalá surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Chris Roycroft yielded an unearned run in the eighth.
Milwaukee went up 4-0 in the third inning and added a run in the fourth to lead 5-0.
In the sixth, St. Louis scored two runs to cut the lead to 5-2. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Alec Burleson tripled to bring Herrera to the plate.
Lars Nootbaar plated Burleson on a single.
The Brewers put up two runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth to win the game 8-2.
The Cardinals scored two runs on nine hits. Burleson and Nootbaar were both 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jordan Walker was 2-for-4.
On defense, right fielder Walker made a throwing error. Second baseman Brendan Donovan had a fielding miscue. Pitcher King picked a runner off first base. Catcher Jimmy Crooks had a passed ball.
Saturday, September 13, 2025 – Cardinals 8 at Brewers 9 (10 innings)
The Cardinals suffered a heartbreaking loss in a 9-8 extra innings walk-off by the Brewers on Saturday.
Starter Sonny Gray pitched five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, fanned eight and walked one.
Matt Svanson relieved Gray and threw two scoreless innings of relief. JoJo Romero surrendered two runs in the eighth. Riley O’Brien yielded three runs in the ninth without recording an out. Kyle Leahy allowed two runs, one earned, in the final 1 1/3 innings and took the loss.
The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the first inning. Iván Herrera hit a solo home run. Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. Lars Nootbaar doubled to bring Contreras home.
In the top of the third, Brendan Donovan hit a solo home run to increase the Cardinals’ lead to 3-0.
The Brewers answered with a run in the home half of the third to cut the lead to 3-1.
St. Louis added a run in the fifth to lead 4-1. Herrera doubled and scored on a single by Contreras.
The Cardinals scored two more runs in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 6-1. Thomas Saggese doubled. Pedro Pagés singled. Saggese came home on a sac fly by Victor Scott II. Donovan singled. Pagés scored on a wild pitch.
Milwaukee scored a second run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-2. In the eighth, the Brewers put up two runs to shrink the lead to 6-4.
The Cardinals added an insurance run in the ninth to lead 7-4. Alec Burleson singled. Nathan Church pinch ran for Burleson. Contreras was hit by a pitch. Saggese plated Church on a single.
The wheels came off the bus in the bottom of the ninth, as the Brewers scored three runs to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, the Cardinals took an 8-7 lead.
Pagés was to start the inning on second base, but Jordan Walker pinch ran for Pagés. Scott II was hit by a pitch. Donovan walked. With the bases loaded, Herrera grounded into a double play and Walker scored.
The Brewers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 10th to walk it off 9-8.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on 12 hits. Herrera was 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Saggese was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Donovan was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Nootbaar doubled and drove in a run.
The offense was 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
Sunday, September 14, 2025 – Cardinals 3 at Brewers 2
The Cardinals managed to salvage one game of this series and for the week with a 3-2 win over the Brewers on Sunday.
Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up two runs on five hits and fanned five to earn his eighth win.
John King relieved Mikolas and threw 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Jorge Alcalá hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien each tossed a scoreless inning. O’Brien earned his fourth save.
The Cardinals scored all three of their runs in the second inning. Thomas Saggese singled. Nolan Gorman doubled. Saggese scored on a sac fly by Pedro Pagés. Jordan Walker drew a walk. José Fermín plated Gorman on a single. Walker stole third base and Fermín stole second base on a double steal. Nathan Church drove in Walker on a single.
The Brewers scored one run in the fourth inning, then added a second run in the fifth to cut the lead to 3-2. The Cardinals held on to win the tight contest.
The offense scored three runs on six hits. Fermín was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Church walked, singled, and drove in a run.
On the bases, Walker stole his eighth bag of the season. Fermín swiped his second bag and was caught stealing home.
Big Picture
The Cardinals missed an 0-6 week by the skin of their teeth. A 3-2 win over the Brewers on Sunday kept the Cardinals from this fate. As it is, 1-5 is not a great outcome either, so any congratulations should be muted. The two series they played were against the Mariners, by whom they were swept, and the Brewers, who beat them in 2 out of 3 games.
The Cardinals remain in fourth place in the NL Central, and by some miracle are 4 games back of the Wild Card with 12 games remaining. The team will be playing two of the four teams ahead of them in the Wild Card in those 12 remaining games, the Reds and the Giants. It is going to be a wild ride for the next two weeks in the National League.
The offense this week was, in a word, insufficient for the team’s needs. They scored less than four runs in all but one of the games. The Cardinals lost the one game they scored eight runs. Baseball is funny that way.
The top offensive performers for the week by OPS are Iván Herrera (1.076), Brendan Donovan (.964 in 10 ABs), and Thomas Saggese (.858). At the bottom were Masyn Winn (.000 in 3 ABs), Yohel Pozo (.000 in 2 ABs), Jimmy Crooks (.000 in 6 ABs), Victor Scott (.077 in 11 ABs), Nolan Gorman (.308), Nathan Church (.393 in 7 ABs), and Jordan Walker (.473 in 10 ABs).
Masyn Winn is shut down for the rest of the season. Pozo is limited to pinch hitting. Crooks splits time with Pedro Pagés, who had 10 more ABs this week than Crooks. Walker plays sporadically as well. Scott just returned from the IL. Gorman has no excuse.
In the pitching realm, Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, and Michael McGreevy all had ERAs for the week under 4.00. McGreevy’s was the best at 1.50. Matthew Liberatore (11.25) and Andre Pallante (7.20) did not pitch well.
The bullpen was not great. Gordon Graceffo (18.00) has lost his way or perhaps has never found it. Riley O’Brien blew the save against the Brewers on Saturday in spectacular fashion but redeemed himself on Sunday. JoJo Romero and Ryan Fernandez also had some hiccups this week. Everyone else was fine.
The Cardinals head home to play two series against the Reds and the Brewers again. Brewers have already clinched the Division but beating them is always a good thing regardless. Beating the Reds is essential for the Cardinals to have any hope of getting nearer the Wild Card.
The final week of the season is when the Cardinals face the other team they are chasing for the Wild Card, the San Francisco Giants. They play them as the first series of the final road trip.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 91 | 59 | 0.618 | ||
| Chicago | 85 | 64 | 0.566 | 5.5 | |
| Cincinnati | 74 | 75 | 0.503 | 16.5 | 2.5 |
| St. Louis | 73 | 77 | 0.500 | 18 | 4 |
| Pittsburgh | 65 | 85 | 0.444 | 26 | 12 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 9/8 The Cardinals designated 2B Garrett Hampson for assignment.
- 9/8 The Cardinals activated 1B Alec Burleson from the 10-day injured list.
- 9/8 The Cardinals optioned RHP Andre Granillo to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/8 The Cardinals selected the contract of RHP Nick Raquet from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/9 The Cardinals activated 1B Willson Contreras from suspension.
- 9/9 The Cardinals sent 2B Brendan Donovan on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
- 9/10 The Cardinals sent LHP John King on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
- 9/10 The Cardinals sent 3B Nolan Arenado on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
- 9/11 The Cardinals released 2B Garrett Hampson.
- 9/12 The Cardinals activated 2B Brendan Donovan from the 10-day injured list.
- 9/12 The Cardinals activated LHP John King from the 15-day injured list.
- 9/12 The Cardinals optioned 3B José Fermín to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/12 The Cardinals optioned RHP Nick Raquet to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/13 The Cardinals placed SS Masyn Winn on the 10-day injured list.
- 9/13 The Cardinals recalled 2B José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. The latest report on Thompson as of September 3 is that he is still at the Cardinals’ spring training facility in Jupiter but has been shut down from throwing. There is no timetable for when he will return to pitching.
- 3B Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 1. Right shoulder strain. Arenado is currently on a rehab assignment with the Springfield Cardinals. Arenado started at 3B in Saturday’s game in Springfield and will return to St. Louis to be reevaluated for a return to the roster during the final homestand that begins on Monday.
- 2B Brendan Donovan was activated from the 10-day injured list.
- LHP John King (mid back strain) was activated from the 15-day injured list.
- OF Alec Burleson was activated from the 10-day injured list.
- SS Masyn Winn (right knee torn meniscus) was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 13. Winn has been shut down for the remainder of the season and will have surgery in the offseason. A normal offseason is expected and Winn will return for Spring Training in 2026.
Looking Ahead
The final homestand of the season begins on Monday, September 15. The team will play a three-game series with the Reds to begin the week. Matthew Liberatore will take the mound for Monday’s game, followed by Michael McGreevy on Tuesday, and Andre Pallante on Wednesday.
The final homestand series is against the Brewers beginning Friday, September 19, and ending on Sunday, September 21.
The team ends the regular season on the road starting with a series in San Francisco with the Giants beginning Monday, September 22, and ending in Chicago for the final regular season series against the Cubs. The regular season ends on Sunday, September 28.
The postseason begins with the Wild Card Series on Tuesday, September 30. The Cardinals are currently 4 games back of a Wild Card slot, but the likelihood of a postseason berth is low, as they would have to leapfrog over four teams to get there, two of which are the Reds and the Giants.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past will feature a look back at some past events in franchise history that took place during the period of September 8 through September 14.
The events featured were notable occurrences during previous seasons in franchise history that include such things as records made or broken, special feats from players, transactions, or other events that mark the rich history of the franchise. These events will be detailed by date, player or other personnel involved, and as much information as possible to give the reader a sense of the significance of the event.
The following is a list of notable events that occurred in the history of the Cardinals franchise during the period from September 8 through September 14.
September 8, 1940 – On this date, Cardinals 1B Johnny Mize hit three home runs in the first game of a doubleheader with the Pirates. Mize became the first player to hit three home runs in one game four times in his career.
The Cardinals dropped both games of the twin bill to the Pirates.
September 8, 1998 – Cardinals fans will remember this date as the day Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run of the season to break Roger Maris’s all-time record for home runs in a single season. The home run was a 341 ft line drive to left field in the fourth inning of a 6-3 win over the Cubs.
September 9, 2006 – On this date, the Cardinals lost 3-0 to the Diamondbacks in a one hit wonder that lasted only 1 hour and 54 minutes. It was the shortest game ever played in Chase Field history. The one Cardinal hit was a double by Scott Rolen.
September 10, 1963 – Stan Musial hit a home run in his first at-bat in a game against the Cubs at Sportsman’s Park. What makes this particular home run special is that Musial’s first grandson was born earlier that day, which made Musial the first grandfather in major league history to hit a home run.
September 10, 1974 – On this date, Lou Brock ties and then breaks a 12-year-old single season stolen base record set by Maury Wills. The two stolen bases were Brock’s 104th and 105th stolen bases that year. The game was an 8-2 loss to the Phillies.
September 11, 1974 – The Cardinals beat the Mets 4-3 in a 25-inning game that lasted seven hours and four minutes and set a record of 202 batters.
September 12, 1959 – On this date, Bob Gibson pitched the first complete game of his career in a 6-4 win over the Cubs. Gibson allowed 6 hits and 3 earned runs, struck out 10 and walked four. Gibson ended his Hall of Fame career with 255 complete games.
September 13, 1964 – The Cardinals beat the Cubs in a 15-2 blowout on this date to become only the second team in major league history to score at least one run in every inning.
September 14, 1941 – On this date, Cardinal pitcher Howie Krist wins his 10th game of the season, ending his season with a perfect record of 10 wins and 0 losses. Krist’s perfect season establishes the NL record for most wins in a season by a pitcher without a defeat.
September 14, 2022 – Battery mates Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina break the all-time record set by Bill Freehan and Mickey Lolich for most games started together as pitcher and catcher with 325 such games.
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