The New & Improved St. Louis Cardinals are Flying Home
The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis Cardinals Morning Briefing
St. Louis, MO — By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals are headed home.
After splitting a six-game road trip through Detroit and Washington at 3–3, St. Louis returns to Busch Stadium with something they didn’t consistently have a year ago — early signs they know how to win tight ballgames.
Thursday offers a needed pause. Then comes a six-game homestand beginning Friday night against the Boston Red Sox, followed by a three-game set with the Cleveland Guardians.
And if the early returns mean anything — and they just might — this club is showing a different kind of edge.
Winning the Close Ones
It’s April, and no one’s handing out anything meaningful yet. But you can learn a lot about a club by how it handles pressure.
So far, the Cardinals have answered that test.
They’re 3–0 in extra-inning games — their best such start since 1955 — and remain unbeaten in one-run games at 3–0. Add in a 2–1 mark in two-run contests, and you begin to see a pattern: this team is comfortable in the late innings.
That’s not luck. That’s execution.
Walker Setting the Tone
If you’re looking for the engine behind the offense, you don’t have to look far.
Jordan Walker is driving it.
The young outfielder closed the road trip with a home run in three consecutive games, giving him five on the season — tied for the National League lead. Over his last five games, he’s gone deep four times and continues to show a level of authority at the plate that can’t be ignored.
Dig a little deeper, and the numbers back it up.
Among Major League hitters with at least 40 plate appearances, Walker owns the highest average exit velocity in baseball at 97.5 MPH. That’s not just hard contact — that’s elite company. His hardest-hit ball this season, a 115.9 MPH shot, ranks among the top-20 across the league.
In simple terms: when Walker squares it up, it stays hit.
Support Around Him
Walker isn’t doing it alone.
Alec Burleson continues to provide steady production, turning in a three-hit, three-RBI performance in Wednesday’s win. He’s not flashy, but he’s been reliable — and right now, that matters.
JJ Wetherholt continues to impress in the early stages of his career, reaching base in each of his first 11 starts. That kind of consistency, even in a small sample, doesn’t go unnoticed.
And up and down the lineup, the Cardinals are finding ways to contribute — not always loudly, but effectively.
A Needed Step Forward on the Mound
On the pitching side, there was a quiet but important development.
Michael McGreevy delivered six strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits without issuing a walk. Even more telling — he retired the final 11 batters he faced, finishing his outing with control and confidence.
It was the kind of start the Cardinals needed during the trip — efficient, composed, and giving the bullpen room to breathe.
And the bullpen responded.
After a leadoff walk in the seventh, the Cardinals’ relievers allowed just one baserunner the rest of the way, retiring 20 of the final 21 hitters in the game. That’s how you close out a road trip.
Looking Ahead
Now comes the next test.
The Red Sox arrive at Busch Stadium on Friday night to open the homestand, with Dustin May set to take the ball against his former club. It’s a fresh start at home — and an opportunity to build on what’s been established.
Because while it’s still early — and yes, the sample size is small — this much is fair to say:
The Cardinals are playing better than expected.
Not perfectly. Not completely. But better.
And in a long season, that’s how something real begins.
The Cardinal Chronicle
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.