Leahy Gets the Ball to Take the Rubber Game From Phillies
The Cardinal Chronicle
Leahy Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Take Rubber Game From Phillies
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals had to win Tuesday night to keep the series alive.
Now they have a chance to make the week matter.
St. Louis hosts the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon at Busch Stadium in the final game of a three-game series, with the Cardinals looking to take the rubber game against one of the clubs still sitting in front of them in the National League Wild Card race.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. CT, with right-hander Kyle Leahy getting the ball for the Cardinals against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler.
The Phillies enter the finale at 64-57, while the Cardinals come in at 60-60. Philadelphia took Monday’s opener 6-5. St. Louis answered Tuesday with a 2-0 win built on pitching, defense and just enough offense.
That puts the series right where the Cardinals need it.
One game.
One chance to win the series.
One chance to gain ground on a team they are chasing.
Tuesday night was not loud, but it was exactly the kind of game St. Louis needed. Andre Pallante gave the Cardinals six shutout innings, matching Cristopher Sánchez pitch for pitch and keeping the game scoreless long enough for the offense to finally break through.
Masyn Winn delivered the key swing in the seventh, lining a two-out RBI single to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. Everson Pereira added insurance in the eighth with a solo home run to center field, and that second run mattered because Philadelphia had already shown it could make the late innings uncomfortable.
The biggest moment of the night may have belonged to Ryne Stanek.
The Phillies loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth, putting the game in danger of flipping completely. Stanek came in and got Luis Arraez to hit into a force at the plate, then retired J.T. Realmuto on a deep fly ball to escape the inning without allowing a run.
That was the game.
Riley O’Brien followed with a clean ninth inning for his 30th save of the season, giving the Cardinals a much-needed shutout win and pulling them back to .500.
Now Leahy gets the ball with a chance to build on it.
Leahy enters at 8-4 with a 3.45 ERA, and he has been one of the steadier arms on a staff that has needed stability all season. He is not always overpowering, but when he is right, he throws strikes, gets ground balls and keeps the game moving.
That is what the Cardinals need today.
The Phillies have enough power to make any mistake expensive. Kyle Schwarber remains one of the league’s most dangerous home run threats. Bryce Harper gives Philadelphia another middle-order bat who can change a game with one swing. Trea Turner can pressure a defense with his legs and bat. Luis Arraez, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, J.T. Realmuto and the rest of the lineup give the Phillies enough depth to make a pitcher work from the first inning.
Leahy cannot give them free traffic.
No leadoff walks. No extra baserunners in front of Schwarber or Harper. No long innings that force the Cardinals into their bullpen early. The path for Leahy is simple, even if the assignment is not easy.
Throw strikes.
Get early contact.
Keep the ball in the yard.
Make Philadelphia earn everything.
On the other side, the Cardinals get Wheeler, who enters at 10-3 with a 2.69 ERA and 132 strikeouts. That is a difficult assignment, and there is no point pretending otherwise. Wheeler remains one of the better right-handed starters in the league, with the kind of stuff and command that can make a lineup feel rushed.
The Cardinals cannot let him cruise.
Against Wheeler, St. Louis has to be disciplined without being passive. Make him throw strikes. Do not chase the breaking ball out of the zone. Extend at-bats where possible. Get traffic when the opportunity is there. And when he makes a mistake, the Cardinals have to be ready to do damage.
That is easier said than done, but this is August baseball.
The schedule is not supposed to get easier.
The Cardinals need the top of the order to set the tone. JJ Wetherholt has to keep putting pressure on opposing pitchers. Iván Herrera remains one of the club’s most important bats. Alec Burleson continues to give St. Louis steady production. Jordan Walker is still the biggest power presence in the lineup. Winn, Pereira, Nathan Church, Blaze Jordan, Jimmy Crooks, José Fermín and the rest of the group have to make sure the Cardinals are not relying on one swing from one spot.
Tuesday’s win was encouraging because St. Louis found a way to win a tight game.
But the Cardinals cannot count on two runs being enough again.
They need better offensive pressure today. They need runners on base. They need productive outs. They need to force Wheeler to work from the stretch and make Philadelphia’s bullpen cover important innings.
The standings make this one bigger than a normal series finale.
The Phillies are directly ahead of the Cardinals in the Wild Card picture. Taking two of three from Philadelphia would not solve everything, but it would help St. Louis in the most direct way possible. It would give the Cardinals a series win over a team they are chasing and send them into the next stretch with a little more footing.
Lose, and the Phillies leave town with the series.
Win, and the Cardinals are back above .500 with a meaningful head-to-head series in their pocket.
That matters.
The Cardinals have spent too much of the season circling the .500 mark. They get there, fall back, climb again, and restart the same conversation. At some point, they have to stop visiting even and start moving past it.
Today is another chance.
Leahy gets the ball.
Wheeler stands in the way.
The series is tied.
The Cardinals need to go take it.
Game Info
Matchup: Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals
When: Wednesday, August 12, 2026
First Pitch: 1:15 p.m. CT
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Probable Pitchers: RHP Zack Wheeler vs. RHP Kyle Leahy
Wheeler: 10-3, 2.69 ERA, 132 SO
Leahy: 8-4, 3.45 ERA
Records: Phillies 64-57; Cardinals 60-60
Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: KMOX