McGreevy, Walker Lead Cardinals Past Dodgers

The Cardinal Chronicle
McGreevy, Walker Lead Cardinals Past Dodgers for Sixth Straight Win
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Rookie right-hander Michael McGreevy delivered six scoreless innings, scattering three hits and three walks while striking out four in a poised, efficient performance.

Jordan Walker, the Cardinals’ breakout slugger, homered for the second straight night, launching a towering shot into the left-field bleachers.

Play flawless defense, highlighted by four crisp double plays in the first five innings that stifled multiple Dodgers rallies.

Keep two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani off the bases, retiring him in all four plate appearances—including two strikeouts.

For eight innings Saturday night at Busch Stadium, that looked like a textbook, old-school winning formula for the St. Louis Cardinals. But in the ninth inning, a comfortable 3-0 cushion against the Los Angeles Dodgers quickly turned into a tense finish.

The Dodgers mounted a two-out rally against closer Riley O’Brien, stringing together four straight hits—matching their total from the first eight innings—before O’Brien slammed the door with a game-ending strikeout, preserving the Cardinals’ 3-2 victory.

The win marked the Cardinals’ sixth consecutive victory, boosting their record to 20-13 and drawing them even with the Dodgers, who have now lost four straight.

For a team eager to prove its hot start is more than a passing streak, Saturday’s win carried extra weight.

The Cardinals didn’t bash their way to a win or overwhelm the Dodgers with offense. Instead, they leaned on sharp starting pitching, airtight defense, a timely blast from Walker and enough late-inning poise to hang onto a hard-earned victory.

St. Louis did all its scoring in the third inning, stringing together a trio of extra-base hits. Ivan Herrera jump-started the rally with a sharp double down the right-field line. Alec Burleson followed by ripping an RBI double into the left-center gap, and Walker put the exclamation point on the rally, sending a 413-foot home run deep into the left-field seats off Roki Sasaki for his 10th of the year and a 3-0 Cardinals lead.

Walker’s homer punctuated a torrid stretch at the plate. The 21-year-old notched his sixth straight hit in the series and his seventh consecutive overall—a streak that ended with a loud flyout to left in the fifth.

In his last five games, Walker has racked up 11 hits and 11 RBIs, providing the kind of middle-of-the-order punch the Cardinals have sorely needed. His recent surge has transformed the complexion of the St. Louis offense.

After their outburst in the third, the Cardinals managed just one hit and two baserunners the rest of the way—a two-out walk to Herrera in the seventh and a ninth-inning double from Masyn Winn that nearly cleared the left-field wall.
St. Louis was held to six hits, four of them for extra bases—proof that a few timely swings can make all the difference.

On the mound, McGreevy wasn’t overpowering, but he embodied the poise of a seasoned veteran, methodically navigating six shutout innings on 93 pitches. The rookie right-hander allowed just three hits and three walks, relying on a heavy sinker to induce ground balls at crucial moments. Each time the Dodgers threatened, McGreevy trusted his infield, which turned four double plays behind him. The performance earned McGreevy his second win of the season and showed he could handle a high-pressure matchup against one of baseball’s most dangerous lineups.

The Cardinals’ infield was flawless, turning four double plays in the first five innings to quash Dodgers rallies before they could ignite. Shortstop Masyn Winn and second baseman Ramon Urias showed quick hands and crisp footwork, while third baseman JJ Wetherholt anchored the hot corner with solid throws, keeping the star-studded Dodgers offense off balance.

Ryne Stanek worked through a tense seventh, stranding two Dodgers after allowing a two-out single and a walk by getting Chris Taylor to chase a fastball up and James Outman to wave through a splitter. JoJo Romero breezed through the eighth in order, ending the frame emphatically by striking out Ohtani on a sweeping slider that left the Dodgers’ star shaking his head.

In the ninth, Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien retired the first two batters on routine flyouts. Then, the Dodgers found life: consecutive infield singles eluded a diving Winn at short, followed by Max Muncy’s sharp liner that glanced off Wetherholt’s glove at third. Andy Pages then bounced a single through the left side, threading the needle between Urias and Winn, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base and sending a nervous buzz through Busch Stadium.

With the Cardinals’ 3-0 cushion slashed to 3-2 and the crowd on edge, O’Brien took a deep breath and fired a 97-mph fastball past Enrique Hernández for a game-ending strikeout—his ninth save of the season and his most pressure-packed to date.

Game Day Notes

Walker’s 10th home run of the season came in his 122nd at-bat, a pace that underscores his rapid development as a power threat.

For perspective, over the 2024 and 2025 seasons combined, Walker managed 11 home runs in 527 at-bats—a fact that highlights the dramatic leap in his production this year.

Last season, the Cardinals didn’t have a player reach 10 home runs until June 19, when Willson Contreras accomplished the feat. This year, Walker has reached that mark in early May—looking more comfortable, more aggressive, and more dangerous at the plate with each passing game.

Ohtani finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts and is now 0-for-9 with three punchouts in the first two games of the series. Over his last five games in St. Louis, dating to last season, the two-way superstar is just 3-for-21, with two singles and a double.

That matters. Each time the Cardinals keep Ohtani off the bases—especially in a tight contest—they win one of the game’s most crucial battles.

Looking ahead, the Cardinals will send Dustin May to the mound Sunday in pursuit of a three-game sweep of the Dodgers at Busch Stadium. Another win would stretch St. Louis’ streak to seven consecutive games, further solidifying their resurgence.

A week ago, the Cardinals were trying to steady themselves.

Now, riding a six-game winning streak and tied with the Dodgers at 20-13, the Cardinals are playing the kind of inspired baseball that has St. Louis fans taking notice—and maybe starting to believe.

That doesn’t make them a finished product

But it sure makes them interesting.
 
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports