Cardinals Go for Sweep as Reds Try to Stop the Slide at Busch Stadium
The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Cardinals Go for Sweep as Reds Try to Stop the Slide at Busch Stadium
The St. Louis Cardinals have a chance to finish the weekend exactly the way they started it — by putting more distance between themselves and the Cincinnati Reds.
After pounding Cincinnati 10-3 on Friday night and stealing Saturday’s game with a dramatic 6-5 comeback, the Cardinals will go for the three-game sweep this afternoon at Busch Stadium. St. Louis enters the series finale at 34-28, while the Reds have slipped to 31-32 after two straight losses in St. Louis.
This is more than a chance to sweep a division rival. It is a chance for the Cardinals to close a long homestand with authority, keep Cincinnati below the .500 mark, and continue building momentum before heading back on the road.
Game Information
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals
Date: Sunday, June 7, 2026
First Pitch: 1:15 p.m. CT
Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
TV: Cardinals.TV and Reds.TV
Streaming: MLB.TV, with regional availability depending on location
Promotion: Kids Rawlings Baseball Glove giveaway for kids 12 and under
Probable Pitchers
Cincinnati: RHP Rhett Lowder, 3-3, 5.40 ERA
St. Louis: RHP Michael McGreevy, 3-5, 2.98 ERA
Michael McGreevy will take the mound for St. Louis looking to continue what has been one of the steadier rotation stories of the Cardinals’ season.
The win-loss record does not tell the whole story. McGreevy enters at 3-5, but his 2.98 ERA reflects the way he has given the Cardinals competitive innings and kept them in games. He is not a power arm in the modern mold, but he has pitched with purpose, worked to contact, and shown the kind of calm that plays well when a team needs a series-clinching start.
Against Cincinnati, the formula is not complicated. McGreevy needs to stay ahead in counts, keep traffic manageable and avoid giving the Reds the big inning they have been hunting for all weekend. Cincinnati has shown flashes offensively in the series, but the Cardinals have done a better job of making the Reds play from behind and forcing their bullpen into uncomfortable spots.
On the other side, Rhett Lowder gets the assignment for Cincinnati. Lowder enters at 3-3 with a 5.40 ERA, and while the talent is obvious, consistency has been the issue. Facing a Cardinals lineup that has scored 16 runs through the first two games of the series, Lowder will need to command his secondary pitches early and keep St. Louis from turning the lineup over with runners on base.
Nootbaar’s Return Has Already Changed the Feel of the Lineup
Lars Nootbaar did not waste time reminding everyone what the Cardinals missed.
After making his season debut Friday night following offseason surgery on both heels, Nootbaar delivered two hits and an RBI in the Cardinals’ 10-3 win. His RBI double helped open the door during the six-run sixth inning that broke the game open.
Then Saturday, in a game he was not even expected to start, Nootbaar became the story again. With the Cardinals trailing 5-4 in the eighth inning, he came off the bench and launched a decisive two-run home run off Sam Moll, flipping the game and lifting St. Louis to a 6-5 win.
That is the kind of bat that changes a lineup.
Nootbaar brings patience, power and a professional approach to a Cardinals offense that suddenly looks deeper and more dangerous. His return lengthens the order, gives manager Oliver Marmol more flexibility, and adds another left-handed threat at a time when St. Louis is trying to separate itself in the division race.
Walker Continues to Drive the Cardinals’ Offense
Jordan Walker continues to look like the offensive anchor the Cardinals hoped he would become.
Walker had three hits and two doubles in Friday night’s win, then followed it up Saturday with his 16th home run of the season, matching his career high. He now has 45 RBIs on the year and continues to be one of the most dangerous bats in the Cardinals’ order.
The biggest difference with Walker right now is not just the raw power. It is the way he is impacting games in multiple spots. He is driving the ball to the gaps, punishing mistakes, and giving St. Louis the kind of middle-order force that changes how opposing pitchers work through the lineup.
Against Lowder, Walker will again be one of the most important bats in the Cardinals’ order. Cincinnati cannot afford to let him come to the plate repeatedly with runners on base, and the Cardinals know it.
Wetherholt Remains Day to Day
One lineup question for the Cardinals is the availability of second baseman JJ Wetherholt, who has missed the first two games of the series with a groin issue.
Wetherholt is considered day to day, and while the Cardinals remain hopeful he can return soon, his status for today’s series finale remains uncertain. St. Louis has managed to win the first two games without him, but there is no question his bat-to-ball ability, speed and overall energy bring another layer to the lineup.
The Cardinals do not need to force the issue in early June, especially with a lower-body concern. Still, getting Wetherholt back would give Marmol another dynamic left-handed bat and restore one of the key pieces of a lineup that has already looked much deeper with Nootbaar back in the mix.
For now, the Cardinals will see how Wetherholt responds and hope the groin issue is minor enough to avoid anything beyond a short absence.
What’s at Stake
A sweep would do several things for St. Louis.
It would give the Cardinals their third straight win, move them seven games over .500, and create more breathing room over a division rival that arrived in town within striking distance. It would also send St. Louis into the next portion of the schedule with a cleaner feeling after a week that began with frustration against Texas.
More than anything, it would reinforce the sense that this Cardinals team is beginning to find its shape.
The rotation has gotten enough. The bullpen has survived pressure spots. The lineup has received a jolt from Nootbaar’s return. Walker is swinging like an impact bat. Burleson continues to contribute. Even without Wetherholt the last two days, the Cardinals have found ways to win.
That is how good teams win series. That is how they sweep them.
The Reds came to Busch Stadium looking to keep pace. Today, the Cardinals have a chance to send them home still searching.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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Photo Credit: Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals | KTVI