Dobbins Gets the Ball as Cardinals Open Crucial Series Against Phillies

The Cardinal Chronicle
Dobbins Gets the Ball as Cardinals Open Crucial Series Against Phillies
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The Cardinals did what they had to do against Colorado.

Now the challenge gets heavier.

St. Louis opens a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies tonight at Busch Stadium, and this one carries more weight than a normal Monday night in August. The Cardinals are back to .500, the Phillies are one of the clubs they are chasing in the National League Wild Card race, and the schedule is no longer offering much room for wasted opportunity.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT, with right-hander Hunter Dobbins getting the ball for the Cardinals against Phillies right-hander Andrew Painter.

The Cardinals enter at 59-59 after Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies. Philadelphia comes in at 63-56 after a 7-6, 12-inning win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

That makes this series simple.

If the Cardinals still want to stay attached to the Wild Card race, this is the kind of series they have to win.

Sunday gave St. Louis the finish it needed. The Cardinals had let Saturday get away against Colorado, then found themselves in another tight game in the finale. Hunter Goodman tied it in the eighth with his 34th home run of the season, but St. Louis answered immediately.

JJ Wetherholt delivered the biggest swing, lining a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the eighth to break the tie. Iván Herrera followed with an insurance run in a four-hit game, and Riley O’Brien handled a clean ninth for his 29th save. Everson Pereira also made his presence felt in left field, finishing the game with a diving catch that helped preserve the win.

That is the kind of inning the Cardinals need more often.

Traffic. Execution. A big swing from a young bat. Insurance from Herrera. A clean finish from the closer.

It was not perfect baseball, but it was enough to win the series and pull the Cardinals back to even. St. Louis has now won five of its last seven games, taking two of three from both the Yankees and Rockies.

That is useful.

Now they need to prove it can carry over against a better opponent.

Philadelphia is not coming to Busch Stadium in perfect shape. The Phillies avoided a sweep Sunday against Toronto, but they needed 12 innings to do it after blowing a lead. Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs in that win, giving him 35 on the season, and that alone should get the Cardinals’ attention.

Schwarber is not the only concern.

Bryce Harper remains a major presence in the middle of the order. Trea Turner can change a game with his bat and legs. Brandon Marsh has been one of Philadelphia’s better average bats. Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, J.T. Realmuto, Luis Arraez and the rest of the lineup give the Phillies enough length to make a pitcher work.

Dobbins cannot afford to pitch from behind all night.

His assignment is clear.

Throw strikes. Keep the ball out of the middle of the plate. Avoid free baserunners in front of Schwarber and Harper. Make Philadelphia earn its offense.

That last part matters because the Phillies have enough power to punish mistakes quickly. Schwarber can change a game with one swing. Harper can do the same. Turner can turn a single into pressure. If Dobbins starts giving away walks, falling behind hitters or letting the inning turn over for free, Philadelphia can make the night uncomfortable fast.

Dobbins enters at 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA. For a Cardinals rotation still trying to sort itself out after the trade deadline, starts like this matter. He does not have to be a savior. He does have to give St. Louis a competitive start and keep the bullpen from carrying too much of the night.

That has been a constant theme for the Cardinals.

When the starter gives them structure, they can win games like Sunday. When the game turns into a scramble early, everything gets harder.

On the other side, Painter comes in at 1-8 with a 6.48 ERA. The numbers suggest the Cardinals should have chances, but this is not the night to treat the matchup like a gift. Painter is still a talented arm, and pitchers with rough season lines can still make life miserable if hitters help them with impatient at-bats.

The Cardinals need a professional offensive approach.

Get traffic early. Make Painter throw strikes. Force him to work from the stretch. Do not chase him into quick outs. And when runners get into scoring position, finish the inning.

That last part is the difference between a team hanging around the race and a team actually applying pressure.

Wetherholt will be right in the middle of the story again. His eighth-inning double Sunday was another reminder of why the Cardinals need him at the top of the order. Herrera continues to be one of the club’s most important bats. Jordan Walker remains the biggest power threat in the lineup, entering with a team-leading 23 home runs and 83 RBIs. Alec Burleson hit his 19th homer Sunday and continues to give the Cardinals steady production.

Masyn Winn, Nathan Church, José Fermín, Blaze Jordan, Jimmy Crooks, Pereira and the rest of the lineup also have to help lengthen the night.

This cannot be a one-or-two-bat offense.

Against Philadelphia, the Cardinals need pressure from multiple spots in the order. They need to avoid the empty middle innings that have hurt them too often this season. They need to make the Phillies’ bullpen work, especially with Philadelphia coming off a long, extra-inning game Sunday.

That is one place where St. Louis may have an opening.

The Phillies’ bullpen has been a trouble spot lately, and if the Cardinals can get Painter out early or create stress in the middle innings, they can turn the game toward the late-inning matchup they want. But that only matters if St. Louis does the work early.

The Cardinals cannot wait until the eighth inning every night.

The standings are the bigger picture here. St. Louis entered the week still 3 1/2 games behind Philadelphia and Arizona for the second and third National League Wild Card spots. That means the Cardinals are not just trying to win games in general. They are playing one of the teams directly in front of them.

That changes the feel.

Beat Philadelphia, and the Cardinals do more than help themselves. They put pressure on a team they are chasing. Lose the series, and the Phillies leave town with more separation and one fewer head-to-head opportunity on the Cardinals’ calendar.

That is why this opener matters.

It is not must-win in the mathematical sense, but it is the kind of game that starts shaping what August becomes. The Cardinals have spent too much of the season hovering around .500. They have climbed back there again. Now they have to move past it and stay there.

Getting back to even is not the finish line.

It is the doorway.

Dobbins gets the ball. Painter stands in the way. The Phillies are in front of the Cardinals in the Wild Card race. Busch Stadium gets a meaningful August series.

Now St. Louis has to treat it that way.

Win the opener.

Set the tone.

Make the series matter in the right direction.

Game Info
Matchup: Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals
When: Monday, August 10, 2026
First Pitch: 6:45 p.m. CT / 7:45 p.m. ET
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Probable Pitchers: RHP Andrew Painter vs. RHP Hunter Dobbins
Painter: 1-8, 6.48 ERA
Dobbins: 2-2, 3.60 ERA
Records: Phillies 63-56; Cardinals 59-59
Broadcast: FS1 / Cardinals.TV / NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: KMOX

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Photo Credit: Hunter Dobbins, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB