Blog

The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Dominic Picone St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurDominic Picone did not change the final score Saturday night.He did change the tone.Picone is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Pitcher of the Day after throwing 2.2 perfect innings in Springfield’s 6-2 loss to the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Route 66 Stadium.The Cardinals were already in a difficult spot when Picone entered the game. Amarillo had built an early lead, Springfield’s offense had not been able to string enough together, and the game was starting to drift away.Picone stopped the drift.The right-hander worked a season-high 2.2 innings, did not allow a base runner, and struck out five. No hits. No walks. No traffic. No free chances.That is how a reliever gets noticed, even in a loss.Springfield needed someone to settle the game down, and Picone gave the Cardinals exactly that. He attacked the zone, missed bats, and kept Amarillo from adding to the damage. On a night when the Sod Poodles had already done enough to win, Picone made sure they did not keep piling on.That matters in player development.Relief pitching is not always about the save situation or the clean ninth inning. Sometimes it is about entering a game that is leaning the wrong direction and putting a stop to it. Picone did that Saturday.The final score says Springfield lost.The pitching line says Picone did his job.There were other strong relief efforts across the Cardinals’ full-season system. Memphis got four hitless innings from its bullpen, with Jared Shuster, Max Rajcic and Scott Blewett combining to keep Norfolk quiet after Brandt Thompson’s start. Peoria’s bullpen also stabilized the game after South Bend scored five runs in the first inning.But Picone had the cleanest individual pitching line of the night.Season-high 2.2 innings.No base runners.Five strikeouts.That gets the honor.For a pitcher trying to build trust and carve out a larger role, outings like this are the ones that matter. They show reliability. They show swing-and-miss ability. They show a pitcher capable of entering a game and changing the feel of it, even when the scoreboard is not working in his club’s favor.Picone gave Springfield that kind of appearance Saturday night.Old School TakeThere are nights when the best pitching performance comes in a loss.That was Saturday.Dominic Picone came out of the bullpen and gave Springfield 2.2 perfect innings with five strikeouts. No drama. No traffic. No damage.A reliever cannot erase what happened before he got the ball.But he can make sure it stops there.Picone did that.That is why Dominic Picone 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 - Saint Joseph University Athletics

Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Dominic Picone, Springfield

The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day: Jesús Báez St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurJesús Báez gave Peoria something worth remembering on a night when the scoreboard did not cooperate.Báez is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Player of the Day after hitting his 14th home run of the season Saturday night in Peoria’s 6-4 loss to the South Bend Cubs at Four Winds Field.The home run made history.With the swing, Báez became the Chiefs’ High-A era single-season home run record holder, breaking the mark he had tied earlier in the series. It was also his third straight game with a home run and extended his season-long hitting streak to 12 games.That is more than a good week.That is a player forcing his way into the conversation.Peoria fell behind early Saturday after South Bend jumped out to a five-run lead in the first inning. The Cubs hit three home runs in the opening frame, putting the Chiefs in a difficult spot almost immediately.But Peoria did not go away.Tre Richardson III got the Chiefs on the board in the second inning with his 11th home run of the season. Then Báez followed in the third with a line-drive shot to center field for home run No. 14.That swing cut into the deficit, but it also did something bigger than change the score.It changed the record book.Even in a loss, those moments matter. Minor league baseball is about winning games, but it is also about tracking development, growth and production that carries forward. Báez has been doing that. The power has shown up consistently, and now it has shown up in a way that gives him a place in Peoria’s High-A history.That is not a small thing.The Chiefs made one more push in the ninth inning, with Richardson adding an RBI double and Sammy Hernandez following with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-4. Peoria brought the tying run to the plate, but South Bend closed it out and clinched the Midwest League West first-half title.So the night belonged to South Bend in the standings.But the individual headline belonged to Báez.Tre Richardson III deserves strong mention after homering, adding an RBI double and helping fuel the ninth-inning rally. Jeremy Rivas had two hits for Memphis, and Trey Paige homered again for Springfield.But a record-setting home run wins the day.Báez has been one of the hottest hitters in the Cardinals’ system, and Saturday added another layer to that run. A 12-game hitting streak. Three straight games with a home run. Fourteen home runs on the season. A new Peoria High-A era record.That is the kind of production that cannot be ignored.Old School TakeThere are losses where you still circle a name in the box score.Saturday night, that name was Jesús Báez.Peoria lost the game, and South Bend celebrated the division title. That is the scoreboard.But Báez hit his 14th home run, broke the Chiefs’ High-A era single-season record, and kept one of the best offensive runs in the Cardinals’ system moving forward.The team lost.The player took another step.That is why Jesús Báez 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>Photo Credit - MiLB

MiLB Player of the Day: Jesús Báez

The Cardinal Chronicle Daily Farm Report St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurFarm Report: Rough Saturday Across the System, Jesús Báez Sets Peoria MarkThe Cardinals’ full-season minor league affiliates went 0-4 on Saturday night, with Memphis, Springfield, Peoria and Palm Beach all landing on the wrong side of the scoreboard.Memphis lost a tight 2-1 game at Norfolk after being held scoreless after the first inning. Springfield fell 6-2 to Amarillo one night after scoring 18 runs. Peoria dug out of an early five-run hole but lost 6-4 at South Bend, where the Cubs clinched the Midwest League West first-half title. Palm Beach was beaten 10-1 by St. Lucie, continuing a rough offensive week against the Mets.The record across the system was not pretty.But there were still individual performances worth noting, led by Jesús Báez setting Peoria’s High-A era single-season home run record and Dominic Picone delivering a dominant relief outing for Springfield.Memphis Redbirds Record: 42-26, International League West Standings: 1st place, International League West; 0.5 game behind Rochester in the overall International League first-half race Result: Norfolk 2, Memphis 1Memphis could not keep the bats going Saturday night.After a week of big innings and first-place momentum, the Redbirds were held quiet in a 2-1 loss to Norfolk at Harbor Park. Memphis jumped in front in the top of the first inning, but that was the only run the Redbirds would get.Leo Bernal drove in Thomas Saggese with an RBI double in the first, giving Memphis an early 1-0 lead. From there, the offense stalled. Jeremy Rivas led the Redbirds with a 2-for-3 night, while Matt Koperniak reached twice with two walks. Colton Ledbetter also reached twice with a hit and a walk.But Memphis could not find the extra swing.Brandt Thompson made his first Triple-A start and gave the Redbirds four innings. He allowed two runs on six hits, walked one and struck out three. It was not a dominant line, but it kept Memphis within reach.The bullpen was the bright spot.Jared Shuster, Max Rajcic and Scott Blewett combined to cover the final four innings without allowing a hit. The three relievers allowed just one total baserunner and gave Memphis every chance to climb back into the game.The offense simply could not answer.The loss ended Memphis’ five-game winning streak and dropped the Redbirds to 42-26. Memphis still holds first place in the International League West, but Rochester moved a half-game ahead in the overall International League first-half race.The Redbirds now head back home for a major series against Nashville to close out the first half. That one is going to carry some weight.Springfield Cardinals Record: 27-34, Texas League North Standings: 4th place, Texas League North; 13.5 games back Result: Amarillo 6, Springfield 2Springfield followed Friday night’s 18-run outburst with a quieter night at the plate.The Cardinals, playing as the Ozarks Snipe Hunters, fell 6-2 to Amarillo at Route 66 Stadium. The loss means Springfield will need to win Sunday’s series finale to split the six-game set.Amarillo jumped on Chen-Wei Lin in the first inning, taking a 3-0 lead before Springfield could settle into the game. The Sod Poodles added another run in the third and two more in the fifth, giving their pitching staff enough room to control the night.Springfield got on the board in the second inning when Trey Paige hit a solo home run. Paige has now hit four home runs in his last seven home games at Route 66 Stadium, continuing a strong stretch of power at home.Jon Jon Gazdar added another solo home run in the seventh, marking back-to-back games with a homer for the Springfield infielder.That was the offense.The best Springfield performance of the night came from the bullpen. Dominic Picone tossed a season-high 2.2 innings and did not allow a base runner while striking out five. On a night when the game got away early, Picone gave Springfield exactly the kind of relief appearance a club wants to see.The Cardinals had eight hits, the same total as Amarillo, but the difference came in how the Sod Poodles cashed in their opportunities. Amarillo drew nine walks, including two with the bases loaded, and that was too much for Springfield to overcome.Peoria Chiefs Record: 32-30, Midwest League West Standings: 3rd place, Midwest League West; 7 games back Result: South Bend 6, Peoria 4Peoria showed some fight Saturday night, but the Chiefs could not overcome a rough first inning.South Bend jumped on Jacob Odle for three home runs in the opening frame, scored five runs in the first inning, and went on to beat Peoria 6-4 at Four Winds Field. The win clinched the Midwest League West first-half title for South Bend.It was a rare rough inning for Odle, who had been one of the better pitching stories in the Cardinals’ system this season. He entered the game having allowed only two home runs in 2026, then gave up three in the first inning alone.The Chiefs did not fold.Tre Richardson III got Peoria on the board in the second inning with a solo home run to left-center, his 11th of the season. One inning later, Jesús Báez unloaded on a line-drive solo shot to center for his 14th home run of the year.That home run mattered.Báez became the Chiefs’ High-A era single-season home run record holder with the blast. It was also his third straight game with a home run and extended his season-long hitting streak to 12 games.That is the kind of development headline that matters even on a loss.South Bend added a run in the fifth, but Peoria’s bullpen did solid work after the first-inning damage. Rubén Menes, Christian Worley and Dominic Freeberger all delivered scoreless outings, and the Chiefs’ bullpen allowed just one run over 7.1 innings.Peoria made one final push in the ninth. Richardson added an RBI double, and Sammy Hernandez followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-4. But South Bend’s Jackson Brockett struck out Christian Martin to end the game.The Chiefs lost, and South Bend celebrated.But Peoria did not go quietly.Palm Beach Cardinals Record: 31-31, Florida State League East Standings: 2nd place, Florida State League East; 4 games back Result: St. Lucie 10, Palm Beach 1Palm Beach’s rough week against St. Lucie continued Saturday night.The Cardinals, playing under their Palm Beach Frozen Iguanas identity, fell 10-1 to the Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. The loss dropped Palm Beach to .500 and gave St. Lucie the series win.For four innings, this looked like a pitchers’ duel.Jack Martinez kept St. Lucie off the board early, and Mets starter Jonathan Jimenez held Palm Beach in check. But the game turned in the fifth inning after Martinez was pulled with two outs to get in the frame.St. Lucie broke through with a two-run double from Trey Snyder, then added two more runs on bases-loaded walks to take a 4-0 lead. From there, the Mets kept adding on. St. Lucie scored in each of the final five innings and finished with 15 hits.Palm Beach’s only run came in the bottom of the fifth. Yordalin Peña led off with a double and scored on an RBI groundout by Heriberto Caraballo.That was all the Cardinals could manage.Palm Beach finished with just four hits and could not build any kind of sustained pressure. After being no-hit earlier in the week, then scoring 17 runs, then getting shut out, then losing a tight one, the Cardinals’ offense continued to swing between extremes.Saturday was another tough one.Palm Beach is now 8-12 against St. Lucie this season.Player of the Day Jesús Báez, Peoria ChiefsJesús Báez is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Player of the Day after making Peoria history Saturday night.Báez hit his 14th home run of the season in the third inning of Peoria’s 6-4 loss to South Bend, becoming the Chiefs’ High-A era single-season home run record holder.That alone would be enough to put him in the conversation.But there is more.The home run was his third straight game with a long ball, and it extended his season-long hitting streak to 12 games. Báez has been one of the hottest hitters in the Cardinals’ system, and Saturday’s swing gave Peoria something worth remembering on a night when South Bend clinched the division.Tre Richardson III deserves strong mention after homering, adding an RBI double and helping fuel Peoria’s ninth-inning push. Trey Paige also deserves mention for another home run at Route 66 Stadium, while Jeremy Rivas had two hits for Memphis.But Báez gets the honor.A record-setting home run wins the day.Pitcher of the Day Dominic Picone, Springfield CardinalsDominic Picone is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Day after giving Springfield 2.2 perfect innings in relief Saturday night.Picone did not allow a base runner and struck out five against Amarillo. In a game where Springfield fell behind early and never fully recovered, Picone gave the Cardinals a clean, powerful relief appearance.That matters.The box score says Springfield lost 6-2. Picone’s line says he did his job.Memphis’ bullpen also deserves mention. Jared Shuster, Max Rajcic and Scott Blewett combined for four hitless innings and allowed just one total baserunner in the Redbirds’ 2-1 loss at Norfolk.Peoria’s bullpen deserves mention as well. Rubén Menes, Christian Worley and Dominic Freeberger helped stabilize the game after South Bend’s five-run first inning.But Picone had the cleanest individual pitching line of the night.Season-high 2.2 innings.No base runners.Five strikeouts.That gets the nod.Old School TakeThere is no need to dress this one up.Saturday was a rough night.The Cardinals’ full-season affiliates went 0-4. Memphis could not find the offense. Springfield gave up too much early. Peoria fell into a five-run hole before the game really got settled. Palm Beach’s offense continued to search for traction.But even on a bad night, there were development wins.Jesús Báez set Peoria’s High-A era single-season home run record.Dominic Picone struck out five without allowing a base runner.Memphis’ bullpen threw four hitless innings.Peoria’s bullpen gave the Chiefs a chance to make it interesting.That is what the farm report is supposed to do. Tell the whole story.Saturday was not a good night in the standings.But it was not empty. 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 - MiLB .

Saturday 0-4 Across the System,  Jesús Báez Sets Peoria Mark

The Cardinal Chronicle Cardinals Turn to McGreevy With Series on the Line in Minnesota St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals have already had one wild loss and one power-filled answer in Minnesota.Now comes the rubber game.St. Louis closes its three-game interleague series against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon at Target Field, with a chance to take the series and finish the weekend on the right side of a road test that has been anything but quiet.First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT, with right-hander Michael McGreevy getting the ball for the Cardinals against Twins right-hander Taj Bradley.The Cardinals enter the finale at 38-30, while Minnesota comes in at 32-40. The records say St. Louis is the better club right now. The first two games said the Twins are not going to hand them anything.Friday night was a mess for the Cardinals. St. Louis had enough offense to win, but the bullpen let a late lead get away in a 9-8 loss. It was one of those games that sits in the stomach a little longer than it should, especially when a club has played well enough to win for most of the night.Saturday was the response.The Cardinals beat Minnesota 9-6 behind a power surge that changed the whole feel of the series. Iván Herrera homered twice. Jordan Walker launched a long home run. Blaze Jordan, in just his second Major League game, delivered his first big-league homer — a three-run shot that gave St. Louis breathing room and gave Cardinals fans another reason to lean forward.That is how a young player announces himself.Jordan already made noise in his debut with two hits and an RBI single in his first major league at-bat. Then he followed it with another multi-hit game and his first home run. Two games do not make a career, but they can change the conversation. The Cardinals did not call him up to stand around and wave at the skyline. They called him up because the bat may be ready to help. So far, it has.Now the question is whether St. Louis can finish the job.McGreevy enters Sunday at 3-5 with a 2.99 ERA and 49 strikeouts. He has been one of the steadier arms in the Cardinals’ rotation, not because he overwhelms hitters, but because he pitches. He changes speeds, moves the baseball, works ahead when he is right, and gives the defense a chance to do its job.That matters in a rubber game.The Cardinals do not need McGreevy to be a hero. They need him to keep Minnesota from grabbing early momentum, cover innings, and keep the game from turning into another bullpen marathon. With the late innings already tested twice in this series, length from the starter would be worth its weight in gold.Bradley enters for Minnesota at 5-3 with a 4.02 ERA and 73 strikeouts. He has enough stuff to make the Cardinals work, and St. Louis cannot afford to give him quick innings by chasing early. The Cardinals’ best offensive stretches have come when they create traffic, force pitchers into the zone, and make the middle of the order hit with men on base.That approach needs to travel into Sunday.Herrera is coming off a two-homer game and continues to look like one of the most important bats in the lineup. Walker’s power remains a constant threat. Alec Burleson has been on a tear and continues to give the Cardinals steady left-handed production. Blaze Jordan has added a jolt. JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn and the table-setters have to make Minnesota work from the first inning.The Twins have their own danger signs.Byron Buxton has been a problem in this series, and Minnesota has shown it can change a game quickly with one swing. The Cardinals saw that Friday. They saw it again Saturday, even in victory, when the Twins kept pushing late and forced St. Louis to earn the final outs.That is why Sunday cannot be casual.The Cardinals have a chance to leave Minnesota with a series win, and those matter. Road series wins are how good clubs build separation over the long summer. They are not always clean. They are not always pretty. Sometimes they come after a bullpen collapse one night and a white-knuckle ninth inning the next.But they count the same.For St. Louis, Sunday is about taking the good from Saturday and tightening the rest. Keep the offense aggressive but disciplined. Give McGreevy early support. Make Bradley work. Keep Buxton from controlling the day. And when the bullpen door opens, throw strikes and finish innings.This has been a loud series already.The Cardinals have one more chance to make sure they are the ones leaving town with the final word.Game Info Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals at Minnesota Twins When: Sunday, June 14, 2026 First pitch: 1:10 p.m. CT / 2:10 p.m. ET Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota Probable Pitchers: RHP Michael McGreevy vs. RHP Taj Bradley Weather: Mostly sunny, upper-60s near first pitch Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / Twins.TV / KMOXThe 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>

Cardinals Turn to McGreevy With Series on the Line in Minnesota

Cardinals Let Late Leads Slip Away in Wild Loss at Minnesota The Cardinal Chronicle St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals had this one. Then they had it again.And somehow, by the end of a chaotic Friday night at Target Field, they did not have it at all. Twins 9, Cardinals 8.The Minnesota Twins defeated the Cardinals 9-8 in the opener of a three-game interleague series, using three late home runs to erase two St. Louis leads and hand the Cardinals one of their more frustrating losses of the season.This was not a quiet loss. It was not one of those nights where the offense went missing and the club simply tipped its cap. The Cardinals scored eight runs, collected 12 hits, got a first-inning home run from Alec Burleson, a three-run double from Jordan Walker, and a two-hit debut from Blaze Jordan.That should have been enough.It was not.The Cardinals jumped ahead early when Burleson launched a solo home run in the first inning, continuing what has become one of the better offensive stretches of his season. Minnesota answered immediately, with Byron Buxton homering in the bottom half to tie the game.St. Louis came right back in the second. Blaze Jordan, making his much-anticipated debut, delivered an RBI single to center to score Lars Nootbaar and give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. JJ Wetherholt followed with a single to right, and Masyn Winn scored on the play after a Minnesota error helped extend the inning. Just like that, the Cardinals had a 3-1 lead and had forced the Twins to chase the game.For a while, that looked like it might hold up.Kyle Leahy was not dominant, but he gave the Cardinals five innings and kept the game from getting away. He allowed four earned runs on eight hits, struck out five, and walked one. It was not a shutdown start, but it was enough to keep the Cardinals in position to win.Minnesota chipped away. Royce Lewis scored on an infield single in the fifth, then Josh Bell tied the game with a run-scoring double in the sixth. Lewis followed with a sacrifice fly, and the Twins had their first lead of the night at 4-3.That set the stage for what should have been the Cardinals’ defining inning.In the seventh, St. Louis loaded the bases and Burleson drew a walk to tie the game. Then Jordan Walker stepped in and delivered the swing that looked like it would decide the night, ripping a bases-clearing double to left field. Three runs scored, the Cardinals led 7-4, and for a moment, it felt like the club had taken control of a wild road game.But baseball has a way of humbling a team in a hurry.In the bottom of the seventh, Kody Clemens unloaded a three-run homer to right, tying the game at 7-7 and wiping away the Cardinals’ biggest swing of the night almost as quickly as it arrived.St. Louis still answered. In the eighth, Bryan Torres scored on a José Fermín infield single, giving the Cardinals an 8-7 lead. Once again, they were three defensive outs away from escaping Minnesota with a hard-fought win.Instead, the Twins struck again.Royce Lewis led off the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run to left, tying the game. Brooks Lee followed with another solo shot to right, and in the span of two swings, Minnesota had turned an 8-7 deficit into a 9-8 lead.Ryne Stanek, who had been one of the Cardinals’ steadier late-inning arms for much of the season, had a night to forget. He was charged with three earned runs on three hits over 1.1 innings, and all three hits left the yard. Kody Clemens, Royce Lewis, and Brooks Lee each took him deep in the late innings, and that was the difference.The Cardinals had one more chance in the ninth, but Andrew Morris retired St. Louis in order to close it out for Minnesota.There were positives, and they were not small ones.Burleson homered, walked with the bases loaded, and continued to look like one of the most dependable bats in the lineup. Walker’s three-run double was a big-time swing in a big-time spot. Blaze Jordan collected two hits and drove in a run in his debut, giving Cardinals fans a first look at the bat that has pushed its way into the big-league conversation.But the story of the night was still the bullpen.When a team scores eight runs on the road, takes a three-run lead in the seventh, then takes another lead in the eighth, that game needs to be closed out. There is no other way to dress it up.The Cardinals did enough offensively to win. They did enough early to put themselves in control. They even answered after the Twins punched back.But they could not finish it.That is what makes this one sting.The Cardinals led 7-4 in the seventh and 8-7 in the eighth, but Minnesota answered both times. The Twins hit three late home runs, including back-to-back solo shots from Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee in the eighth, to flip the game for good.Walker’s bases-clearing double in the seventh gave the Cardinals a 7-4 lead and looked like the swing of the night. It was the kind of at-bat that continues to show why Walker has become such an important middle-of-the-order presence.Blaze Jordan made his Cardinals debut and wasted little time getting involved, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. His second-inning single gave St. Louis the lead and offered a glimpse of why his bat forced the issue at Triple-A Memphis.Alec Burleson opened the scoring with a first-inning home run and later walked with the bases loaded to tie the game in the seventh. He continues to give the Cardinals a steady, dangerous left-handed bat in the heart of the order.Ryne Stanek had been a reliable late-inning option, but Friday was a rough one. He allowed three earned runs on three hits, with all three hits going for home runs. That turned a potential Cardinals win into a painful series-opening loss.Bottom Line: The Cardinals scored eight runs, had 12 hits, got production from their regulars, and watched Blaze Jordan make an impressive debut and they still lost.This was a game the Cardinals should have won, and the late innings got away from them in a hurry. That is the hard truth of Friday night.Now they will have to flush it fast, because the series continues Saturday afternoon at Target Field with Matthew Liberatore scheduled to face Connor Prielipp. 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> MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 12: Blaze Jordan #33 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the second inning of his MLB debut at Target Field on June 12, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Cardinals Let Late Leads Slip Away in Wild Loss at Minnesota

The Cardinal Chronicle Cardinals Look to Answer After Bullpen Collapse in Minnesota Opener St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals do not have to wait long for a chance to respond.After letting Friday night’s series opener slip away in a chaotic 9-8 loss to the Minnesota Twins, St. Louis returns to Target Field on Saturday afternoon looking to even the series and put a hard stop to a bullpen performance that turned a winnable game into one that got away.First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT at Target Field in Minneapolis, with left-hander Matthew Liberatore getting the ball for the Cardinals against Twins left-hander Connor Prielipp.The matchup itself matters, but the response may matter more.The Cardinals had chances Friday night. They had offense. They had traffic. They had big swings. They had enough on the board to win a road game. Then the late innings arrived, and the bullpen gave the game back. Ryne Stanek had one of those nights relievers want to bury quickly, allowing three home runs as Minnesota stormed back and handed St. Louis a frustrating one-run loss.That is baseball’s cruel little trick. You can play well enough for six innings to feel like you own the night, then lose the whole thing in a few swings.Now the Cardinals have to show whether Friday was a bruise or the beginning of a problem.Liberatore enters Saturday at 3-3 with a 4.48 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP and 61 strikeouts. His assignment is not complicated. The Cardinals need strikes, length and composure. They need him to keep Minnesota from jumping on top early, and they need enough innings to avoid asking too much of a bullpen that had to wear Friday night’s mess.When Liberatore is right, he can work both sides, change the eye level and keep hitters from sitting on one speed. When he falls behind, innings can get heavy in a hurry. Against a Twins lineup that just showed how quickly it can leave the yard, first-pitch strikes and damage control will be the whole ballgame.Minnesota counters with Prielipp, who enters at 2-4 with a 5.15 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and 49 strikeouts. The Cardinals should not treat those numbers casually, but this is a pitcher they need to make work. St. Louis cannot give him quick innings by chasing early. The approach should be simple: get traffic, force him into the zone, and make Minnesota’s bullpen cover innings again.Offensively, the Cardinals still have encouraging signs, even after Friday’s loss.Alec Burleson continues to be one of the hottest bats on the roster. He is riding a 12-game hitting streak and a four-game home run streak after going deep again in the opener. At some point, hot streaks stop being cute little notes and start becoming the center of the scouting report. Burleson is there now. He is giving the Cardinals steady contact, real damage and the kind of left-handed production that makes the lineup feel much longer.Jordan Walker remains a middle-order force. Iván Herrera continues to provide quality at-bats. JJ Wetherholt gives the Cardinals a table-setter who rarely looks overwhelmed. And now Blaze Jordan has entered the picture.Jordan made his Major League debut Friday and wasted no time making an impression, going 2-for-4 and driving in a run with a base hit in his first big-league at-bat. That is a pretty good way to introduce yourself. The Cardinals did not call him up for the scenery. They need his bat, they need his energy, and after one game, he already gave the fan base something to talk about.Defensively, Jordan also gave St. Louis a glimpse of why the organization has not closed the door on him at third base. His bat is the carrying tool, but if he can be playable at the hot corner, the path to St. Louis becomes much more interesting.The Twins, meanwhile, have their own centerpiece to manage.Byron Buxton carried Minnesota’s offense Friday, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and his 21st home run of the season. When Buxton is healthy and locked in, he is still one of the most dangerous players in the league. The Cardinals cannot afford to let him beat them again by pitching from behind or leaving mistakes in the middle of the plate.That is where Saturday’s game gets practical.The Cardinals do not need to make a speech. They do not need to prove their toughness with quotes. They need to play cleaner baseball than they played Friday. They need Liberatore to stabilize the day. They need the offense to keep pressure on Prielipp. They need the bullpen to get back to throwing strikes and finishing innings.One ugly loss does not define a road trip.But how a team answers it can tell you plenty.The Cardinals are still playing winning baseball. They are still getting production from the young core. They are still in position to leave Minnesota with a series win. But after Friday night, they no longer have much room for waste in this series.Saturday is about response.Get the lead. Hold the lead. Even the series.That sounds simple because it is. Doing it is the hard part.Game Info Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals at Minnesota Twins When: Saturday, June 13, 2026 First pitch: 1:10 p.m. CT / 2:10 p.m. ET Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota Probable Pitchers: LHP Matthew Liberatore vs. LHP Connor Prielipp Weather: Partly sunny, low-to-mid 70s around first pitch Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / MLB.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: <a data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" title="www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a> Photo Credit: Mathew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals | Rich Storry/Getty Images

Cards Look to Answer After Bullpen Collapse in Minnesoto Opener

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

Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Dominic Picone, Springfield

MiLB Player of the Day: Jesús Báez

Saturday 0-4 Across the System, Jesús Báez Sets Peoria Mark

Cardinals Turn to McGreevy With Series on the Line in Min...

Cardinals Let Late Leads Slip Away in Wild Loss at Minnesota

Cards Look to Answer After Bullpen Collapse in Minnesoto ...