Cardinals Turn to McGreevy to Stop Slide Against Seattle

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Sunday Salvage: Cardinals Turn to McGreevy to Stop Slide Against Seattle

ST. LOUIS — Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium suddenly carries more weight than a late-April baseball game normally should.

The Cardinals have dropped three straight, have already lost the opening two games of this weekend series to the Seattle Mariners, and now find themselves playing for something bigger than avoiding a sweep — they’re trying to steady the ship before the heart of a brutal 17-games-in-17-days stretch begins pulling at roster depth, bullpen arms, and weary legs.

At 14-12, St. Louis is still very much in the hunt, but momentum has shifted. What looked like lift-off following the sweep in Houston has suddenly become turbulence.

Now the ball goes to Michael McGreevy.

The right-hander (1-2, 3.29 ERA) has quietly become one of the Cardinals’ more dependable starters early this season — not overpowering, but polished. McGreevy wins with command, tempo, and weak contact. He doesn’t light up radar guns or pile up strikeouts, but he pounds the zone, works efficiently, and gives his club a chance to win every time out.

In short: old-school pitching.

That may be exactly what St. Louis needs after Saturday’s exhausting 11-9 slugfest that taxed both bullpens and exposed how thin pitching depth can become during a schedule grind.

Seattle counters with right-hander Emerson Hancock (2-1, 2.83 ERA), a strike-thrower with sharper put-away stuff than McGreevy. Hancock has been one of Seattle’s steadiest arms, mixing command with swing-and-miss ability while keeping traffic off the bases. His 0.87 WHIP tells the story — hitters simply haven’t found much room to breathe against him.

The Cardinals’ offense will need to create that breathing room early.

Masyn Winn remains the spark. The young shortstop continues to look like the heartbeat of this club, barreling baseballs, using the whole field, and bringing energy every night. Iván Herrera continues to be one of the toughest outs in baseball, combining plate discipline with thunder in the bat.

And then there’s Nathan Church.

Saturday may have been the day Cardinals fans officially met their new left fielder.

Two home runs. A sacrifice fly. A leaping robbery at the wall. Church did everything but walk away with a win. In defeat, he may have delivered something more valuable — belief that he belongs.

One injury note bears watching: catcher Pedro Pagés left Saturday’s game with hamstring tightness, creating uncertainty behind the plate for Sunday’s finale. If Pagés is unavailable or limited, that could further stretch a roster already navigating injuries and workload concerns. Lars Nootbaar remains sidelined on the 60-day injured list, while the club’s pitching depth continues to be tested by injuries throughout the organization.

That’s what makes today important.

Not because it’s April 26.

Because losing streaks have a way of growing roots if you don’t cut them off.

The Cardinals need a crisp McGreevy outing, cleaner bullpen execution, and early offense against Hancock. Most of all, they need to leave Busch Stadium with momentum — not questions — before this marathon stretch really begins.

Sunday baseball at Busch.

Rubber? No.

Salvage? Absolutely.

First pitch is set for 1:15 p.m. on Cards.TV and KMOX 1120 AM.

Time to answer the bell.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports