Leahy Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Build on Wrigley Blowout

The Cardinal Chronicle
Leahy Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Build on Wrigley Blowout
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The Cardinals could not have asked for a louder opening act at Wrigley Field.

Now comes the more important part.

After pounding the Chicago Cubs 17-1 on Friday afternoon, St. Louis returns Saturday night for Game 2 of the holiday weekend series looking to prove the opener was more than one wild afternoon in the sun. First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field, with right-hander Kyle Leahy getting the ball for the Cardinals against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga.

The Cardinals enter the night at 46-39, while the Cubs come in at 49-39. Chicago still sits ahead of St. Louis in the National League Central picture, but Friday’s result tightened the feel of the series in a hurry. One game does not erase the gap, but a 17-run outburst against a division rival certainly changes the tone.

Friday was the kind of game that empties the bench, quiets the home crowd and makes the losing club grateful baseball does not count by aggregate score.

The Cardinals did damage early and kept going. Nathan Church delivered the first major blow with a three-run homer in the second inning, and St. Louis never really let the Cubs back into the game. Masyn Winn added a homer of his own as the Cardinals kept expanding the lead, turning what began as a rivalry opener into one of their most complete offensive performances of the season.

It was not just the final score that mattered.

It was how the Cardinals got there.

They created traffic. They forced Chicago pitching into stressful innings. They got production from multiple spots in the order. They did not sit around waiting for one swing to save the day. That is the kind of offense this club has needed more consistently — pressure, patience and power all working in the same direction.

Now the challenge is carrying it over.

That is where baseball gets tricky. A 17-1 win looks great in the box score, but it still only counts once. The Cubs will not show up Saturday wearing Friday’s score around their necks. They will come back with a left-hander capable of settling things down, and the Cardinals have to be ready for a much different kind of game.

Imanaga enters at 5-6 with a 4.30 ERA and 92 strikeouts. He has not had the cleanest season, but he is still a pitcher who can make hitters look uncomfortable when he is locating and changing speeds. The Cardinals cannot let the blowout carry them into careless at-bats. They need to make Imanaga work, but they also need to stay aggressive when he puts something in the zone.

Against left-handed pitching, the Cardinals will again need the right-handed side of the lineup to be ready.

Jordan Walker remains the middle-order power threat. Iván Herrera’s bat continues to matter near the top or middle of the order. Masyn Winn can impact the game with his legs, glove and emerging power. Blaze Jordan gives St. Louis another right-handed bat with damage potential. And if Church stays hot, the lower half of the lineup becomes a much bigger problem for opposing pitchers.

The Cardinals do not need another 17 runs, but they need professional make the pitcher sweat, at-bats.

Leahy, meanwhile, gets a chance to keep the series moving in St. Louis’ direction. He enters at 6-4 with a 4.09 ERA and 67 strikeouts. His season has had some rough turns, but he has also shown the ability to give the Cardinals useful innings when he commands the baseball and stays ahead. This is a meaningful start, not just because of the rivalry, but because the Cardinals need every bit of rotation stability they can find.

The formula for Leahy to win is plain enough.Throw strikes. Avoid the big inning. Keep the ball in the yard. Do not give the Cubs free baserunners in front of the middle of the order. 

Formula for success sounds easy from a keyboard, but Wrigley can punish mistakes quickly, especially when a pitcher starts falling behind and has to come back into the zone. The Cubs have enough bats to change a game with one inning, and the Cardinals saw earlier this week how quickly Chicago’s offense can erupt when it gets rolling. Friday went St. Louis’ way, but the Cubs are not a club to take lightly.

Pete Crow-Armstrong remains an athletic threat. Seiya Suzuki can do damage. Ian Happ, Alex Bregman, Carson Kelly and the rest of the lineup give Chicago enough depth to make Leahy work from the first inning. If Leahy gives them traffic, the Cubs can turn the game in a hurry.

That is why early control matters.

The Cardinals would love another big inning, but the starting pitching may decide whether Saturday becomes a chance to secure the series or another tense night at Wrigley. Leahy does not have to dominate. He has to control the game. There is a difference, and this is the kind of start where that difference matters.

This series still carries weight beyond the rivalry label.

The Cubs are ahead of the Cardinals in the standings. St. Louis is trying to climb. These head-to-head games are the cleanest way to make up ground. Beat Chicago, and the Cardinals do not just add a win. They hand the Cubs a loss at the same time. That is old-fashioned standings math, the kind that does not require a spreadsheet or a seminar.

Friday was a strong first step.

Saturday gives the Cardinals a chance to secure the series.

That matters. Winning one blowout is fun. Winning the series is useful. Winning the first two at Wrigley would send a message that St. Louis is not just hanging around the division race, but actively pushing back against one of the clubs in front of them.

The Cardinals have had stretches this season where the offense disappeared, the pitching wobbled and the bullpen made every late inning feel like a porch light in a storm.

Friday showed the other side of this team.

Now it's time to rinse and repeat.get Imanaga. And the Cardinals get a chance to turn one huge afternoon at Wrigley into a series win.

Leahy gets the ball. The bats Game Info
Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
When: Saturday, July 4, 2026
First pitch: 7:08 p.m. CT
Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago
Probable Pitchers: RHP Kyle Leahy vs. LHP Shota Imanaga
Leahy: 6-4, 4.09 ERA, 67 SO
Imanaga: 5-6, 4.30 ERA, 92 SO
Records: Cardinals 46-39; Cubs 49-39
Broadcast: FOX

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Photo Credit: Kyle Leahy, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB