May Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Build on Desert Opener
The Cardinal Chronicle
May Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Build on Desert Opener
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals opened the second half with the kind of win that does not have to be pretty to matter.
Now they need to build on it.
St. Louis returns to Chase Field on Saturday afternoon for the second game of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, looking to follow Friday night’s 5-4 win with another road victory and a chance to take the series.
First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. CT, with right-hander Dustin May getting the ball for the Cardinals against Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.
The Cardinals enter the game at 51-45, while Arizona comes in at 49-48. The standings make this series important. These are two clubs trying to stay in the National League postseason picture, and head-to-head games after the All-Star break carry a little more weight. There is less season left, less room to drift, and fewer chances to let winnable games get away.
Friday was not clean, but it was useful.
The Cardinals struck early, answered late and survived a tense eighth inning after Corbin Carroll tied the game with a two-run homer off the right-field foul pole. Instead of letting that swing steal the night, St. Louis pushed back in the ninth, with Iván Herrera delivering the go-ahead sacrifice fly in a 5-4 win.
Masyn Winn was right in the middle of it.
Winn drove in three runs, including a two-run single in the first inning and a sacrifice fly in the eighth. He also made one of the key defensive plays of the night, showing again that his value is not limited to the box score. There are games where a shortstop wins you at-bats, saves you runs and changes the feel of the night with his glove.
Friday was one of those games.
JJ Wetherholt also gave the Cardinals a needed jolt, launching a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning. Michael McGreevy gave St. Louis 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs while striking out five, and the Cardinals did just enough late to protect the win after Arizona tied it.
That is a good way to come out of the break.
But now comes the follow-up.
May enters at 5-6 with a 4.55 ERA, and the Cardinals need him to give them length, efficiency and a little stability. His season has had flashes where he looks like the kind of power arm this rotation badly needs, but the Cardinals still need more consistency from him. The stuff is there. The question, as usual, is command and efficiency.
When May is right, the ball moves enough to make hitters uncomfortable. He can get ground balls, weak contact and quick outs. When he falls behind or starts searching, innings can get long, pitch counts can climb and the bullpen has to get involved earlier than St. Louis would like.
The assignment Saturday is simple.
Attack the zone. Keep the ball on the ground. Do not give Arizona free baserunners. Make the Diamondbacks earn their offense.
That last part matters because Arizona has enough athleticism and enough dangerous bats to turn small mistakes into crooked innings. Carroll showed that Friday with one swing. The Diamondbacks can run, pressure the defense and change a game quickly if a pitcher gives them traffic.
May cannot pitch afraid of contact.
He has to pitch ahead.
On the other side, the Cardinals get Pfaadt, who enters at 3-1 with a 4.70 ERA. Pfaadt has enough stuff to miss bats and work through a lineup, but his numbers suggest the Cardinals should have chances if they make him throw strikes and do not help him with chase swings.
That should be the offensive plan.
Get traffic early. Make Pfaadt work from the stretch. Force Arizona’s defense to handle the baseball. Then cash in when the opportunity is there.
The Cardinals did enough of that Friday to win, but they also left room for improvement. This lineup cannot live only on one late sacrifice fly or one big defensive play. The second half is going to require more complete offensive innings, especially on the road.
Wetherholt and Winn have to keep setting the tone. Herrera remains one of the club’s most important bats because he can reach base and produce in key spots. Jordan Walker gives the Cardinals their biggest power threat in the middle of the order. Alec Burleson brings a steady left-handed bat and the rest of the lineup have to keep lengthening the game.
That is how the Cardinals can turn a good opener into a good series.
One win after the All-Star break is encouraging.
Two wins would put the Cardinals in position to take the series before Sunday.
The larger picture has not changed. St. Louis still needs pitching stability. The bullpen still has to be managed carefully. The offense still has to avoid long quiet stretches. But Friday showed the Cardinals can grind through a close game, absorb a late punch and still finish.
Now they need to do it again.
May gets the ball. Pfaadt stands in the way. The Diamondbacks are trying to answer after letting one slip away. The Cardinals are trying to keep the second half moving in the right direction.
Win Saturday, and the series belongs to St. Louis.
That would be a strong way to start the road out of the break.
Game Info
Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks
When: Saturday, July 18, 2026
First Pitch: 3:10 p.m. CT
Where: Chase Field, Phoenix
Probable Pitchers: RHP Dustin May vs. RHP Brandon Pfaadt
May: 5-6, 4.55 ERA
Pfaadt: 3-1, 4.70 ERA
Records: Cardinals 51-45; Diamondbacks 49-48
Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / KMOX
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Photo Credit: Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals | AP Photo/Kayla Wolf