Cards Look to Answer After Bullpen Collapse in Minnesoto Opener
The Cardinal Chronicle
Cardinals Look to Answer After Bullpen Collapse in Minnesota Opener
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals do not have to wait long for a chance to respond.
After letting Friday night’s series opener slip away in a chaotic 9-8 loss to the Minnesota Twins, St. Louis returns to Target Field on Saturday afternoon looking to even the series and put a hard stop to a bullpen performance that turned a winnable game into one that got away.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT at Target Field in Minneapolis, with left-hander Matthew Liberatore getting the ball for the Cardinals against Twins left-hander Connor Prielipp.
The matchup itself matters, but the response may matter more.
The Cardinals had chances Friday night. They had offense. They had traffic. They had big swings. They had enough on the board to win a road game. Then the late innings arrived, and the bullpen gave the game back. Ryne Stanek had one of those nights relievers want to bury quickly, allowing three home runs as Minnesota stormed back and handed St. Louis a frustrating one-run loss.
That is baseball’s cruel little trick. You can play well enough for six innings to feel like you own the night, then lose the whole thing in a few swings.
Now the Cardinals have to show whether Friday was a bruise or the beginning of a problem.
Liberatore enters Saturday at 3-3 with a 4.48 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP and 61 strikeouts. His assignment is not complicated. The Cardinals need strikes, length and composure. They need him to keep Minnesota from jumping on top early, and they need enough innings to avoid asking too much of a bullpen that had to wear Friday night’s mess.
When Liberatore is right, he can work both sides, change the eye level and keep hitters from sitting on one speed. When he falls behind, innings can get heavy in a hurry. Against a Twins lineup that just showed how quickly it can leave the yard, first-pitch strikes and damage control will be the whole ballgame.
Minnesota counters with Prielipp, who enters at 2-4 with a 5.15 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and 49 strikeouts. The Cardinals should not treat those numbers casually, but this is a pitcher they need to make work. St. Louis cannot give him quick innings by chasing early. The approach should be simple: get traffic, force him into the zone, and make Minnesota’s bullpen cover innings again.
Offensively, the Cardinals still have encouraging signs, even after Friday’s loss.
Alec Burleson continues to be one of the hottest bats on the roster. He is riding a 12-game hitting streak and a four-game home run streak after going deep again in the opener. At some point, hot streaks stop being cute little notes and start becoming the center of the scouting report. Burleson is there now. He is giving the Cardinals steady contact, real damage and the kind of left-handed production that makes the lineup feel much longer.
Jordan Walker remains a middle-order force. Iván Herrera continues to provide quality at-bats. JJ Wetherholt gives the Cardinals a table-setter who rarely looks overwhelmed. And now Blaze Jordan has entered the picture.
Jordan made his Major League debut Friday and wasted no time making an impression, going 2-for-4 and driving in a run with a base hit in his first big-league at-bat. That is a pretty good way to introduce yourself. The Cardinals did not call him up for the scenery. They need his bat, they need his energy, and after one game, he already gave the fan base something to talk about.
Defensively, Jordan also gave St. Louis a glimpse of why the organization has not closed the door on him at third base. His bat is the carrying tool, but if he can be playable at the hot corner, the path to St. Louis becomes much more interesting.
The Twins, meanwhile, have their own centerpiece to manage.
Byron Buxton carried Minnesota’s offense Friday, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and his 21st home run of the season. When Buxton is healthy and locked in, he is still one of the most dangerous players in the league. The Cardinals cannot afford to let him beat them again by pitching from behind or leaving mistakes in the middle of the plate.
That is where Saturday’s game gets practical.
The Cardinals do not need to make a speech. They do not need to prove their toughness with quotes. They need to play cleaner baseball than they played Friday. They need Liberatore to stabilize the day. They need the offense to keep pressure on Prielipp. They need the bullpen to get back to throwing strikes and finishing innings.
One ugly loss does not define a road trip.
But how a team answers it can tell you plenty.
The Cardinals are still playing winning baseball. They are still getting production from the young core. They are still in position to leave Minnesota with a series win. But after Friday night, they no longer have much room for waste in this series.
Saturday is about response.
Get the lead. Hold the lead. Even the series.
That sounds simple because it is. Doing it is the hard part.
Game Info
Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals at Minnesota Twins
When: Saturday, June 13, 2026
First pitch: 1:10 p.m. CT / 2:10 p.m. ET
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Probable Pitchers: LHP Matthew Liberatore vs. LHP Connor Prielipp
Weather: Partly sunny, low-to-mid 70s around first pitch
Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / MLB.TV / KMOX
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Photo Credit: Mathew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals | Rich Storry/Getty Images