Leahy Gets the Ball as Cardinals Open Homestand Against Rockies
The Cardinal Chronicle
Leahy Gets the Ball as Cardinals Open Homestand Against Rockies
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals needed the day off.
Now they need to make sure they do something with it.
After taking two of three from the New York Yankees in the Bronx, St. Louis returns to Busch Stadium tonight to open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CT, with right-hander Kyle Leahy getting the ball for the Cardinals against Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner.
The Cardinals enter the series at 57-58, still trying to climb back to .500 and keep some life in the National League Wild Card picture. The Rockies arrive at 45-70, sitting at the bottom of the National League West and playing out a difficult season.
On paper, this is the kind of series the Cardinals should win.
That is also exactly why they cannot take it lightly.
St. Louis closed the Yankees series with a needed 3-1 win Wednesday night in New York. Andre Pallante gave the Cardinals 5 1/3 strong innings, JJ Wetherholt delivered a two-run double in the fifth, and Iván Herrera followed with another run-scoring double as St. Louis turned one clean inning into enough offense to take the series. After Monday’s 13-7 slugfest and Tuesday’s 2-0 shutout loss, Wednesday was the kind of steadier win the Cardinals needed before heading home.
Now comes the follow-up.
The Cardinals have spent much of the second half trying to find consistent footing. They have had loud offensive nights, frustrating shutouts, strong starts, bullpen strain, roster movement and deadline fallout all rolled into the same stretch. At some point, though, the standings stop caring about context.
The Cardinals need wins.
This weekend gives them a chance to start stacking a few.
Leahy enters tonight at 7-4 with a 3.44 ERA. He has been one of the steadier arms in a rotation that has needed stability, especially after the trade deadline reshaped the pitching picture. The Cardinals do not need him to be spectacular against Colorado. They need him to be efficient.
Throw strikes. Get ground balls. Avoid free baserunners. Do not give a struggling Rockies club extra chances to hang around.
That last part matters because Colorado still has bats capable of making a game uncomfortable. Hunter Goodman leads the Rockies with 33 home runs and 66 RBIs. TJ Rumfield has been one of their best contact bats, hitting .294 with a .374 on-base percentage and a team-leading 116 hits. Jake McCarthy brings average, speed and 17 stolen bases, while Mickey Moniak has supplied extra-base damage with 19 home runs and 52 RBIs.
The Rockies may be buried in the standings, but they are not harmless.
Leahy has to treat them accordingly.
The Cardinals’ offense gets Feltner, who enters at 4-5 with a 5.75 ERA and 57 strikeouts. Feltner won his last start Aug. 1 against Kansas City, working six innings while allowing four earned runs, but he had dropped his previous two outings before that. His numbers suggest the Cardinals should have opportunities if they make him throw strikes and avoid helping him with chase swings.
That has to be the offensive plan.
Get traffic early. Make Feltner work from the stretch. Force Colorado’s defense to handle the baseball. Turn baserunners into runs instead of threats that die at second or third.
The Cardinals cannot afford another night where the offense waits around for one swing to save the game. Against a team like Colorado, St. Louis needs to apply pressure from the first inning and make the Rockies feel like they are chasing uphill.
Wetherholt remains one of the keys. His two-run double Wednesday was another reminder of how quickly he can change an inning when he gets a chance with runners on base. Herrera continues to give the lineup a quality bat and on-base presence. Jordan Walker’s power remains central to the middle of the order. Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn, Blaze Jordan, Jimmy Crooks, Nelson Velázquez and the rest of the lineup have to keep things moving.
The Cardinals are at their best when the pressure comes from more than one spot.
That was the difference in New York. Monday was the Alec Burleson show, but the bottom of the order also helped flip the game. Wednesday was Wetherholt and Herrera doing damage in the same inning, with Pallante giving the staff room to breathe.
That is the formula tonight.
Get a start.
Get traffic.
Finish innings.
This is also a series where the Cardinals need to act like a team that knows what is in front of it. Colorado has lost seven of its last 10 games, and the Rockies come into St. Louis after being swept by Tampa Bay. The Cardinals cannot control Milwaukee, Chicago, Cincinnati or anyone else in the race tonight. They can control how they play against a club they should beat at home.
That is enough.
The schedule will get harder. The margin will get thinner. The debate about what the Cardinals are after the deadline will continue. But for one night, the assignment is clean.
Win the opener.
Leahy gets the ball. Feltner stands in the way. The Cardinals are back at Busch Stadium after a needed road series win in New York.
Now they need to take care of business at home.
Game Info
Matchup: Colorado Rockies at St. Louis Cardinals
When: Friday, August 7, 2026
First Pitch: 7:15 p.m. CT
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Probable Pitchers: RHP Ryan Feltner vs. RHP Kyle Leahy
Feltner: 4-5, 5.75 ERA, 57 SO
Leahy: 7-4, 3.44 ERA
Records: Rockies 45-70; Cardinals 57-58
Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / KMOX / KMOV-4