McGreevy Gets the Ball to Face the Brewers

The Cardinal Chronicle
McGreevy Gets the Ball to Face the Brewers
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The Cardinals have reached the point in this series where there is no use dressing it up.

They need a win.

After dropping the opener Monday night and then getting swept in Tuesday’s doubleheader, St. Louis returns to Busch Stadium on Wednesday night looking to stop a four-game losing streak and keep the first-place Milwaukee Brewers from completely taking control of this five-game division set.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT, with right-hander Michael McGreevy getting the ball for the Cardinals against Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison.

Milwaukee enters the game at 58-33, while St. Louis comes in at 47-43. The Brewers have won the first three games of the series and continue to play like a club that knows exactly who it is. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are trying to steady themselves after three straight frustrating losses to the team setting the pace in the National League Central.

Monday was the one that got away.

Dustin May gave the Cardinals a strong start, St. Louis built a 3-0 lead, and then Milwaukee turned one seventh inning into a 4-3 win. Tuesday’s first game followed a similar script. The Cardinals got home runs from Jordan Walker and Iván Herrera, Bruce Zimmermann gave them five competitive innings in his team debut, but Jacob Misiorowski struck out 11, Christian Yelich delivered a big day at the plate, and Milwaukee rallied late again for another 4-3 win.

Then Game 2 got away completely.

The Brewers beat the Cardinals 10-2 in the nightcap, with Robert Gasser giving Milwaukee 7 2/3 strong innings and Luis Lara driving in two runs in his major league debut. Nelson Velázquez provided the Cardinals’ only offense with a two-run homer in the sixth, but Milwaukee broke the game open with a seven-run seventh inning.

That has been the painful theme of the series.

The seventh inning has belonged to Milwaukee.

For the Cardinals, that has to change immediately.

The Brewers are not beating St. Louis with one lucky swing. They are applying pressure, extending innings, getting traffic, forcing bullpen decisions and taking advantage when the Cardinals leave the door cracked. That is what first-place teams do. They do not wait for a game to be handed to them. They keep pushing until something breaks.

The Cardinals have been the club breaking.

Now McGreevy gets the chance to settle things down.

McGreevy enters at 3-7 with a 3.12 ERA and 60 strikeouts. His record does not tell the full story of his season. At times, he has pitched well enough to win and simply has not received much support. What the Cardinals need Wednesday is not complicated. They need strikes, efficiency and length. They need him to keep the Brewers off the bases early and avoid forcing the bullpen to cover too much of the game.

That last part matters more after a doubleheader.

The Cardinals used multiple arms Tuesday, and the last thing they need Wednesday is a short start that turns the game into another bullpen test by the fourth or fifth inning. McGreevy does not have to be perfect. He does have to control the pace and give St. Louis a chance to breathe.

The challenge is a Milwaukee lineup that is seeing the ball well and getting production from several spots.

Yelich has been a problem in this series. Brice Turang has been a problem. Joey Ortiz helped break open Tuesday’s second game. Lara gave the Brewers immediate production in his debut. William Contreras, Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick and the rest of the lineup give Milwaukee the kind of balance that can wear down a pitching staff.

This is not a lineup built only on power.

It is built on pressure.

That means McGreevy has to limit free baserunners. Walks, hit batters and defensive mistakes cannot be part of the story. Against Milwaukee, a harmless inning can turn into a two-run problem in a hurry.

The Cardinals also have to find a way to solve Harrison.

The Brewers left-hander enters at 8-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 99 strikeouts. He gives Milwaukee another quality starter in a series where the Cardinals have already had to deal with Shane Drohan, Misiorowski and Gasser. Harrison has been steady, effective and difficult to square up when he is working ahead.

The Cardinals cannot let him cruise.

That means the right-handed bats have to be ready. Walker’s power remains central to the lineup. Herrera has shown he can change a game with one swing. Velázquez went deep Tuesday night. Masyn Winn, Blaze Jordan, Pedro Pagés and the rest of the right-handed group have to make Harrison work from the first inning.

But this cannot be a one-swing offense.

The Cardinals need traffic. They need better at-bats with runners on base. They need to turn leadoff baserunners into runs. They need to stop settling for isolated home runs while Milwaukee stacks innings together.

That has been the difference in the series.

Milwaukee has turned pressure into runs.

St. Louis has too often turned opportunities into almost.

Wednesday’s game is not going to decide the division by itself, but it does matter. The Cardinals entered this five-game set with a chance to make up ground against the club in front of them. Instead, the Brewers have taken the first three and widened the gap. St. Louis still has two games left in the series, but it cannot afford to let the entire week slip away at home.

A win Wednesday would not fix everything.

It would stop the slide. It would give McGreevy a needed result. It would give the Cardinals a chance to salvage something from the final two games. It would keep Busch Stadium from feeling like Milwaukee’s weekend extension.

A loss would make the finale feel like damage control.

The Cardinals are still in the race, but this series has exposed the difference between hanging around and taking control. Milwaukee has played clean, confident baseball. St. Louis has had leads, moments and swings, but not enough finish.

Now the Cardinals need finish.

McGreevy gets the ball.

The bats get Harrison.

The Brewers have controlled the series so far.

Tonight, the Cardinals need to change the tone.

Game Info
Matchup: Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals
When: Wednesday, July 8, 2026
First Pitch: 6:45 p.m. CT
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Probable Pitchers: LHP Kyle Harrison vs. RHP Michael McGreevy
Harrison: 8-1, 2.82 ERA, 99 SO
McGreevy: 3-7, 3.12 ERA, 60 SO
Records: Brewers 58-33; Cardinals 47-43
Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / Brewers.TV

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Photo Credit: Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB