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The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Nate Dohm St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurNate Dohm gave Peoria exactly what it needed Thursday night.The Chiefs did not turn it into a win.Dohm still did his job.Dohm is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Pitcher of the Day after throwing three scoreless innings in Peoria’s 3-1 loss to the Dayton Dragons in game one of Thursday’s doubleheader at Dozer Park.The game started poorly for Peoria. Dayton scored three runs in the first inning, putting the Chiefs in an early hole before the offense had a chance to settle in.Jalin Flores answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, cutting the deficit to 3-1, but Peoria needed someone on the mound to stop the game from getting away.Dohm did that.He came out of the bullpen and gave the Chiefs three scoreless innings, keeping Dayton right where it was and giving Peoria time to search for the swing that could change the game.That swing never came.But Dohm gave them the chance.That is the kind of relief outing that can get overlooked when the final score goes the wrong way. It was not a save situation. It was not a clean ninth inning with the crowd on its feet. It was a leverage moment of a different kind — a game already leaning the wrong direction, with the club needing stability.Dohm provided it.Three scoreless innings from the bullpen matters, especially in a doubleheader. It saves the rest of the relief corps. It gives the offense room to breathe. It keeps a manageable deficit from turning into something larger.Peoria could not cash in offensively, and Dayton eventually finished off the 3-1 win. The Dragons then carried that momentum into game two, turning the night into a rough doubleheader sweep for the Chiefs.But Dohm’s outing should not get buried under the team result.On a night when Peoria had very little go right, Dohm was one of the few clean notes. He attacked the strike zone, limited damage, and gave the Chiefs the kind of length out of the bullpen that managers always appreciate.Memphis’ pitching staff also deserves mention after holding Nashville scoreless over the final seven innings in a 7-3 win. Springfield’s bullpen held on late in an 8-6 win at Wichita.But Dohm had the cleanest individual pitching line of the night.Three innings.No runs.A game kept within reach.That earns the honor.Old School TakeA good bullpen outing is not always about protecting a lead.Sometimes it is about stopping the bleeding.Nate Dohm did that Thursday night.Peoria fell behind early, but Dohm gave the Chiefs three scoreless innings and kept the game alive. The offense did not finish the job, but the pitching line still matters.Three scoreless innings.Stability when the club needed it.That is why Nate Dohm is The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day. 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: <a data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" title="www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Nate Dohm, Peoria Chiefs | Ball State University Athletics

MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Nate Dohm

The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day: Tre Richardson III St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurTre Richardson III did not need a home run to take over the game Thursday night.He used his legs.Richardson, who was just promoted to Double-A ball on the 16th, is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Player of the Day after reaching base three times and stealing four bases in Springfield’s 8-6 win over the Wichita Wind Surge at Equity Bank Park.There were bigger swings across the Cardinals’ full-season system.Bligh Madris hit a three-run homer for Memphis. Joshua Báez homered again for the Redbirds. Jalin Flores went deep for the third straight game for Peoria. Ryan Mitchell and Matthew Miura both homered for Palm Beach.But Richardson changed the game in a different way.Four stolen bases in one game is not just a line in the box score. It is pressure. It is disruption. It is a player forcing the pitcher, catcher and infield to think about him every time he reaches base.Richardson reached base three times and made Wichita deal with him every time.That matters.Springfield built its lead with a six-run third inning, highlighted by Graysen Tarlow’s two-run homer and Miguel Ugueto’s two-run double. But Wichita did not go away. The Wind Surge answered with five runs in the fourth and kept the pressure on the rest of the night.In a game like that, every extra 90 feet matters.Richardson kept taking them.Speed can change a game without showing up the same way power does. A home run gets the headline. A four-steal night changes the pitcher’s rhythm, shifts the defense, opens holes, creates mistakes and gives the offense more ways to score.Richardson gave Springfield that kind of impact.The Cardinals needed it, too. After a couple of frustrating losses in the series, Springfield needed to finish one. The Cardinals had let leads slip away earlier in the week, and Thursday had the feel of another game that could get uncomfortable late.This time, Springfield held on.Richardson’s night helped make that possible.He was not just reaching base. He was turning those opportunities into pressure. That is the kind of baseball that does not always look modern on a spreadsheet, but it still plays. Get on base. Take the next bag. Force the other team to make a play.Richardson did that four times.Bligh Madris deserves strong mention after his three-run homer helped Memphis beat Nashville 7-3. Báez deserves mention because every home run right now adds to one of the best power stories in Triple-A. Flores deserves mention for going deep for a third straight game, even on a rough night for Peoria. Mitchell and Miura also deserve mention for giving Palm Beach key swings in a one-run loss.But Thursday’s honor goes to Richardson.He reached base.He ran.He changed the way Wichita had to defend the game.Old School TakeThere is still room in baseball for a player who can change the game with his legs.Tre Richardson III did that Thursday night.Four stolen bases is not a small note. That is pressure baseball. That is making the other club uncomfortable. That is turning a base runner into a problem.Springfield needed a win.Richardson helped create one.That is why Tre Richardson III is The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day. 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: <a data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" title="www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>

MiLB Player of the Day: Tre Richardson III

The Cardinal Chronicle Daily Farm Report St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurFarm Report: Memphis Answers Nashville, Springfield Holds On, Peoria Swept in TwinbillThe Cardinals’ full-season minor league affiliates went 2-3 on Thursday, with Memphis and Springfield picking up wins while Peoria dropped both ends of a doubleheader and Palm Beach lost a back-and-forth game to Jupiter.Memphis beat Nashville 7-3 at AutoZone Park, keeping the Redbirds in control of the International League West and on top of the overall International League race by winning percentage. Springfield jumped out early and held on for an 8-6 win at Wichita. Peoria was swept by Dayton, losing 3-1 in game one and 18-1 in game two as the Dragons clinched the Midwest League East first-half title. Palm Beach rallied late but came up short in a 9-8 loss to Jupiter.It was a mixed night across the system.Memphis did what a first-place club needed to do.Springfield finally closed one out.Peoria took it on the chin.Palm Beach kept fighting, but Jupiter had the final answer.Memphis Redbirds Record: 45-27, International League West Standings: 1st place, International League West Result: Memphis 7, Nashville 3Memphis got back on track Thursday night.One night after falling short in a 10-8 comeback attempt against Nashville, the Redbirds beat the Sounds 7-3 at AutoZone Park and tightened their grip on the International League West race.Memphis did most of its early damage in the first inning.The Redbirds jumped in front with a run, then Bligh Madris delivered the big swing of the inning with a three-run home run to put Memphis ahead 4-0. That early cushion mattered, especially against a Nashville club still trying to stay alive in the first-half race.The Sounds answered in the second inning. Ethan Murray hit a three-run homer after a Memphis error helped extend the inning, cutting the Redbirds’ lead to 4-3.That was as close as Nashville would get.Memphis added on in the fifth when Joshua Báez hit another home run, continuing his remarkable power surge after Tuesday’s four-homer night. Báez did not need to do the impossible again. He just needed to keep producing, and he did.The Redbirds added another run later in the fifth and another solo home run in the sixth, stretching the lead to 7-3.From there, Memphis pitching finished the job. Nashville was held scoreless over the final seven innings, and the final seven Sounds hitters were retired in order.That is how a first-place club answers.It was not as historic as Tuesday night and not as dramatic as Wednesday’s rally attempt, but Thursday’s win may have been just as important. Memphis did not let the previous loss turn into a slide. The Redbirds got the early lead, took the punch when Nashville came back, then pulled away.With the win, Memphis improved to 45-27 and remained in first place in the International League West. The Redbirds also stayed ahead of Rochester by winning percentage in the overall first-half race.There are still games left to finish.But Memphis is where it wants to be.Springfield Cardinals Record: 28-37, Texas League North Standings: 4th place, Texas League North Result: Springfield 8, Wichita 6Springfield needed to finish one.On Thursday night, the Cardinals did.Springfield jumped out to a six-run lead and held on for an 8-6 win over Wichita at Equity Bank Park, snapping back after back-to-back one-run frustration earlier in the series.The Cardinals broke the game open in the third inning. Graysen Tarlow started the scoring with a two-run home run, his fourth of the season. Later in the inning, Miguel Ugueto added a two-run double as Springfield put together a six-run frame and grabbed control.That was the kind of inning Springfield had been looking for.Wichita did not go quietly. The Wind Surge answered with five runs in the fourth inning, turning what looked like a comfortable Springfield lead into another tense finish.But this time, the Cardinals did not let it get away.Springfield’s bullpen held on, and Matt Svanson Carpenter closed it out for his second save. Ian Bedell Hayes picked up the win.Tre Richardson III had one of the most interesting individual lines of the night. He reached base three times and stole four bases, giving Springfield a speed-and-pressure element that helped change the game.That is not something you see every night.The Cardinals also got an important note from Tarlow, whose two-run homer started the six-run third. Ugueto’s two-run double gave the inning real weight, and Springfield had enough offense to survive Wichita’s push.It was not clean.It was not easy.But it was a win, and after the way the series had gone, Springfield will take it.Peoria Chiefs Record: 32-34, Midwest League West Standings: 3rd place, Midwest League West Results: Dayton 3, Peoria 1 — Game 1 Dayton 18, Peoria 1 — Game 2Peoria closed the first half with a rough doubleheader.The Chiefs lost both games to Dayton on Thursday night at Dozer Park, falling 3-1 in the opener and 18-1 in game two. The sweep dropped Peoria to 32-34 and under .500 for the first time since June 3.It was a hard finish to the first half.Game one was competitive, but Dayton struck early and never gave the lead back. The Dragons scored three runs in the first inning, with Carter Graham driving in the first run and Peyton Stovall following with a two-run home run.Peoria answered in the bottom of the first when Jalin Flores hit his third home run in as many games, cutting the deficit to 3-1.That was the Chiefs’ only run.Ty Van Dyke started and went three innings, allowing three runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Nate Dohm followed and gave Peoria three scoreless innings, keeping the Chiefs within reach and giving the offense a chance to make a run.The bats never found the hit they needed.Game two got away quickly.Dayton jumped out to another early lead, scoring three runs in the first inning again. Kien Vu hit a two-run homer, and Carter Graham followed with a solo shot on the next pitch.Peoria got its lone run on a Christian Martin RBI single, but Dayton kept adding on.The Dragons scored five runs in the third, one in the fourth and seven more in the sixth. Dayton finished with 11 hits and six home runs, including two from Jacob Friend, one of them a grand slam.That is a long night.Peoria has had some strong individual development stories in the first half, but the finish was rough. The Chiefs lost their final five games before the halfway point and now have to turn the page quickly as the second half begins Friday.There is no carrying this one around.Flush it and start again.Palm Beach Cardinals Record: 33-33, Florida State League East Standings: 2nd place, Florida State League East Result: Jupiter 9, Palm Beach 8Palm Beach kept coming Thursday night.Jupiter kept answering.The Cardinals lost 9-8 to the Hammerheads at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in a back-and-forth game that had momentum swings almost every inning.Palm Beach jumped ahead in the first inning. Ryan Weingartner doubled, Jupiter starter Noble Meyer walked two straight hitters, and Matthew Miura put the ball back to the mound. A high throw home allowed the first run to score, giving the Cardinals an early lead.Jupiter answered immediately with three runs in the bottom of the first, including a two-run home run from Echedry Vargas.Palm Beach kept fighting.The Cardinals cut the deficit to 3-2 in the third, then took the lead in the fifth. Ryan Mitchell tied the game with a solo home run to left-center, his seventh of the season. Later in the inning, Jonathan Mejia delivered an RBI single to put Palm Beach ahead 4-3.The lead did not last.Jupiter scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to go back ahead 6-4, then added two more in the sixth. Palm Beach answered again in the sixth on a Michael Dattalo RBI single and again in the seventh when Miura hit his first home run of the season.In the eighth, the Cardinals made one final push. Weingartner drove in a run with an infield single and advanced on an error. Mitchell then brought in another run with a sacrifice fly, cutting Jupiter’s lead to 9-8.That was as close as Palm Beach got.The Cardinals were retired in order in the ninth.There were offensive positives. Mitchell homered and drove in another run with a sacrifice fly. Miura hit his first home run of the season. Weingartner continued to swing the bat well and helped set the tone early.But the pitching could not hold the lead, and Jupiter answered almost every time Palm Beach scored.That is a hard way to lose.Player of the Day Tre Richardson III, Springfield CardinalsTre Richardson III is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Player of the Day after reaching base three times and stealing four bases in Springfield’s 8-6 win over Wichita.There were louder swings in the system.Bligh Madris hit a three-run homer for Memphis. Joshua Báez homered again for the Redbirds. Ryan Mitchell and Matthew Miura both went deep for Palm Beach. Jalin Flores homered for the third straight game for Peoria.But Richardson brought a different kind of impact.Four stolen bases in one game changes the way the defense plays. It puts pressure on the pitcher. It forces quicker throws, rushed decisions and extra attention. That kind of speed can tilt an inning without needing the big swing.Richardson reached base three times and made Wichita deal with him every time he got there.On a night when Springfield had to hold on late, that mattered.A two-run homer can carry a box score.Four stolen bases can carry a game in a different way.Richardson gets the honor.Pitcher of the Day Nate Dohm, Peoria ChiefsNate Dohm is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Day after throwing three scoreless innings in Peoria’s 3-1 loss to Dayton in game one of Thursday’s doubleheader.Dohm entered after Dayton had scored three early runs and gave the Chiefs exactly what they needed.Stability.He held the Dragons scoreless for three innings, keeping Peoria in the game and giving the offense time to search for an answer.The answer never came, but Dohm did his part.There were other pitching notes worth mentioning. Memphis held Nashville scoreless over the final seven innings of its 7-3 win, and Springfield’s bullpen held on in a tight 8-6 victory at Wichita.But Dohm had the cleanest individual pitching line of the night.Three scoreless innings.That earns the nod.Old School TakeThis was a split-personality night across the system.Memphis looked like a first-place club. The Redbirds took an early lead, absorbed Nashville’s push, then shut the Sounds down the rest of the night.Springfield finally finished one. After a couple of frustrating losses, the Cardinals built a lead and held it.Peoria had a night to forget. Two losses, one blowout, and a rough finish to the first half.Palm Beach kept answering but could not get the last stop.That is baseball in the minors.Some nights are about winning.Some nights are about development.Some nights are about surviving the schedule and turning the page.Memphis stayed on top.Springfield held on.Peoria resets.Palm Beach fought but fell short.That is the Farm Report. 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: <a data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" title="www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Bligh Madris, Memphis Redbirds | MiLB

Memphis Answers Nashville, Springfield Holds On, Peoria Swept in Twinbill

The Cardinal Chronicle Are the Cardinals Buying at the Deadline? St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals were not supposed to be here.Not after trading away Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray. Not after handing the keys to a younger roster. Not after entering 2026 with more questions than answers and a front office clearly focused on resetting the organization for the future.Yet here they are.At 40-31, the Cardinals are not just hanging around the National League playoff race. They are sitting in the top National League Wild Card spot and forcing Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom into one of the more fascinating trade deadline decisions in baseball.Are the Cardinals buying?The honest answer is yes — but probably not in the old-fashioned, mortgage-the-farm kind of way.This does not look like a traditional all-in deadline. It also does not look like a selloff, at least not if the Cardinals continue to play winning baseball. What it looks like is something more complicated: a team that may buy and build at the same time.That is the needle Bloom now has to thread.The Cardinals’ young core has changed the conversation. Jordan Walker has taken another step forward. Alec Burleson has become one of the club’s most dependable bats. Masyn Winn remains a tone-setter. Ivan Herrera, JJ Wetherholt, Blaze Jordan and Nathan Church have helped give the roster a different kind of energy. The pitching staff has been uneven at times, but Michael McGreevy, Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante and Dustin May have kept the Cardinals competitive enough to make the front office reconsider what this season can be.That does not mean St. Louis should start throwing top prospects around like confetti at a parade. That is not Bloom’s style, and frankly, it should not be the Cardinals’ approach. But the standings matter. The clubhouse matters. The message to players matters.If a team plays its way into the race, the front office should not pretend it did not happen.The Cardinals do not need to win October in June. They do need to recognize that opportunity has walked through the front door, wiped its shoes, and sat down at the kitchen table.The most obvious area of need is starting pitching.The Cardinals have gotten quality work from parts of the rotation, but the long season has a way of exposing thin spots. Contending teams almost always look for more pitching, and the Cardinals are no exception. If St. Louis adds, the safest bet is that Bloom will look for an arm who does more than help for two months. He will look for someone who can either stabilize the 2026 rotation or fit into the bigger picture beyond this season.That is why Joe Ryan’s name makes sense.Ryan, the Minnesota Twins right-hander, would not be a rental. He is the kind of pitcher who could help now and still be part of the plan going forward. That is exactly the kind of player a reset-minded contender should be investigating. The problem is cost. Ryan would not come cheaply, and Minnesota would have every reason to ask for a serious prospect package.Names like Jurrangelo Cijntje and Quinn Mathews have already surfaced in speculative proposals, and that is where the conversation gets serious. The Cardinals have worked hard to rebuild pitching depth in the system. Trading from that group for Ryan would not be irresponsible, but it would have to be measured carefully. There is a big difference between using prospect depth and draining it.Ryan would be the kind of addition that says the Cardinals believe in more than just sneaking into the Wild Card field. He would signal that St. Louis wants a pitcher who can help carry the next wave.Freddy Peralta is a different kind of case.The New York Mets have struggled, and Peralta’s name has been pushed into deadline conversation because of his contract status and the direction of the club. As a short-term arm, Peralta would make sense for a team needing October experience, strikeouts and rotation depth. He has been through the National League Central, understands big games, and would not require the same long-term commitment as a pitcher with multiple years of control.But that also cuts both ways.If Peralta is only a rental, the Cardinals should be cautious. A short-term pitcher can help a playoff push, but this is still a franchise trying to build something more sustainable. The Cardinals should not give up premium long-term pieces for a two-month patch unless they believe the price is reasonable and the October upside is worth it.That is not being cheap. That is being disciplined.Casey Mize is another name worth watching, mostly because he fits the type of upside play Bloom may prefer. The Detroit Tigers right-hander has talent, pedigree and enough remaining intrigue to interest clubs looking for something beyond a simple back-end starter. He would not be the same kind of splash as Ryan, but he could represent a more affordable attempt to add upside without completely altering the farm system.There is risk there, of course. With Mize, the question is whether the Cardinals would be buying performance or betting on the version they still believe can emerge. That kind of move can look brilliant or frustrating depending on health, command and timing.Then there is Reid Detmers.Of the names connected to the broader deadline rumor market, Detmers may be the most interesting under-the-radar fit. The Los Angeles Angels left-hander remains under team control through 2028, which makes him more than a rental and more aligned with the Cardinals’ current direction. He would give St. Louis another controllable arm and a left-handed starter with upside.That is the kind of move that fits both lanes: help the 2026 club, but do not abandon the future.If Bloom buys, Detmers feels like the kind of pitcher who would make sense on the whiteboard. He checks the timeline box. He checks the upside box. He checks the “not just a two-month rental” box. The challenge, again, is whether the Angels are actually willing to move him and whether the acquisition cost stays within reason.That is the entire deadline question in one sentence: can the Cardinals add without losing the very foundation that made this season interesting in the first place?There is also another layer. The Cardinals may not be limited to buying. They could still sell certain pieces if the return is strong enough.Dustin May is the obvious example. If the Cardinals remain in the race, trading May would be difficult to justify unless another club makes an offer St. Louis simply cannot refuse. May has value on the mound, value in the clubhouse and value as part of the broader roster discussion. But if the market gets aggressive and a contender overpays, Bloom has to listen.The same could apply to select relievers or position players, depending on roster fit and contract status. That does not mean the Cardinals should wave a white flag. It means Bloom may try to act like a modern front office executive rather than a traditional buyer or seller.Buy where it strengthens the long-term plan. Sell only where the return makes the organization better beyond the standings page.That is not a slogan. That is the actual work.The Cardinals cannot afford to ignore what the players have done. A 40-31 start changes the conversation. The young roster has earned the right to be taken seriously. Fans who were told to be patient now have every right to ask whether the front office will support a team that has exceeded expectations.At the same time, this is where discipline matters most. One hot half-season should not erase the need for a stronger, deeper organization. The Cardinals did not go through the pain of trading veterans just to reverse course at the first sign of success.But they also should not hide behind the word “reset” if the big-league club keeps winning.The best path is measured aggression.Do not trade the farm for a rental. Do not sit on your hands while the clubhouse plays meaningful baseball. Do not chase headlines. Do not insult the players by pretending this season does not matter.The Cardinals should be buyers, but selective buyers. They should target pitching that either helps them reach October now or strengthens the rotation beyond 2026. Joe Ryan would be the premium fit if Minnesota truly opens the door. Reid Detmers may be the most Bloom-style target if the Angels listen. Freddy Peralta could make sense if the rental price stays reasonable. Casey Mize would be more of an upside bet than a certainty.The Cardinals do not need to win the deadline. They need to make the right baseball decision.That means recognizing what this team has become without forgetting what this organization is trying to build.Now it is on Chaim Bloom to decide whether this surprise season is merely a pleasant first step or the beginning of something that deserves real support before August 3. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; &nbsp;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: <a data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" title="www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Chaim Bloom, St. Louis Cardinals | Getty

Are the Cards Buying at the Deadline?

The Cardinal Chronicle Cardinals Cross the State for Three-Game Set Against Royals St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals head west across Interstate 70 this week for a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, with an unusual rhythm built into the schedule: games Thursday and Friday, an off day Saturday, and the series finale Sunday afternoon.It is still the Cardinals and Royals, still the cross-state matchup, and still one of those series that carries a little extra edge even when the two clubs are headed in different directions.St. Louis enters the series at 40-32 after missing another chance to climb 10 games over .500 in Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres. The Cardinals took two of three from San Diego, but the finale was a reminder that this club still has to clean up the small things — baserunning mistakes, missed chances with traffic on the bases, and late-inning damage from the bullpen.Kansas City comes in at 30-45, buried in a difficult first half and trying to stabilize a pitching staff that has been hit hard by injuries. The Royals avoided a sweep in Washington on Wednesday with a 6-2 win over the Nationals, getting solo home runs from Carter Jensen, John Rave, Lane Thomas and Michael Massey. That is the warning label for the Cardinals: the Royals’ record is poor, but there is still enough swing in that lineup to punish mistakes.The Cardinals cannot afford to treat this as a breather. After winning three of their last four before Wednesday’s loss, St. Louis still has a chance to make this a successful stretch before returning home. But that only happens if they handle business against a struggling team.The series opens Thursday night with Matthew Liberatore facing left-hander Noah Cameron. Liberatore enters at 3-3 with a 4.71 ERA and 65 strikeouts. Cameron comes in at 3-4 with a 4.11 ERA and 64 strikeouts. It is a left-on-left matchup, and for the Cardinals.Liberatore does not need to be perfect, but he does need to give the Cardinals at least five solid frames. if not six. Kansas City has struggled overall, but Bobby Witt Jr. remains one of the most dangerous players in the American League, and the Royals have enough athleticism to turn walks, singles and mistakes into trouble. Against this kind of club, free passes are gasoline on a dry field.Friday brings one of the better matchups of the series, with Michael McGreevy taking the ball against Seth Lugo. McGreevy enters at 3-5 with a 2.99 ERA and 51 strikeouts, while Lugo is listed at 2-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 66 strikeouts. Lugo is expected back after a stint on the 7-day concussion injured list, and Kansas City needs him badly with its pitching depth thinned by injuries.McGreevy has been one of the Cardinals’ steadier rotation pieces. He is not built around flash. He is built around strike-throwing, tempo, and forcing hitters to earn their way aboard. In a road series like this, that matters. The Cardinals’ bullpen has been used hard at times and uneven at others, so six clean innings from McGreevy would be worth more than the box score alone.Saturday is an off day, which gives the series a strange stop-and-start feel. That can help a bullpen reset, but it can also take some momentum out of the lineup. For St. Louis, the off day should be treated as a tool, not a disruption. Get the bullpen straight, get the lineup fresh, and come back Sunday with a chance to either win or sweep the series.The finale Sunday afternoon features Dustin May against right-hander Stephen Kolek. May enters at 5-6 with a 3.75 ERA and 75 strikeouts. Kolek comes in at 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA and 34 strikeouts. On paper, that is another quality pitching matchup, and for May, it is another opportunity to show why his value to this Cardinals club goes well beyond the trade-rumor chatter.May has been one of the central figures in the Cardinals’ first-half story. Every start matters now, not only because St. Louis is trying to stay in the postseason picture, but because every strong outing also adds to the broader question facing the front office: are the Cardinals buyers, sellers, or both? That debate can wait. For this weekend, the assignment is simple: win the series.Offensively, the Cardinals need to get back to being a pressure team. Alec Burleson extended his hitting streak to 17 games in Wednesday’s loss, continuing to be one of the most reliable bats in the lineup. Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar, Iván Herrera, Masyn Winn, Blaze Jordan and Nathan Church give St. Louis more balance than it had earlier in the season, but the Cardinals have to avoid giving away outs on the bases. Wednesday was one of those games where the offense did not just fail to cash in — it helped Kansas City’s upcoming scouting report by showing how quickly innings can disappear.Blaze Jordan and Nathan Church remain important pieces to watch. Both drove in runs Tuesday night against San Diego in the Cardinals’ 3-2 win, and both have helped lengthen a lineup that needed fresh blood. Jordan’s glove at third base has also been better than advertised, and that matters with the Cardinals trying to stabilize both the offense and defense during this run.For Kansas City, the conversation begins with Witt. He is the player the Cardinals cannot let beat them by himself. He had three hits, a walk, a stolen base and an RBI in Kansas City’s Tuesday loss to Washington, another reminder that even in a rough Royals season, Witt remains a game-changing presence. Carter Jensen is also worth watching after going 4-for-4 with a double, a walk and a homer Wednesday.The Royals’ pitching situation is another major storyline. Kansas City recently acquired Randy Dobnak from Seattle and Connor Seabold from Toronto while moving Carlos Estévez and Cole Ragans to the 60-day injured list. Ragans is out until at least July 7, and the club has also been dealing with injuries to Lugo, Kris Bubic and Nick Mears. That is not just background noise. It is part of why the Cardinals need to force long innings, get into the bullpen, and make Kansas City prove it has enough arms to cover the series.This is the kind of series good teams win. It may not carry the glamour of a divisional showdown or a heavyweight National League matchup, but in the standings, these games count exactly the same. The Cardinals are in the thick of the hunt, and the Royals are a team they should beat. That does not mean they will. Baseball has a way of humbling anyone who starts reading the standings instead of playing the game.For St. Louis, the formula is not complicated: get length from the starters, protect the baseball, stop running into outs, make the Royals’ thin pitching staff work, and keep Witt from turning the series into his own personal highlight reel.The Cardinals have done enough to make this season interesting. Now they need to keep doing the ordinary things well. That is how a club turns a promising first half into something more durable.Series ScheduleThursday, June 18 Cardinals at Royals, 6:40 p.m. LHP Matthew Liberatore, 3-3, 4.71 ERA, vs. LHP Noah Cameron, 3-4, 4.11 ERA TV: Cardinals.TV, Royals.TV, KCTV5 Radio: KMOXFriday, June 19 Cardinals at Royals, 7:15 p.m. RHP Michael McGreevy, 3-5, 2.99 ERA, vs. RHP Seth Lugo, 2-4, 3.86 ERA TV: Apple TV Radio: KMOXSaturday, June 20 Off DaySunday, June 21 Cardinals at Royals, 1:10 p.m. RHP Dustin May, 5-6, 3.75 ERA, vs. RHP Stephen Kolek, 4-1, 2.68 ERA TV: Cardinals.TV, Royals.TV Radio: KMOX The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; &nbsp;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: <a data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" title="www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals |&nbsp; Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cards Cross the State for Three-Game Series Against Royals

The Cardinal Chronicle Cardinals Drop Series Finale as Padres Avoid Sweep St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals won the series, but they did not finish it the way they wanted.After taking the first two games from San Diego behind strong startingdnesday afternoon’s series finale, 6-1, at Busch Stadium. The Padres avoided the sweep, and the Cardinals were left with one of those games that was close enough for most of the afternoon before getting away late.This was not a total collapse from the start. Kyle Leahy gave St. Louis a chance.The right-hander worked six innings, allowed three runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out seven. That is a quality start, and on most days, it is enough to keep a team in the game. Leahy was not perfect, and San Diego made him work early, but he competed, threw strikes, and gave the Cardinals length.The problem was the offense never gave him much room.San Diego struck first in the opening inning. Samad Taylor walked, Jackson Merrill reached on an infield single, and Manny Machado lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Taylor. Just like that, the Padres had a 1-0 lead before the Cardinals came to the plate.St. Louis had a chance to answer in the bottom half. Ivan Herrera singled and stole second, but the Cardinals could not cash in. Alec Burleson struck out, and Jordan Walker reached on a fielder’s choice that cut down Herrera at third.That set an early tone.The Padres added another run in the fourth when Machado doubled and Xander Bogaerts singled him home to make it 2-0. In the fifth, Will Wagner singled, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s double to deep center field, stretching the lead to 3-0.Leahy limited the damage and kept the Cardinals close, but St. Louis continued to struggle finding the big swing.The Cardinals finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Blaze Jordan walked, Nathan Church singled to left, and JJ Wetherholt moved both runners with a groundout. Herrera followed with a fielder’s choice that cut down Jordan at the plate, but Burleson came through with a two-out single to right, scoring Church and cutting the deficit to 3-1.For Burleson, it extended his hitting streak to 17 games and continued one of the most consistent offensive stretches on the roster.That was the good news.The bad news was that it was also the Cardinals’ only run of the day.St. Louis finished with six hits and went quietly too often in the innings that mattered. The Cardinals had traffic, but not enough damage. They left 14 runners on base, and Jordan Walker grounded into two key fielder’s choice situations with runners aboard. Walker has carried plenty of the offensive load this season, but Wednesday was one of those days where the game found him in big spots and the results did not follow.That happens.But in a game where the margin was still workable, those missed opportunities added up quickly.The bullpen kept the game within reach for a while. Matt Svanson gave the Cardinals 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Justin Bruihl came on in the eighth. Chris Roycroft escaped a bases-loaded threat in that inning, keeping the deficit at 3-1 and giving St. Louis at least a chance to make it interesting late.But the ninth inning ended that hope.Sung-Mun Song singled, and Fernando Tatis Jr. singled to deep right to drive him home, though Tatis was thrown out trying to advance. After Samad Taylor reached, Jackson Merrill delivered the swing that put the game away — a two-run home run to right field, his eighth of the season. That made it 6-1, and the afternoon was effectively over.Roycroft’s final line was a rough one: 1 1/3 innings, four hits, three runs, two walks and one strikeout. After Leahy gave the Cardinals six competitive innings, the late insurance runs turned a manageable deficit into a comfortable Padres win.San Diego’s offense did what the Cardinals’ did not. The Padres kept applying pressure.Tatis finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Merrill went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. Bogaerts added two hits and drove in a run. Machado doubled, scored and drove in a run with the sacrifice fly.The Padres finished with 14 hits.The Cardinals finished with six.That is usually enough to explain the ballgame.For St. Louis, Wetherholt, Herrera, Burleson, Nootbaar, Winn and Church each had one hit. Burleson drove in the only run. Herrera stole a base. Walker recorded an outfield assist. Defensively, the Cardinals turned two double plays, but Masyn Winn was charged with his sixth error of the season.The loss dropped the Cardinals to 40-32, while San Diego improved to 38-35.There is no need to make this more dramatic than it is. The Cardinals still won the series. They beat the Padres behind Dustin May’s complete-game shutout on Monday and Andre Pallante’s seven strong innings on Tuesday. Winning two of three against a quality club is still good baseball.But Wednesday was a reminder that this team still has some rough edges.The starting pitching was good enough. The offense was not. The bullpen did not hold the line late. And against a Padres club desperate to avoid being swept, the Cardinals could not find the finishing punch.That is the balance of this one.The series was a win.The finale was not.The Cardinals now turn the page and move on, carrying the series victory with them, but also carrying the reminder that clean baseball has to be played all the way through the final out. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; &nbsp;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: <a data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" title="www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Kyle Leahy, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

The Cardinals Drop Series Finale as San Diego Padres Avoid Sweep

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

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