Leahy Gets the Ball as Cards Look to Take Control of D-Backs Series
The Cardinal Chronicle
Leahy Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Take Control of Diamondbacks Series
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals opened their four-game series against Arizona with the kind of win that does not need to be loud to be useful.
Now comes the follow-up.
After beating the Diamondbacks 3-2 Monday night at Busch Stadium, St. Louis returns Tuesday looking to take the first two games of the series and keep building momentum in a stretch that carries real weight in the National League race.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium, with right-hander Kyle Leahy getting the ball for the Cardinals. Arizona is expected to counter with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, giving St. Louis a tougher matchup than Monday’s opener on paper.
The Cardinals did enough Monday night. That is not always a glowing review, but it is often the mark of a club that is learning how to win close games.
Andre Pallante gave St. Louis six strong innings, allowing one run on six hits while striking out two and walking none. He did not overpower Arizona. He simply pitched, kept the ball around the zone, avoided free passes, and let the game stay in front of him. After some recent high-stress nights from the pitching staff, that kind of steady work matters.
The offense was not explosive, but it was timely.
Alec Burleson, Blaze Jordan and Nathan Church drove in runs, JJ Wetherholt added another two-hit game, and the Cardinals built just enough of a lead to make the bullpen hold it. JoJo Romero, George Soriano and Riley O’Brien finished the night, with O’Brien closing the door for his 19th save.
That is how contenders win games when the bats are not blowing the doors off.
Monday also carried an extra layer with Nolan Arenado returning to Busch Stadium as an opponent for the first time since his trade to Arizona. Arenado received a strong reception from Cardinals fans, which was appropriate. Whatever the ending looked like, his years in St. Louis mattered, and fans understood that. Once the game started, though, the Cardinals did what they had to do. They beat the team in the other dugout.
Now the attention turns to Leahy.
Leahy enters Tuesday at 5-4 with a 4.63 ERA. His assignment is not complicated, but it will not be easy. He needs to throw strikes, work ahead, and avoid the kind of early trouble that forces the Cardinals to start chasing the game. Arizona’s lineup may not have fully cashed in Monday night, but the Diamondbacks still had traffic and still had chances. They went quiet in the biggest spots, going hitless with runners in scoring position, but St. Louis should not expect that to repeat automatically.
The Diamondbacks have enough offensive pieces to make mistakes hurt.
Corbin Carroll can change a game with his speed and power. Ketel Marte remains one of the more dangerous switch-hitting bats in the National League. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Eugenio Suárez, Gabriel Moreno and Arenado give Arizona enough experience and right-handed thump to make Leahy pay if he starts living in the middle of the plate.
That is where Leahy has to be clean.
He does not need to match Pallante inning for inning, but he does need to give the Cardinals a competitive start. If he can give St. Louis five or six innings and keep Arizona from building a crooked number, the Cardinals will take their chances with a lineup that has been getting contributions from several places.
Against Rodriguez, the Cardinals’ right-handed bats will matter.
Rodriguez enters with strong season numbers, and he gives Arizona a veteran left-hander capable of making a lineup look uncomfortable if hitters start chasing. St. Louis cannot give him quick innings. The approach has to be patient without becoming passive. Make him throw strikes, get traffic on the bases, and do not waste scoring chances when they arrive.
That means Jordan Walker, Iván Herrera, Masyn Winn, Blaze Jordan and the right-handed side of the Cardinals’ lineup need to be ready to do damage. Burleson has been one of the club’s most reliable bats regardless of matchup, but against a left-hander, St. Louis needs balance.
Wetherholt remains one of the more important players to watch. His two-hit night Monday continued a strong stretch at the plate, and when he is setting the table, the Cardinals’ lineup has a different look. He gives them traffic, speed, and a mature at-bat at the top of the order. That matters against pitchers who want to settle into rhythm early.
Blaze Jordan is another key piece. His RBI Monday was not a thunderclap, but it mattered. The rookie continues to show he can help this lineup in real time, and every productive at-bat adds another layer to the Cardinals’ roster conversation. The bat got him here. The question now is how much it can help St. Louis stay in the race.
Nathan Church also gave the Cardinals a needed run Monday, and that is the kind of contribution that can get overlooked in a tight win. The Cardinals do not need every run to come from the middle of the order. In games like this, the bottom third has to help. Monday night, it did.
Tuesday is a chance to take control of the series.
A win would put the Cardinals up 2-0 in the four-game set and guarantee at least a split before the final two games. It would also continue to stabilize a club that has had stretches of uneven pitching but still keeps finding ways to stack wins. The standings do not grade style. They count wins and losses, and Monday’s win counted just fine.
But the Cardinals cannot live on one-run margins forever.
They need more pressure Tuesday. More traffic. Better separation. If Leahy can give them a clean start and the offense can get to Rodriguez early, St. Louis has a chance to make the Diamondbacks spend another night playing from behind.
That is how a home series should look.
The Cardinals got the opener.
Now they get a chance to tighten their grip.
Game Info
Matchup: Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals
When: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
First pitch: 6:45 p.m. CT
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Probable Pitchers: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez vs. RHP Kyle Leahy
Rodriguez: 6-2, 2.45 ERA
Leahy: 5-4, 4.63 ERA
Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / KMOX / WIJR
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