Blog

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cubs Take Opener at Busch St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals opened a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night with a chance to make a statement.Instead, the Cubs made one first.Chicago beat the Cardinals, 7-3, at Busch Stadium, jumping ahead early, answering every St. Louis push, and pulling away late behind big nights from Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner.For the Cardinals, this was another frustrating game in a stretch where frustration has become too familiar. They were not blown out from the first pitch. They were not lifeless. They had a few moments where it looked like the game might turn.But the Cubs had more traffic, more answers, and more damage.That was the difference.Matthew Liberatore got the start for St. Louis, and Chicago put pressure on him right away. Pete Crow-Armstrong walked to open the game, though Iván Herrera erased him on a caught stealing. That helped, but the inning still got away enough to hurt. Seiya Suzuki doubled to left, and Alex Bregman followed with an RBI double of his own to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.The Cubs added another run in the second. Nico Hoerner singled, Dansby Swanson followed with a base hit, and Miguel Amaya drove in Hoerner with a single to right. Chicago led 2-0, and the Cardinals were already chasing.José Fermín gave St. Louis a quick answer in the bottom of the second, launching a solo home run to left field. It was his fifth homer of the season and cut the deficit to 2-1.That swing gave the Cardinals some life.But Chicago took it right back.Bregman led off the third with a solo home run to right field, stretching the Cubs’ lead to 3-1. Liberatore was able to get out of the inning after Carson Kelly singled, helped by a double play, but the damage had already been done.Liberatore’s night ended in the fourth after 3.2 innings. He allowed three runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out five. The strikeouts were there, but so was the contact. Chicago kept putting the ball in play, kept finding grass, and kept forcing the Cardinals to work from behind.Hunter Dobbins took over in the fourth and gave the Cardinals length, which mattered with a four-game series just beginning. But the Cubs kept applying pressure against him, too.The biggest inning came in the fifth.Bregman singled to right, Carson Kelly singled to center, and after Michael Busch moved both runners over, Hoerner came through with a two-run single to center. The ball deflected off Masyn Winn, and both Bregman and Kelly scored to make it 5-1.That was a tough turn for St. Louis.The Cardinals had not been buried yet, but at 5-1, the game started to feel like the Cubs had full control.St. Louis finally made another push in the sixth. Jordan Walker walked, Alec Burleson moved him over, and Masyn Winn singled to center to bring Walker home. A wild pitch moved Winn to third, and Bryan Torres, pinch-hitting for Nelson Velázquez, delivered a ground-rule double down the right-field line to score Winn.Just like that, the Cardinals were within 5-3.Busch Stadium had a little life again.But that was as close as St. Louis would get.The Cardinals had a chance to keep the pressure on in the seventh when Blaze Jordan walked, but Lars Nootbaar struck out, JJ Wetherholt struck out, and Jordan Walker flew out to left. In the eighth, Iván Herrera singled but was thrown out trying to stretch it into extra bases, and the inning disappeared quickly.The Cubs put the game away in the ninth.Bregman doubled to right to start the inning, and two batters later Hoerner hit a two-run homer to left field. His fifth home run of the season gave Chicago a 7-3 lead and ended any realistic thought of a Cardinals comeback.Hoerner finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs. Bregman went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a homer, three runs scored and two RBIs. Together, they were the engine of Chicago’s offense.The Cubs finished with 14 hits.The Cardinals had six.That tells a large part of the story.For St. Louis, Fermín homered, Winn had two hits and drove in a run, Torres came off the bench with an RBI double, and Wetherholt stole his 11th base of the season after a first-inning single. But there was not enough sustained offense. The Cardinals had a few moments, not enough innings.David Peterson gave Chicago 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out three. It was not overpowering, but it was enough. The Cubs’ bullpen handled the rest, limiting the Cardinals to one run over the final 3.1 innings.The loss drops the Cardinals back into a place they did not want to be entering this series.This four-game set against Chicago is not just another rivalry series. The Cubs are ahead of St. Louis in the standings. The trade deadline is closing in. The Cardinals are trying to prove they still belong in the postseason conversation.Monday night did not help that argument.The Cardinals needed a strong start to the series. Instead, they fell behind early, chased all night, and watched the Cubs take the opener with a cleaner, more complete effort.There are three games left in the series, which means there is still time for St. Louis to answer.But the Cardinals cannot keep waiting until tomorrow.At some point, the games on the schedule have to become wins in the standings.Monday night was another missed chance.Chicago finished with 14 hits while St. Louis managed six. That gap showed up all night, especially with the Cubs continuing to add on late.Cubs 7, Cardinals 3. 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: Alex Bregman, Chicago Cubs | MLB

Cubs Take Opener at Busch

The Cardinal Chronicle Quinn Mathews Named Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Week St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurQuinn Mathews is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Week after delivering seven dominant innings for the Memphis Redbirds.The left-hander worked 7.0 innings, allowed only three hits, gave up one unearned run, walked three and struck out 10. He did not allow a home run, finished the week with a 0.00 ERA, and posted a 0.86 WHIP.That is a winning line at any level. At Triple-A, it carries even more weight.Mathews has long been one of the more important pitching prospects in the Cardinals’ system, and this outing showed why. The swing-and-miss was there, the scoreboard was quiet, and he gave Memphis seven full innings while keeping the game in his control.The three walks kept the outing from being spotless, but they did not keep it from being dominant. Mathews allowed just three hits and punched out 10, showing the kind of bat-missing ability that separates a good start from a weekly award winner.A close second this week was High-A Peoria right-hander Yhoiker Fajardo, who turned in a terrific outing of his own. Fajardo worked 4.2 scoreless innings, allowed only one hit, walked none and struck out eight, finishing with a 0.00 ERA and a microscopic 0.21 WHIP.In many weeks, Fajardo’s line would have taken the honor.This week, Mathews gets the edge because of the workload and level. Seven innings with 10 strikeouts at Triple-A is the kind of performance that stands above the rest. The Cardinals need upper-level pitching to continue pushing toward St. Louis, and Mathews gave them a strong reminder that his name belongs in that conversation.The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Week honor goes to the arm that delivered the best full performance, and Mathews earned it.The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Week: Quinn Mathews, LHP, Triple-A MemphisWeekly Line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA, 0.86 WHIPWhy He Was Chosen: Mathews delivered seven innings of dominant Triple-A baseball, allowing no earned runs while striking out 10. His combination of length, strikeouts and run prevention made him the top pitching performer of the week.Close Second: Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP, High-A Peoria — Fajardo made this a real decision after working 4.2 scoreless innings with one hit allowed, no walks and eight strikeouts. His 0.21 WHIP was outstanding, but Mathews’ seven innings and 10 strikeouts at Triple-A gave him the edge.Old School Take: There is still something special about a pitcher giving you seven strong innings. The game has changed, and bullpens carry more of the load now, but when a starter works deep, misses bats and keeps earned runs off the board, that is still the standard. 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: Quinn Mathews, Memphis Redbirds | MiLB

Quinn Mathews Named MiLB Pitcher of the Week

The Cardinal Chronicle Jack Gurevitch Named Cardinals Minor League Player of the Week St. Louis, MO By Ray Mileur&nbsp;Jack Gurevitch put together the kind of offensive stretch that makes the rest of the system take notice.Gurevitch, the High-A Peoria first baseman, is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Cardinals Minor League Player of the Week after delivering a monster five-game run at the plate.Over the last week, Gurevitch went 10-for-20 with two doubles, five home runs, eight RBIs, six runs scored, two walks and one stolen base. He hit .500 and posted a staggering 1.895 OPS.That is not a hot streak. That is a demolition job.The power was the separator. Five home runs in five games will jump off any report, but Gurevitch paired the long ball with consistent contact, reaching base, driving in runs and giving Peoria a dangerous middle-of-the-order presence. He struck out only twice in 20 at-bats, which may be the most encouraging part of the entire line.Power is one thing. Power with contact is another.For a first baseman, offensive production is always going to carry extra weight. That is the job description. The glove matters, the footwork matters, the daily work matters, but the bat has to be loud. This week, Gurevitch’s bat was not just loud — it was shaking the windows.The Cardinals’ system had another strong candidate in Peoria’s Tai Peete, who made this a real conversation. Peete went 9-for-23 with a double, a triple, four home runs, seven RBIs, six runs scored and a 1.460 OPS over five games. In most weeks, that line wins the honor.This was not most weeks.Gurevitch’s combination of a .500 average, five home runs and a 1.895 OPS gave him the edge. He produced at an elite level and did it without much swing-and-miss. That matters, especially at High-A, where pitchers start testing whether a hitter’s power can survive against better sequencing and sharper secondary stuff.This week, Gurevitch answered.There will be more tests ahead, because that is how player development works. Pitchers adjust. Reports circulate. Weaknesses get challenged. But when a hitter puts together a week like this, it deserves recognition.Gurevitch was the best bat in the Cardinals’ minor-league system this week.The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Week: Jack Gurevitch, 1B, High-A PeoriaWeekly Line: 5 G, 20 AB, 6 R, 10 H, 2 2B, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 SB, .500 AVG, 1.895 OPSWhy He Was Chosen: Gurevitch delivered the most dominant offensive week in the system, hitting .500 with five home runs and a 1.895 OPS. His power production, run production and low strikeout total made him the clear choice.Also in the Mix: Tai Peete, CF, High-A Peoria — Peete had an outstanding week of his own, going 9-for-23 with a double, a triple, four home runs, seven RBIs, six runs scored, one stolen base and a 1.460 OPS. In almost any other week, that would have been enough to win.Old School Take:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;When a first baseman hits .500 with five home runs in a week, there is no need to overcomplicate the decision. The Cardinals can measure exit velocity, chase rate and every other number under the sun, and those tools have their place. But five balls over the wall and a 1.895 OPS still speak plain baseball. 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: Jack Gurevitch, Peoria Chiefs | MiLB

Jack Gurevitch Named MiLB Player of the Week

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Game Day Preview: TBD Is Not a Plan as Cardinals Try to Answer the Cubs St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals will try to even their four-game series against the Chicago Cubs tonight at Busch Stadium, although several hours before first pitch the club’s official probable-pitchers page still lists its starter as “TBD.”First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on Cardinals.TV, Marquee Sports Network and TBS outside the local market, with radio coverage on KMOX and the Cardinals Radio Network. Chicago has announced veteran right-hander Colin Rea as its starter.The reasonable assumption is that Michael McGreevy will start for St. Louis.McGreevy is on regular rest after pitching Thursday’s makeup game against Arizona, and his MLB player page identifies tonight’s game against Chicago as his next Cardinals appearance. Several independent previews also list McGreevy as the expected starter, but the Cardinals had not officially confirmed that matchup as of publication.That distinction matters.This is not criticism of McGreevy. He has been one of the Cardinals’ most dependable starters and would be the logical choice tonight.The criticism belongs with a club that has somehow reached game day against its oldest rival without publicly naming its starting pitcher.There may be a roster move, a trade-deadline consideration or some workload calculation behind the delay. However, from the outside, this looks less like strategic flexibility and more like poor planning or poor communication.Modern clubs are permitted to carry 13 pitchers. They employ analysts, pitching strategists, performance specialists and layers of baseball operations personnel. Yet “TBD” continues to receive more scheduled appearances than anyone should find acceptable.That is not analytical genius.That is making a basic part of managing a baseball team look unnecessarily complicated.The Cardinals enter tonight at 53-53 after Chicago won Monday’s series opener 7-3. The Cubs improved to 60-46 and moved seven games ahead of St. Louis in the standings.Monday’s loss followed a familiar and increasingly frustrating script.The Cardinals fell behind early, spent the middle innings trying to climb back into the game and allowed Chicago to pull away late.Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner each collected four hits and homered as the Cubs finished with 14 hits. Bregman drove in two runs, while Hoerner drove in four.Matthew Liberatore allowed three runs on eight hits over 3⅔ innings. He surrendered runs in each of the first three innings, forcing the Cardinals to play from behind almost immediately.José Fermín provided an early spark with a 407-foot solo home run in the second inning. Masyn Winn and Bryan Torres helped the Cardinals cut the deficit to 5-3 in the sixth, but St. Louis could not complete the comeback.Hoerner’s two-run homer in the ninth ended any remaining hope.The loss was the Cardinals’ eighth in 11 games since the All-Star break.That is no longer a brief stumble.It is a legitimate slide at the worst possible time.The trade deadline is approaching, the Cubs are pulling away and the Cardinals remain outside the final National League Wild Card position. St. Louis entered this series 1½ games behind the final postseason spot, with several clubs occupying the narrow space between the Cardinals and October.Tonight does not qualify as a mathematical must-win, but the Cardinals are rapidly running out of room for casual losses.They opened the series owning a 4-2 season advantage over Chicago. Monday’s defeat reduced that edge to 4-3.The Cardinals have already proven they can beat the Cubs. They took two of three at Busch Stadium in May and two of three at Wrigley Field earlier this month.What they have not proven is that they can consistently play complete baseball during the second half.Assuming McGreevy gets the assignment, the Cardinals will be giving the ball to a pitcher whose record does not accurately reflect his performance.The right-hander is 4-8 with a 3.07 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and 74 strikeouts over 114⅓ innings. He has completed at least six innings in many of his starts and has regularly given St. Louis an opportunity to win without requiring overpowering velocity.McGreevy relies on command, movement, changing speeds and keeping hitters off balance. He is not going to win many radar-gun contests, but baseball games are still played on grass rather than spreadsheets and velocity charts.His most recent outing was not his best. Arizona scored four runs against him over 6⅓ innings Thursday, but McGreevy still worked into the seventh and prevented the Cardinals from having to cover most of the game with their bullpen.That ability has value, especially for a relief corps that has been asked to absorb too many high-leverage innings without clearly defined roles.McGreevy must do a better job of limiting hard contact tonight than Liberatore did Monday.The Cubs attacked early in counts and repeatedly found pitches they could drive. Bregman and Hoerner controlled the game, while Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya helped keep constant pressure on the Cardinals’ defense.Chicago did not simply wait for one three-run home run.The Cubs kept producing quality at-bats, adding baserunners and forcing St. Louis pitchers to work with traffic.McGreevy’s strength is avoiding that kind of extended chaos. He must get ahead, produce quick outs and keep the top of the Cubs’ lineup from batting with runners already aboard.The Cardinals will face a very different style of pitcher in Rea.The 36-year-old right-hander enters at 7-7 with a 4.85 ERA, 81 strikeouts and a 1.42 WHIP over 105⅔ innings. He relies more on location, movement and changing speeds than pure velocity.Rea had an excellent four-start stretch from June 28 through July 18, going 4-0 with a 1.90 ERA over 23⅔ innings. He has been less effective in his last two appearances, allowing seven earned runs over 11 innings in losses to Minnesota and Detroit.That recent decline should give the Cardinals an opportunity, but only if they avoid helping him.Rea is the type of veteran pitcher who can steal six innings if hitters expand the strike zone and offer at soft contact early in counts. He does not need to overpower a lineup when the lineup is willing to get itself out.The Cardinals must make him work.They need traffic at the top of the order, patient at-bats and damage when Rea is forced into the middle of the strike zone.The last time Rea faced St. Louis, on Sept. 26, 2025, he threw 5⅔ scoreless innings. That history is not destiny, but it should be a reminder that a veteran pitcher with a nearly 5.00 ERA can still control a game when opposing hitters fail to make adjustments.Jordan Walker remains the Cardinals hitter most capable of changing the game with one swing.Walker has four home runs and 13 RBI in 23 career games against the Cubs. Chicago kept him quiet Monday, and St. Louis needs more from the middle of its order tonight.Alec Burleson has been the club’s most consistent hitter, but the Cardinals cannot continue asking Burleson, Walker or JJ Wetherholt to carry the offense individually.They need several hitters contributing in the same inning.Winn had two hits Monday and helped create the sixth-inning rally. Fermín homered. Torres delivered an RBI double.Those were positive moments, but they remained isolated moments.The Cubs collected 14 hits because their lineup kept applying pressure. The Cardinals collected seven because their offense appeared in brief flashes and then disappeared again.St. Louis also must play cleaner baseball.The Cardinals made another defensive error Monday and committed a costly baserunning mistake during their attempted comeback. Against a club seven games ahead in the standings, those are not minor details.They are the difference between extending an inning and ending one.The bullpen will also require careful handling.If McGreevy starts and pitches as expected, Oliver Marmol should allow him to work deep as long as he remains effective. However, there cannot be another evening of managing toward hypothetical situations rather than the game taking place.The highest-leverage moment may arrive in the sixth or seventh inning with Bregman, Suzuki and Hoerner due to bat.That is when the best available reliever should be used.Saving an arm for a ninth-inning lead that never arrives accomplishes nothing.The same principle applies to the entire game.The Cardinals cannot manage tonight like one of 162 anonymous dates on the calendar. They are facing the Cubs, sitting at .500, sliding backward since the break and approaching a deadline that may determine whether the front office adds, subtracts or simply rearranges the furniture.Every loss changes that conversation.Every win keeps the opportunity for a Red October alive.The Cardinals should not need a mystery starter, a last-minute announcement or another complicated explanation.They need McGreevy — assuming he is indeed the pitcher — to control the game.They need the offense to make Rea work.They need the defense to stop giving away outs and the bullpen to be used when the game demands it.Most of all, they need a victory.The opponent has announced its starter.The schedule points directly toward McGreevy.The Cardinals still say TBD.At some point, flexibility stops being a strategy and begins looking like indecision.Tonight, whoever receives the baseball must help make that conversation irrelevant. 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.com

TBD Is Not a Plan as Cardinals Try to Answer the Cubs

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cardinals Drop Finale in Extras St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals had a chance to take the series Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium.Instead, they let another winnable game slip into extra innings, and the Cincinnati Reds made them pay.The Reds beat the Cardinals, 5-3, in 10 innings, taking the rubber game of the weekend series and handing St. Louis a frustrating loss on a day when Kyle Leahy gave his club more than enough to win.That is what makes this one sting.Leahy did his job. The Cardinals had the lead twice. The bullpen held Cincinnati in check for three innings after Leahy exited. The offense had chances late.But when the game moved into the 10th, Cincinnati cashed in and St. Louis did not have enough left to answer.The Cardinals struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Alec Burleson led off with a double, and Masyn Winn followed with a single to put runners at the corners with nobody out. José Fermín then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Burleson and giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead.It was the kind of simple baseball play that wins close games.For a while, it looked like that early run might set the tone. Leahy opened the game strong, attacked the Reds’ lineup, and kept Cincinnati from building much of anything early.But Elly De La Cruz changed that in the third inning.De La Cruz turned on a slider and launched a solo home run, tying the game at 1-1. It was a reminder of how quickly Cincinnati can change a game with one swing, especially when De La Cruz gets something he can drive.The Cardinals answered right back in the bottom of the third.Iván Herrera jumped on a sweeper and sent it over the wall for a solo home run, giving St. Louis the lead again at 2-1. Herrera’s swing gave the Cardinals some life and put Leahy back in front.Leahy carried that lead into the fifth before Ke’Bryan Hayes tied the game with a solo homer of his own. The blast made it 2-2, but it was the last damage Leahy allowed.From there, the Cardinals’ starter finished strong.Leahy worked six innings, allowed two runs on six hits, walked one and struck out a career-high nine. He gave the Cardinals a quality start, kept the bullpen from being exposed too early, and did everything a club should ask from a starting pitcher in a series finale.The problem was the Cardinals’ offense could not give him more.St. Louis had chances, but the big hit never came.The Cardinals had a real opportunity in the seventh after Lars Nootbaar drew a leadoff walk. Blaze Jordan flew out to deep center, Bryan Torres moved Nootbaar into scoring position with a groundout, but JJ Wetherholt grounded out to first to end the inning.That one hurt.The eighth hurt even more.Burleson singled with two outs, Winn followed with a single up the middle, and Fermín reached after the Cardinals successfully challenged catcher’s interference to load the bases. That brought Nootbaar to the plate with a chance to put St. Louis in front.He flew out to left.The game remained tied.Those are the moments that decide games like this. Not always the loudest moments. Not always the ones that make the highlight reel. But bases loaded, two outs, tie game in the eighth inning at home — that is where a team has to cash in.The Cardinals did not.The bullpen gave St. Louis a chance anyway. Luis Gastelum worked a scoreless seventh. Ryne Stanek handled a clean eighth. George Soriano took the ninth and kept Cincinnati off the board, giving the Cardinals a chance to win it in the bottom half.They could not.Blaze Jordan grounded out. Jimmy Crooks struck out. Wetherholt struck out.So the game went to the 10th.That is where it came apart.With Tyler Stephenson starting the inning at second as the automatic runner, he moved to third almost immediately on a wild pitch. Sal Stewart then singled to right, scoring Stephenson and giving Cincinnati a 3-2 lead.Elly De La Cruz followed with a single, and the Reds moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. The Cardinals turned to Justin Bruihl, and after a strikeout and an intentional walk, Nathaniel Lowe delivered the backbreaker.Lowe singled to right, scoring two runs and stretching Cincinnati’s lead to 5-2.That was the difference.The Cardinals did not go quietly in the bottom of the 10th. Herrera singled to move automatic runner JJ Wetherholt to third, and Burleson followed with a soft single to left, scoring Wetherholt and cutting the deficit to 5-3.That brought the tying run to the plate.But Winn struck out, and Fermín flew out to left to end it.The Cardinals had their shot. They had several of them.They just did not finish.Cincinnati took the series, and St. Louis was left with another one of those losses that feels avoidable. Leahy gave them six strong innings. Herrera homered. Burleson had a strong offensive day. The bullpen held until extra innings.But the Cardinals went 10 innings and managed only three runs. They left too many chances on the table, and in the 10th, the Reds made the Cardinals pay for every one of them.This is the kind of game that exposes the thin line this club keeps walking.One night, the Cardinals can shut down the Reds, score seven, and make everything look clean. The next day, they can waste a strong start, miss their late chances, and watch the series slip away in extras.That is not how a team builds momentum.Now the Cardinals turn toward a crucial four-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. There is no easing into it. There is no soft landing. If the Cardinals want to stay in the postseason conversation, they cannot keep letting games like Sunday get away.Kyle Leahy gave them enough.The offense did not.And in the 10th, the Reds took what the Cardinals left sitting there.Luis Gastelum, Ryne Stanek and George Soriano kept the Reds scoreless from the seventh through the ninth, but the 10th inning got away from Matt Svanson and Justin Bruihl.The Cardinals had a chance to take the weekend series after Saturday’s shutout win, but Cincinnati claimed the finale and left St. Louis with the series victory.The bottom line, the Cardinals had chances.Kyle Leahy gave them six strong innings. Iván Herrera homered. Alec Burleson produced. The bullpen carried the tie into extra innings.But St. Louis missed its late opportunities, Cincinnati capitalized in the 10th, and the Reds left Busch Stadium with a 5-3 win and the series.For the Cardinals, this was a winnable game.And that is exactly why it hurts. 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: Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Cardinals Drop Finale in Extras

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Series Preview: Cardinals Welcome Cubs to Busch Stadium for Four-Game Test St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals open a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs tonight at Busch Stadium, beginning another important chapter in baseball’s oldest National League rivalry.First pitch for each of the first three games is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT. Thursday’s series finale begins at 1:15 p.m.The Cardinals enter the series at 53-52 after losing two of three to the Cincinnati Reds. Chicago arrives at 59-46, sitting second in the National League Central and six games ahead of St. Louis. The Cubs won two of three over the weekend in Pittsburgh, although they let Sunday’s finale slip away in an 8-7 loss.There is no need to manufacture urgency when these two clubs meet, but the standings provide plenty of it.The Cardinals are trying to remain in a crowded National League postseason race while the Cubs are attempting to keep pace with Milwaukee and secure their position near the top of the Wild Card standings. Four games between division rivals can change the standings quickly.This is the beginning of a stretch in which every head-to-head opportunity matters.The good news for St. Louis is that the Cardinals have played some of their best baseball against Chicago this season.St. Louis owns a 4-2 advantage in the season series, taking two of three from the Cubs at Busch Stadium in late May and two of three at Wrigley Field earlier this month.The first series included a 6-5 Cardinals victory in the opener, a 6-1 Cubs win and a 5-1 St. Louis victory in the finale. The Cardinals then opened the July series at Wrigley with a historic 17-1 rout, followed it with a 3-0 shutout and fell short of the sweep when Chicago won the finale 6-4.Those results should give the Cardinals confidence, but they do not guarantee anything over the next four days.Chicago remains one of the National League’s strongest offensive clubs. The Cubs are averaging approximately 5.2 runs per game, compared with 4.4 for St. Louis, and hold a substantial advantage in home runs.Pete Crow-Armstrong has emerged as the driving force behind that lineup. The Cubs center fielder enters the series batting .290 with 23 home runs, combining power, speed and elite defense in center field. He had four hits Saturday in Chicago’s 11-0 victory over Pittsburgh and added an RBI triple Sunday.The Cubs also bring plenty of established offensive threats.Seiya Suzuki homered Sunday for his 18th of the season. Dansby Swanson leads Chicago with 61 RBI, while Nico Hoerner remains one of the more difficult outs in the lineup. Carson Kelly, a former Cardinals prospect, adds another familiar face to the rivalry.The Cardinals must keep the top of Chicago’s lineup from creating immediate pressure. Free passes ahead of Crow-Armstrong, Suzuki and Swanson can turn a manageable inning into a crooked number in a hurry.St. Louis will counter with a lineup led by Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson.Walker enters the series with 22 home runs and 77 RBI, while Burleson is batting .289 and continues to provide the Cardinals with one of their most consistent at-bats. Together, they have carried a considerable share of the offensive load.Burleson collected three more hits in Sunday’s extra-inning loss to Cincinnati, but the Cardinals again struggled to create sustained offense throughout the lineup.St. Louis has scored four runs or more in only two of its past seven games. The Cardinals are 41-16 when scoring at least four runs this season but only 5-26 when held to two or fewer.Those numbers are not complicated.When the offense provides reasonable support, the Cardinals generally win.The problem has been producing that support consistently.JJ Wetherholt continues to provide energy near the top of the order. Iván Herrera homered Sunday and remains one of the Cardinals’ better on-base threats. Blaze Jordan has shown that he can handle Major League pitching, while Masyn Winn, Lars Nootbaar and Nathan Church must help extend innings and turn the lineup over.One productive hitter cannot carry an offense for four games.The Cardinals need traffic ahead of Walker and Burleson, more extra-base damage and better execution with runners in scoring position. Against a Cubs club capable of scoring quickly, a two-run lead will rarely feel comfortable.Monday’s series opener is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT.Matthew Liberatore is expected to start for St. Louis. The left-hander enters at 5-7 with a 5.18 ERA. His previous start came Tuesday in Anaheim, where he allowed five runs in the first inning before recovering to complete 5⅓ innings with seven strikeouts.That outing was a perfect summary of Liberatore’s season.The talent is obvious. His breaking pitches can miss bats, and his fastball plays when he commands it aggressively. The challenge has been avoiding the one damaging inning that changes the entire game.Liberatore cannot spend the first inning searching for his delivery against Chicago. The Cubs are too dangerous to be handed an early lead, particularly with the Cardinals still trying to stabilize their late-inning relief options.Tuesday’s game will also begin at 6:45 p.m. CT and will be available nationally on TBS outside the local market.Chicago has veteran right-hander Colin Rea scheduled to start. Rea is 7-7 with a 4.85 ERA and 81 strikeouts.Rea is not an overpowering pitcher, but he understands how to navigate a lineup, change speeds and produce weak contact. The Cardinals cannot allow him to steal early-count outs throughout the evening.Michael McGreevy would be in line to pitch for St. Louis if the Cardinals maintain their current rotation order.McGreevy has pitched much better than his record suggests, carrying an ERA near 3.00 despite receiving inconsistent run support. He relies on command, movement and changing eye levels rather than overwhelming velocity.Wednesday’s matchup begins at 6:45 p.m., with Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd scheduled to start.Boyd is 6-1 with a 3.81 ERA and has not lost in his last 10 starts. He recently returned from knee surgery and a delayed recovery caused by shoulder soreness, but he has quickly become an important part of a Chicago rotation that has dealt with multiple injuries.Dustin May would be the expected Cardinals starter on regular rotation.May showed signs of progress Friday against Cincinnati, allowing only one run over six innings and striking out eight. St. Louis wasted the performance, managing only one hit before the bullpen surrendered the lead.That outing was encouraging, but May must prove it was more than a one-night correction. Since his complete-game shutout in June, his command and ability to control damage have been inconsistent.Thursday’s finale is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.Chicago plans to start Shota Imanaga, who enters at 7-8 with a 3.72 ERA and 113 strikeouts. He has been the Cubs’ most productive strikeout pitcher and recently continued his strong run with another dominant performance against Pittsburgh.Andre Pallante would line up for St. Louis.Pallante is coming off one of his finest starts of the season, throwing seven scoreless innings Saturday against Cincinnati while allowing only two hits and striking out eight. The victory gave him 11 wins, the most on the Cardinals staff.His sinker will be essential against a Cubs lineup that can punish elevated mistakes. When Pallante stays at the bottom of the strike zone and generates early-count ground balls, he can control a game and work deep into the afternoon.The announced pitching plans remain subject to change, particularly with the trade deadline approaching and the Cardinals recently using Hunter Dobbins as a sixth starter.The bullpen may ultimately determine the series.JoJo Romero remains unavailable following appendicitis, and the Cardinals have struggled to establish dependable late-inning roles in his absence. Riley O’Brien has endured several difficult outings, while George Soriano, Luis Gastelum, Ryne Stanek and the rest of the relief group have been asked to cover high-leverage innings without clearly defined assignments.Oliver Marmol cannot manage four games against the Cubs by waiting for perfect ninth-inning situations.The most important matchup may come in the sixth or seventh inning when Crow-Armstrong, Suzuki and Swanson are due to hit. The best available reliever should pitch when the game is most likely to be decided, regardless of the inning printed beside his name in the bullpen plan.The Cardinals are also in the middle of 20 consecutive games without an off day. The Cubs series completes the current eight-game homestand before St. Louis travels to Toronto.That makes workload management important, but there is a difference between managing fatigue and managing timidly.These games matter.The trade deadline is closing in. The Cubs are directly ahead of the Cardinals in the division. The Wild Card field remains crowded, and St. Louis has already lost valuable ground since the All-Star break.The Cardinals do not need to sweep the Cubs to save their season, but they cannot afford another losing series at home.A split would maintain the status quo.Winning three of four would reduce the standings gap, strengthen the Cardinals’ hold on the season series and provide evidence that this club should still be treated as a legitimate postseason contender.Losing three or four would leave the front office facing a much different conversation as the deadline approaches.The Cardinals have already proven they can beat Chicago.They have won close games, delivered a historic offensive rout and shut down the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Now they must show they can reproduce that success during a difficult portion of the schedule.Four games at Busch Stadium.A division rival six games ahead.The trade deadline approaching.The postseason race tightening.The Cardinals have spent much of the season insisting they intend to compete while building for the future.This week, the Cubs provide an opportunity to prove that competing is more than a talking point. 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.com

Cardinals Welcome Cubs to Busch Stadium for Four-Game Test

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.