Blog

The Cardinal Chronicle Pallante Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Take Series From Yankees St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals and Yankees split the first two games of the series, now it all comes down to Wednesday night in the Bronx.St. Louis closes its three-game series against the New York Yankees tonight at Yankee Stadium, looking to recover from Tuesday’s 2-0 shutout loss and still leave New York with a road series win.First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT / 7:05 p.m. ET, with right-hander Andre Pallante expected to get the ball for the Cardinals against Yankees right-hander Will Warren.The Cardinals enter the finale trying to find the middle ground between Monday’s offensive explosion and Tuesday’s missed chances. In the opener, St. Louis hit five home runs, got three two-run shots from Alec Burleson and beat the Yankees 13-7 in one of its loudest wins of the season.Tuesday was a different game entirely.Hunter Dobbins gave the Cardinals a strong start, allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings, but the offense could not give him anything to work with. The Yankees got solo home runs from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and George Lombard Jr., and that was enough. Ryan Weathers threw six scoreless innings, and New York’s bullpen handled the final nine outs.The most frustrating part for St. Louis was not that it got blown out.It did not.The Cardinals had chances. They outhit New York. They put runners on base. They loaded the bases in the eighth. They had the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run aboard. But the swing never came, and Nelson Velázquez struck out to end the Cardinals’ best threat of the night.That is the kind of loss that sticks because the pitching did enough to win.Now Pallante gets the ball with a chance to help the Cardinals take the series anyway.Pallante has been one of the more important arms in the St. Louis rotation this season because he gives the Cardinals something they badly need: competitive innings. He is not always flashy, and he is not always overpowering, but when he is right, he throws strikes, gets ground balls and keeps the game from getting away early.That is exactly what the Cardinals need tonight.Yankee Stadium is not a place to hand out free baserunners. The ballpark already rewards mistakes, especially when hitters get something they can lift to right field. The Yankees showed Tuesday they do not need a crooked inning to win a game. Two solo swings, good starting pitching and a clean bullpen were enough.Pallante’s job is simple.Work ahead. Keep the ball on the ground. Make New York earn its runs. Do not let walks or defensive mistakes turn the bottom of the order over for free.That last part matters because Lombard gave the Yankees a jolt Tuesday in his major league debut. The young shortstop homered for his first big-league hit and also helped turn two double plays. That kind of night changes the energy around a club, especially at Yankee Stadium, where every young prospect arrives with the volume already turned up.The Cardinals cannot let that storyline carry into the finale.They also have to deal with Chisholm, Luis García Jr., Ryan McMahon, Heliot Ramos and a Yankees lineup that has enough power to punish mistakes even when it is not clicking all night. New York has won two straight after Monday’s loss and will be trying to finish the series by taking back control at home.For St. Louis, the offensive plan against Warren has to be sharper than it was Tuesday.Warren enters at 8-5 with a 4.14 ERA. He gives the Yankees a right-handed look, and the Cardinals cannot let him cruise through easy early innings. The first two games of the series have shown both extremes of this lineup. Monday, St. Louis cashed in nearly everything. Tuesday, the Cardinals did enough to threaten but not enough to score.Tonight has to be about execution.Get traffic early. Make Warren work from the stretch. Do not chase him into quick outs. Move runners when the situation calls for it. And when the Cardinals get men in scoring position, they have to finish the inning.That has been the line between winning and wasting too many nights this season.Burleson will remain one of the central bats to watch after his three-homer night Monday, even though the Yankees handled him more carefully Tuesday. Jordan Walker still gives St. Louis its biggest power presence in the middle of the lineup. Iván Herrera continues to provide on-base value. JJ Wetherholt has to help set the tone. Masyn Winn, Blaze Jordan, Nathan Church, Jimmy Crooks, Velázquez and the rest of the order have to make sure the Yankees cannot simply work around one or two hitters.This lineup is at its best when the pressure comes from more than one spot.Monday showed that.Tuesday reminded everyone how quickly it can disappear.The series finale also carries a little extra weight because of where the Cardinals are after the deadline. The roster has changed. Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar are gone. Caleb Ferguson has been added to the bullpen mix. César Prieto is back up. Quinn Mathews was optioned. The club is trying to sort through the present while keeping one eye on the future.That makes games like this important.If the Cardinals are still trying to sell the idea that they can remain competitive after moving pieces at the deadline, they need series wins. Not moral victories. Not “we hit the ball hard.” Not “the starter deserved better.” Wins.Taking two of three at Yankee Stadium would matter.It would give St. Louis a road series win against a playoff-caliber American League club. It would turn Monday’s offensive outburst into something more than a one-night show. It would help the Cardinals steady themselves before the next leg of the schedule.A loss would not undo Monday, but it would leave the Cardinals walking away from New York knowing they had a chance to take the series and let the final two games slip.That is the difference between a good road stop and another missed opportunity.The Cardinals have already shown they can beat the Yankees with power.Now they have to show they can win a tighter, cleaner game with execution.Pallante gets the ball.Warren stands in the way.The series is there to be taken.Go finish it.Game Info Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals at New York Yankees When: Wednesday, August 5, 2026 First Pitch: 6:05 p.m. CT / 7:05 p.m. ET Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York Probable Pitchers: RHP Andre Pallante vs. RHP Will Warren Warren: 8-5, 4.14 ERA Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / MLB.TV / Prime Video The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Pallante Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Take Series From Yankees

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day: Sammy Hernandez Homers Twice for Peoria St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurSammy Hernandez gave Peoria all the offense it needed Tuesday night.Hernandez is the Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day after going 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored in the Chiefs’ 7-3 loss to Quad Cities at Dozer Park.His final line: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 RThat was Peoria’s entire run production.Hernandez hit his seventh and eighth home runs of the season, driving in all three Chiefs runs. He now has 26 RBIs on the year, and after Tuesday’s game, his OPS sits at 1.047.The final score did not go Peoria’s way, and the Chiefs’ six-game winning streak came to an end, but Hernandez’s night still deserves the spotlight. Two-homer games do not get lost in the wash, especially when both swings were needed just to keep Peoria on the board.Peoria finished with six hits. Josh Kross had two of them, while Cade McGee singled and Yordalin Peña doubled in his Peoria debut. But Hernandez supplied the thunder.Behind the plate, in the middle of a tough loss, he gave the Chiefs their only real spark.On the mound, Jacob Odle struck out eight over four innings, but Quad Cities did damage with the long ball, hitting four home runs on the night. Odle allowed two, and the River Bandits kept adding from there.Still, Tuesday’s offensive headline belonged to Hernandez.Two home runs. Three RBIs. All of Peoria’s scoring.That earns the nod for Player of the DayCardinal Chronicle Player of the Day: Sammy Hernandez, C, Peoria Chiefs Final Line: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Sammy Hernandez, Peoria Chiefs | MLB

MiLB Player of the Day: Sammy Hernandez

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day: Blake Aita Deals as Springfield Stays Hot St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurBlake Aita gave Springfield exactly what a first-place club needs from a starting pitcher to keep the Cardinals fying high.Aita is the Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day after working 6.1 strong innings in the Cardinals’ 5-2 win over San Antonio on Tuesday night.His final line:n6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 KThat is a winning start on any given day.Aita allowed five hits, but he did not walk a batter. That was the key. He filled the strike zone, worked ahead, limited free traffic and kept San Antonio from building any kind of sustained threat.He threw 88 pitches, 59 for strikes, and gave Springfield length, efficiency and control. For a pitching staff trying to protect a division lead, that kind of outing matters.The Missions scored once in the first inning, but Aita settled in and kept the game there long enough for Springfield’s offense to answer. The Cardinals scored one in the second, two in the third and later added insurance with two more in the eighth.After Aita left, the bullpen finished the job. Nolan Sparks recorded two outs, Jack Findlay worked the eighth, and Darlin Saladin closed it out with a clean ninth, striking out two.Springfield’s offense gave Aita enough support. Jesús Báez hit his 15th home run of the season, a two-run shot, and drove in two. Zach Levenson went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, while Ryan Campos added two hits and a double. Tai Peete went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base, and Deniel Ortiz doubled and drove in a run.But the pitching headline belonged to Aita.No walks. Six strikeouts. One earned run. A road win for a first-place team.Springfield improved to 54-48 overall and 23-11 in the second half, remaining alone in first place in the Texas League North.Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day: Blake Aita, RHP, Springfield Cardinals Final Line: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Blake Aita, Springfield Cardinals | MLB

MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Blake Aita

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Farm Report: Memphis Pounds Out 20 Hits, Aita Deals, Hernandez Homers Twice St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurTuesday’s farm report had two very loud offensive stories and one strong pitching headline.Memphis exploded for 13 runs on 20 hits in a blowout win over Nashville. Springfield stayed hot with a 5-2 win at San Antonio behind a strong start from Blake Aita. Peoria saw its winning streak snapped despite a two-homer night from Sammy Hernandez, and Palm Beach dropped its third straight.The full-season affiliates finished 2-2.Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A Overall Record: 61-48 Second Half: 14-20, 8th in the International League West, 8.0 GB Streak: W1Memphis 13, Nashville 2Memphis did not ease into this one Tuesday night.The Redbirds scored eight runs in the second inning, added two more in the third, another in the seventh and two in the eighth, rolling past Nashville 13-2 at AutoZone Park.The offense finished with 20 hits, and nearly everyone got involved.Leo Bernal had a perfect night at the plate, going 4-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a walk. He reached base all five times and raised his average to .289 with an .870 OPS.Ramon Mendoza also had four hits, going 4-for-5 with a double. Victor Scott II went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, a walk and his 11th stolen base.The power came from Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese. Gorman hit his ninth home run and drove in three. Saggese added his ninth homer, doubled, drove in three and scored twice.Colton Ledbetter had two hits and two RBIs. Joshua Báez drove in his 84th run of the season and stole his 18th base. Noah Mendlinger tripled, scored twice and drove in a run.On the mound, Brandt Thompson gave Memphis five strong innings, allowing one unearned run on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Cade Winquest followed with two scoreless innings and struck out four. Ryan Fernandez added a scoreless eighth, and Austin Love finished the ninth.Takeaway: Twenty hits, 13 runs and a clean win. Memphis needed that kind of night, and the lineup delivered from top to bottom.Springfield Cardinals — Double-A Overall Record: 54-48 Second Half: 23-11, 1st in the Texas League North Streak: W3Springfield 5, San Antonio 2Springfield just keeps winning.The Cardinals beat San Antonio 5-2 on Tuesday night, getting another strong start and enough offense to stay in control.Blake Aita earned Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day honors after working 6.1 innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts.His final line:6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 KThat is exactly how you lead off a series.Aita threw 88 pitches, 59 for strikes, and kept San Antonio off balance most of the night. After he exited, Nolan Sparks got two outs, Jack Findlay allowed one run in the eighth, and Darlin Saladin closed it with a clean ninth, striking out two.Offensively, Jesús Báez delivered the big swing with a two-run homer, his 15th of the season. Zach Levenson went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, while Ryan Campos added two hits and a double.Tai Peete made his Springfield debut and went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base. Deniel Ortiz doubled and drove in a run, and Won-Bin Cho reached three times with a hit, two walks and a stolen base.Takeaway: Springfield remains the hottest full-season affiliate in the system. Aita was sharp, the lineup produced, and the Cardinals stretched their second-half lead to four games.Peoria Chiefs — High-A Overall Record: 51-51 Second Half: 19-17, 5th in the Midwest League West, 3.5 GB Streak: L1Quad Cities 7, Peoria 3Peoria’s six-game winning streak came to an end, but Sammy Hernandez made sure the night still had a headline.Hernandez earned Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors after going 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored.His final line:2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 RThat was Peoria’s offense.Hernandez hit his seventh and eighth home runs of the season, driving in all three Chiefs runs. He now has 26 RBIs and a 1.047 OPS.Josh Kross added two hits, while Yordalin Peña doubled in his Peoria debut. Cade McGee also singled, but the Chiefs were held to six hits and struck out 11 times.On the mound, Jacob Odle missed bats but was hurt by the long ball. He struck out eight over four innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks. Quad Cities hit two home runs against him and four total on the night.Jawilme Ramírez allowed two runs over two innings, Christian Worley gave up two runs, one earned, in the seventh, and Bobby Olsen finished with two scoreless innings.Takeaway: The winning streak is over, but Hernandez’s two-homer game deserves the spotlight. Odle’s strikeouts were loud, but Quad Cities did too much damage with the home run ball.Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A Overall Record: 52-50 Second Half: 19-17, 2nd in the Florida State League East, 4.0 GB Streak: L3Jupiter 5, Palm Beach 3Palm Beach fought back late but could not climb out of an early hole in a 5-3 loss to Jupiter.The Cardinals scored in the first, third and ninth innings, but Jupiter put up three runs in the third and two more in the fourth to take control.Sebastian Dos Santos homered, walked twice and scored two runs. The homer was his fourth of the season. Yairo Padilla had a strong night, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and a stolen base.Jonathan Mejía reached base four times, going 2-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base. Cristofer Lebrón added the other Palm Beach hit.On the mound, Payton Graham allowed five runs over four innings, giving up six hits, four walks and two home runs. The bullpen did its job. Brian Garmon, Dallis Moran and Liam Best combined for five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.Takeaway: Palm Beach’s bullpen gave the Cardinals a chance, but the early damage was too much. The losing streak is now at three.Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day Sammy Hernandez, C, Peoria ChiefsHernandez earns the honor after accounting for all of Peoria’s offense in the loss to Quad Cities.His final line:2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 RTwo swings. Three runs. A two-homer night.That will get your name in the report.Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day Blake Aita, RHP, Springfield CardinalsAita gets the nod after giving Springfield 6.1 strong innings in a 5-2 win over San Antonio.His final line:6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 KNo walks. Six strikeouts. One earned run.That is a winning start for a first-place club.Final Word Tuesday had plenty to like.Memphis put together one of its best offensive games of the season with 20 hits and 13 runs. Springfield kept rolling behind Blake Aita and remains alone in first place. Sammy Hernandez had a two-homer night for Peoria, even in a loss. Palm Beach’s bullpen was strong, even though the Cardinals could not finish the comeback.The biggest team story remains Springfield.The Cardinals are now 23-11 in the second half, four games up in the Texas League North, and playing like a club that knows exactly where it sits.Memphis brought the thunder. Aita brought the control. Hernandez brought the power.Not a bad day down on the farm.

Memphis Pounds Out 20 Hits, Aita Deals, Hernandez Homers Twice

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Burleson Hits Three Homers as Cardinals Outslug Yankees, 13-7 St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals almost let a six-run lead disappear into the Bronx night.Then Alec Burleson made sure it did not matter.Burleson hit three home runs and drove in six, Nathan Church added four RBIs, Jimmy Crooks joined the home run parade, and the Cardinals stormed back with a seven-run eighth inning Monday night to beat the New York Yankees, 13-7, at Yankee Stadium.It was loud.It was messy.It was needed.And after the way the last few weeks have looked, the Cardinals were not in a position to apologize for any win, especially one that came against the Yankees in New York.St. Louis built a 6-0 lead, watched the Yankees answer with seven runs across the fifth and seventh innings, then punched back in the eighth with three home runs of its own. For a club that has spent too many nights wasting pitching and waiting for one big swing that never came, Monday was a reminder of what this lineup can look like when it does not stop after the first good inning.The Cardinals did not just answer.They answered loudly.Burleson started the night’s scoring in the first inning. JJ Wetherholt reached ahead of him, and Burleson drove a two-run homer to right field off Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead before the Yankees had a chance to bat.That was only the beginning.In the second, Nathan Church reached and came around when José Fermín doubled to deep center, stretching the lead to 3-0. In the third, Iván Herrera scored when Church singled to left, making it 4-0.The Cardinals had early traffic, early pressure and early damage.Then Burleson struck again.With Jordan Walker aboard in the fourth, Burleson hit his second home run of the night, another shot to right field, pushing the Cardinals ahead 6-0. At that point, St. Louis looked like it had taken control of the opener of the series.Schlittler, who entered the game with one of the better ERAs in the American League, lasted only three innings. The Cardinals made him work, drew walks, forced traffic and punished mistakes. He allowed four runs on four hits, walked five and struck out six.The Cardinals had done what they needed to do.They had attacked early.They had built the lead.Then came the hard part.Holding it.Michael McGreevy started for St. Louis and worked four scoreless innings before the Yankees finally broke through in the fifth. Ryan McMahon reached, and Austin Wells followed with a two-run homer to right field, cutting the Cardinals’ lead to 6-2.One batter later, Trent Grisham homered to right, and suddenly the six-run lead was down to three.That ended McGreevy’s night.McGreevy finished with 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out five. He had given the Cardinals a solid start, but he did not get through the fifth and did not qualify for the win. Justin Bruihl came in and allowed Grisham’s homer, then settled the inning enough to keep St. Louis in front.For a while, it looked like the Cardinals had absorbed the first New York push.They had not.The seventh inning nearly turned the game into one of the worst losses of the season.Ryan Stanek entered with the Cardinals still leading, 6-3. McMahon opened the inning with a solo home run to right-center. José Caballero followed with a solo homer to left. In a matter of minutes, the lead was 6-5.The Yankees were not done.Grisham doubled, and after George Soriano replaced Stanek, Luis García Jr. delivered the swing New York had been waiting for in his Yankees debut. García drove a two-run homer to right-center, giving the Yankees a 7-6 lead.Yankee Stadium came alive.The Cardinals had blown a 6-0 lead.The game had completely flipped.And for a team sitting below .500, trying to keep some kind of pulse in the National League postseason picture after the trade deadline, that kind of collapse could have lingered.Instead, the Cardinals answered with their best inning of the night.The eighth inning belonged to St. Louis.Masyn Winn and Blaze Jordan reached ahead of Church, and Church hammered a three-run homer to right field off Angel Chivilli, putting the Cardinals back in front, 9-7.It was not just a big swing.It was the swing that stopped the bleeding.After the Yankees had taken control of the ballpark, Church changed the tone with one at-bat. He finished the night 2-for-2 with a home run, four RBIs and two walks. That is production from the lower part of the order, and on a night like this, it mattered every bit as much as the headline bat.The Cardinals were not finished.Fermín reached, and Crooks followed with a two-run homer to right, pushing the lead to 11-7. For Crooks, the swing was another important moment as he continues trying to establish himself in a crowded Cardinals catching picture. The batting average may still be low, but power from the catcher spot always gets attention.Then Burleson capped the inning.With Wetherholt aboard, Burleson hit his third home run of the night, another shot to right field, giving St. Louis a 13-7 lead and putting the game out of reach.Three home runs.Six RBIs.One massive night.Burleson finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored, three homers and six RBIs. It was the kind of game that stands out on any schedule, but especially right now, when his name has been part of trade deadline conversations and roster-shape debates around the Cardinals.That is what makes nights like this interesting.The Cardinals have spent weeks trying to decide what they are, who fits, who stays, who goes and how much of the current roster should be part of the next serious push. Burleson, like Lars Nootbaar, Iván Herrera and others, has been part of those discussions in one form or another.Then he goes into Yankee Stadium and hits three home runs.Production still has to matter.Monday night, Burleson produced.So did the rest of the lineup.The Cardinals finished with 13 runs on 13 hits. Wetherholt reached three times and scored twice. Walker had two hits and scored ahead of one of Burleson’s homers. Herrera walked twice and scored. Church had the three-run homer and an earlier RBI single. Fermín doubled, singled and drove in a run. Crooks homered. Blaze Jordan came off the bench and helped set up the eighth-inning rally.That is the kind of full-lineup pressure the Cardinals have not shown often enough.And they needed every bit of it.The Yankees hit five home runs of their own. Wells hit a two-run shot. Grisham homered and doubled. McMahon homered. Caballero homered. García hit the two-run homer that briefly put New York ahead. The Yankees did not beat the Cardinals with long rallies. They beat them with a wave of power swings.For one inning, it looked like that power would be enough.Then the Cardinals hit back harder.The bullpen line was not pretty. Stanek allowed three runs while recording only one out. Soriano gave up García’s go-ahead homer. Bruihl allowed one run over 1 2/3 innings. Gordon Graceffo gave St. Louis a clean eighth, striking out one and keeping the Yankees from creating another push.That clean inning mattered.After the Cardinals had spent the night watching leads shrink and disappear, Graceffo gave the offense a chance to hand the game over with space. By then, the eighth-inning explosion had changed everything.The Cardinals entered this series needing to show something. They had salvaged the finale in Toronto behind Matthew Liberatore and a ninth-inning rally, but the bigger picture remained uncomfortable. They were under .500. They were coming off a rough stretch. The trade deadline had changed the feel around the roster. The schedule was not getting easier.A road series at Yankee Stadium is not exactly where a struggling team usually finds breathing room.But Monday night, the Cardinals walked in and put up 13 runs.That does not fix everything.One night never does.The bullpen issues are still real. Giving up five home runs is still a problem. Blowing a 6-0 lead is not something to shrug off just because the final score looks comfortable. There are still questions about consistency, pitching depth and whether this club can stack enough wins to make the Wild Card conversation feel real again.But this was still a good win.A loud win.A win the Cardinals needed.The offense did what it has failed to do too often. It kept scoring after building an early lead. It answered when the Yankees took the lead. It did not fold when the ballpark turned against them. It punished a reliever who gave them mistakes and turned the eighth inning into a runaway.That is how a team survives a night when its bullpen nearly gives the game away.Burleson will get the headline, and he should.Three-homer games do not come around often. Six RBIs in Yankee Stadium will play anywhere. But Church’s night was just as important to the final result. His three-run homer in the eighth was the swing that put the Cardinals back in front. Crooks gave them breathing room. Burleson delivered the knockout.That was the order of the response.First Church.Then Crooks.Then Burleson.By the time the inning ended, the Yankees’ comeback had become a footnote.The Cardinals had taken the game back.Now St. Louis has a chance to do something it has struggled to do for most of the last month: build on a win. One big offensive night in the Bronx is a start. It cannot be the whole story. The Cardinals need more than the occasional outburst. They need consistency. They need cleaner bullpen innings. They need the offense to travel again Tuesday.But Monday night was a reminder.This lineup is not helpless.This team is not dead.And when Burleson is locked in, he can change the game by himself.The Cardinals beat the Yankees, 13-7, in a wild opener at Yankee Stadium.They nearly gave it away.Then they took it back with authority. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Burleson Hits Three Homers as Cardinals Outslug Yankees, 13-7

The Cardinal Chronicle Dobbins Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Build on Bronx Slugfest St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals arrived in New York with a roster that looked different than it did a day earlier.Then Alec Burleson made sure the Yankees noticed anyway.After Monday night’s 13-7 win at Yankee Stadium, St. Louis returns to the Bronx tonight for the second game of the series, looking to build on one of its loudest offensive performances of the season and keep the momentum moving after a chaotic trade deadline day.First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT / 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium, with right-hander Hunter Dobbins listed to start for the Cardinals against Yankees left-hander Ryan Weathers.The Cardinals enter the night at 56-57, while the Yankees come in at 63-50.Monday was exactly the kind of win St. Louis needed after a day filled with movement, rumors and roster reshuffling. Dustin May and JoJo Romero were gone. Lars Nootbaar was gone. The Cardinals had clearly shifted pieces around the margins of the major league roster while adding prospect depth to the organization.Then the game started, and Burleson turned the short porch in right field into his personal batting cage.Burleson hit three two-run home runs, becoming the driving force in a wild 13-7 win over New York. He went deep in the first inning, again in the fourth, and then put a final stamp on the night with another two-run shot during a seven-run eighth inning.It was not just a big night.It was the kind of night that changes the tone of a road trip.The Cardinals jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind Burleson’s first two homers, a José Fermín RBI double and a run-scoring hit from Nathan Church. But because this is the 2026 Cardinals, nothing was going to be that simple. New York answered with home runs from Ryan McMahon, Jose Caballero and Luis García Jr., with García’s blast in his Yankees debut putting New York ahead 7-6 in the seventh.That could have been another one of those games.The kind that gets filed away under missed opportunity, bullpen frustration and “how did they let that one get away?”Instead, the Cardinals punched back.Church hit a three-run homer in the eighth to put St. Louis back in front. Jimmy Crooks followed with a two-run homer of his own. Then Burleson added his third blast of the night, giving the Cardinals five home runs and a seven-run inning that turned a one-run deficit into a six-run win.Gordon Graceffo handled the final two innings, giving the Cardinals a much-needed clean finish after the game had briefly started to wobble.That part matters almost as much as the offense.The Cardinals have spent too many nights this season watching late innings turn uncomfortable. Monday had all the ingredients for another collapse, but the offense refused to let it happen and Graceffo gave the club the kind of final six outs it needed.Now comes the follow-up.That is always the harder part.One big win is fun. One big win at Yankee Stadium gets attention. But the Cardinals are still under .500, still trying to find steadier ground after the deadline, and still trying to prove they can play meaningful baseball through August. They cannot treat Monday as the whole series.Tonight gives them a chance to turn one loud win into something more useful.Dobbins gets the ball for St. Louis, and his start comes at an important time. With May moved at the deadline and the rotation being adjusted, the Cardinals need arms like Dobbins to step forward. This is no longer just about covering innings. It is about finding out who can help carry the club through the rest of the season.Dobbins enters at 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA over 33 2/3 innings. He does not need to be a savior tonight, but he does need to give the Cardinals a competitive start. The Yankees lineup is too dangerous to pitch from behind all night, especially in that ballpark.The formula is plain.Throw strikes. Keep the ball out of the middle of the plate. Do not give New York free baserunners in front of its power. Make the Yankees earn their damage.That is easier said than done.Yankee Stadium can reward mistakes quickly, especially to right field. The Cardinals saw that from their own side Monday, but the Yankees have enough left-handed and switch-hitting danger to make the same dimensions work against St. Louis. McMahon, Caballero and García all went deep Monday, and New York will come into tonight trying to answer after letting a late lead disappear.Dobbins has to control the early innings.The worst thing the Cardinals can do after scoring 13 runs is hand New York immediate momentum. A shutdown first inning would help. Early strikes would help. Quick outs would help even more, especially after the bullpen was asked to cover multiple innings Monday.On the other side, the Cardinals get Weathers, who enters at 4-7 with a 3.99 ERA over 115 innings. He gives New York a left-handed look and has shown the ability to miss bats, with enough swing-and-miss to make the Cardinals work for their offense.That means St. Louis cannot assume Monday’s fireworks will carry over by themselves.They need the same approach.Get traffic. Make Weathers throw strikes. Do not chase early. Use the whole field. Take advantage of the short porch when it is there, but do not turn every at-bat into a home run derby.Burleson will be the obvious bat to watch after Monday’s three-homer night. The Yankees will adjust. They may work him differently, change locations, or refuse to let him beat them in the same way. That puts responsibility on the rest of the lineup to make New York pay if it pitches around him.JJ Wetherholt set the tone Monday by reaching base in front of Burleson. Iván Herrera continues to give the Cardinals on-base ability. Jordan Walker remains the biggest power threat in the order. Church and Crooks both showed how dangerous the lower part of the lineup can be when it does not go quiet. Fermín, Masyn Winn, Blaze Jordan and the rest of the group have to keep the pressure spread across the order.That was the best part of Monday’s win.It was Burleson’s night, no question. But the Cardinals did not win only because of him. They won because the lineup kept creating chances and the bottom half helped flip the game back after New York took the lead.That is the kind of offense that has to travel.The Cardinals do not need 13 runs again.They need good at-bats.They need to avoid the trap of trying to repeat Monday with every swing. The Yankees are too good to let a lineup get away with a careless approach two nights in a row. Weathers will try to slow the game down, work the edges and make St. Louis expand the strike zone. The Cardinals have to make him come to them.This game also carries a different feel because of the deadline.The Cardinals have moved pieces. The roster has shifted. The front office sent a message that it is balancing the present with the future, and that means the players still in the clubhouse have to keep answering on the field. Monday was a strong answer.But one answer is not enough.If the Cardinals are going to stay interesting in August, they need series wins. They need young players to produce. They need arms like Dobbins to take advantage of openings. They need the lineup to keep proving there is enough here to compete, even after veterans and short-term pieces have moved elsewhere.That is what tonight is about.Not proving the deadline was right or wrong.Not declaring the season saved.Just winning another baseball game.The Cardinals already took the opener at Yankee Stadium. Now they have a chance to win the series before Wednesday’s finale. That would matter. It would give St. Louis a road series win against a playoff-caliber American League club and help keep the club from drifting after the deadline.Dobbins gets the ball. Weathers stands in the way. The Yankees will be looking to answer. The Cardinals will be trying to prove last night was more than one big night from Burleson.Get a start.Get traffic.Take the series.Game Info Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals at New York Yankees When: Tuesday, August 4, 2026 First Pitch: 6:05 p.m. CT / 7:05 p.m. ET Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York Probable Pitchers: RHP Hunter Dobbins vs. LHP Ryan Weathers Dobbins: 2-1, 3.74 ERA, 33 2/3 IP Weathers: 4-7, 3.99 ERA, 115 IP Records: Cardinals 56-57; Yankees 63-50 Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / KMOX The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Dobbins Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Build on Bronx Slugfest

The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle 

The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle is dedicated to preserving Cardinals history, covering today’s game, and following the next generation through the minor leagues. Written in the tradition of the old beat writers, it’s baseball with perspective — steady, faithful, and rooted in a lifelong love for the game.

The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle, Ray Mileur

The Cardinal Notebook

Pallante Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Take Series F...

MiLB Player of the Day: Sammy Hernandez

MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Blake Aita

Memphis Pounds Out 20 Hits, Aita Deals, Hernandez Homers ...

Burleson Hits Three Homers as Cardinals Outslug Yankees, ...

Dobbins Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Build on Bronx...