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Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurJacob Odle Sharp Again, in Peoria's loss Jacob Odle gave Peoria every chance Sunday afternoon.The Chiefs just could not give him a run.Odle turned in the best pitching performance in the St. Louis Cardinals’ full-season system Sunday, working 4.1 scoreless innings in Peoria’s 4-0 loss to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Dozer Park. The left-hander allowed just two hits, walked three and struck out seven.That is a strong outing, even if the final score did not reward it.Odle had to work through traffic, but he kept Wisconsin off the board and gave the Chiefs exactly what they needed from the start. He threw 81 pitches, 50 for strikes, and continued to show the swing-and-miss ability that has made him one of the more intriguing arms in the Cardinals’ system this season.Seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings will get attention.The problem was not on the mound early. Peoria’s offense managed only three hits all afternoon and struck out 11 times. Cade McGee and Luis Pino each doubled, and Josh Kross added a single, but the Chiefs never found the big swing or the timely hit needed to support Odle’s work.Through six innings, the game was still scoreless. Odle did his part, and Bobby Olsen followed with 1.2 scoreless innings to keep Wisconsin quiet. But the Timber Rattlers finally broke through in the seventh, then added three more runs in the eighth to pull away.By then, Peoria’s bats had already gone cold.That is the frustrating part of baseball. A pitcher can hand his club zero after zero, leave the game with everything still in reach, and still watch the final line turn into a loss.But Odle’s outing stands on its own.He missed bats. He limited hits. He kept Wisconsin scoreless. He competed through the kind of game where one mistake could have changed everything.For a young pitcher, those are the outings that matter in development. Not every strong performance ends with a win attached. Sometimes the value is in showing the organization that the stuff plays, the mound presence is there, and the pitcher can keep his club alive even when the offense is stuck in neutral.Odle did that Sunday.The Chiefs did not get the result, but Odle gave them the start they needed. On a quiet day across the system, his 4.1 scoreless innings and seven strikeouts stood out.That is why Jacob Odle is the Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day.Old School Take: A pitcher cannot swing the bats for his club. Jacob Odle gave Peoria 4.1 scoreless innings, struck out seven and allowed only two hits. That should be enough to get a team moving. Sunday, it just went unrewarded. 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: Jacob Odle, Peoria Chiefs | MiLB

MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Jacob Odle

Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurWon-Bin Cho Provides Springfield’s Lonely Home Run in Sunday Loss Won-Bin Cho gave Springfield something to carry out of a rough Sunday night.The Cardinals fell 10-2 to the Arkansas Travelers at Route 66 Stadium, but Cho supplied Springfield’s loudest swing, going 1-for-4 with a solo home run, one RBI and one run scored.It was his seventh home run of the season and another reminder that Cho’s power has followed him to Double-A.Springfield did not have much go right in this one. Arkansas scored twice in the second, twice more in the third and then broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning. The Travelers eventually finished with 10 runs on only seven hits, taking advantage of 11 walks from Springfield pitching.That made offense hard to matter.But Cho still found a way to leave his mark.His home run gave Springfield one of its two runs and stood as the Cardinals’ biggest offensive moment of the night. On a day when several affiliates had quiet bats, Cho’s swing stood out enough to earn Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors.The larger story is what Cho continues to do since reaching Springfield. The Double-A jump is not a small step. Pitchers have better command, better secondary stuff and a better plan. Mistakes are not as common, and young hitters do not get many free gifts.Cho has not backed away from that challenge.He has continued to show impact power, and that matters for a player whose offensive profile is starting to take on more shape. The tools have always been interesting. The size, strength and athleticism were never hard to see. The question was whether the production would follow as he moved into the upper levels of the system.Lately, the answer has been encouraging.Sunday’s game will not go into the Springfield scrapbook. It was a frustrating loss, and the Cardinals never found a way to climb back into it. But Player of the Day is not always about being on the winning side. Sometimes it is about identifying the best individual performance on the board, even when the final score goes the wrong way.Cho earned that recognition.His line was simple: one hit, one home run, one RBI, one run.But on a quiet offensive day across the system, that swing carried weight.That is why Won-Bin Cho is the Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day.Old School Take: When the game gets away from your club, you still look for who competed and who made an impact. Won-Bin Cho gave Springfield its biggest swing Sunday night, and his power continues to be one of the better developments in the system.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: Won-Bin Cho, Springfield Cardinals | MiLB

MiLB Player of the Day: Won-Bin Cho

Cardinal Chronicle Morning Farm Report St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurMemphis Walks It Off, Palm Beach Rallies as Cardinals Affiliates Split SundayThe St. Louis Cardinals’ full-season affiliates split the board Sunday, going 2-2 across the system.Memphis won a low-scoring extra-inning battle over Charlotte, 2-1, with the Redbirds’ pitching staff holding the Knights to just three hits over 11 innings. Springfield had a rough night in a 10-2 loss to Arkansas, though Won-Bin Cho continued his power surge with another home run. Peoria wasted a strong start from Jacob Odle in a 4-0 loss to Wisconsin, while Palm Beach rallied from an early deficit to beat Lakeland, 5-3.It was not a loud offensive night across the system, but there were still some strong individual performances, especially from Cho and Odle, who earn today’s Cardinal Chronicle honors.Memphis Redbirds Memphis 2, Charlotte 1 — 11 innings Memphis: 52-35 overallMemphis won the kind of game that demands patience.The Redbirds beat the Charlotte Knights 2-1 in 11 innings Sunday afternoon at AutoZone Park, getting just enough offense and a whole lot of pitching to finish the series on a winning note.The game stayed scoreless through five innings before Memphis broke through in the sixth. César Prieto drove in the first run of the game, giving the Redbirds a 1-0 lead. Charlotte answered with a run in the seventh, and from there the game moved into extra innings tied at one.Memphis finally ended it in the 11th when Matt Koperniak delivered the game-winning RBI, scoring Colton Ledbetter and sending the Redbirds to the walk-off win.The Redbirds finished with seven hits, led by Bligh Madris and Koperniak, who each had two. Thomas Saggese and Noah Mendlinger added singles, while Ledbetter scored both Memphis runs despite going 1-for-4. Prieto and Koperniak drove in the only two runs of the day.The pitching staff was the real story.Brycen Mautz opened with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three. Hancel Rincon followed with three perfect innings, striking out two. Victor Santos allowed the lone Charlotte run over two innings, but the bullpen never let the game get away.Luis Gastelum threw a clean inning with a strikeout, Austin Love worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts, and Ryan Murphy finished it with a scoreless 11th, striking out two.Altogether, Memphis pitchers held Charlotte to one run on three hits over 11 innings while striking out 11.Old School Take: That is a pitching staff win. Memphis did not light up the scoreboard, but the arms kept putting up zeroes until the offense finally found the winning run. Sometimes that is all you need.Springfield Cardinals Arkansas 10, Springfield 2 Springfield: 40-40 overallSpringfield had one of those nights you flush and move on from.The Cardinals fell 10-2 to the Arkansas Travelers on Sunday night at Route 66 Stadium, as Arkansas scored early, added on in the middle innings and never let Springfield back into the game.The Travelers scored twice in the second, twice more in the third and then broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning. Arkansas added single runs in the seventh and eighth, finishing with 10 runs on only seven hits, thanks in large part to 11 walks issued by Springfield pitching.Won-Bin Cho provided the Cardinals’ loudest swing of the night, hitting his seventh home run of the season. Cho went 1-for-4 with a homer, one RBI and one run scored, continuing a strong power run since arriving in Double-A.Travis Honeyman also had a strong offensive night, going 3-for-5 with a double. Deniel Ortiz added two hits, while Jesús Báez singled and walked. Rainiel Rodriguez drove in Springfield’s other run with an RBI despite going hitless.Cooper Hjerpe started and allowed four runs over 2.1 innings, walking two and striking out four. Darlin Saladin gave Springfield 1.2 scoreless innings in relief, but the game got away from the bullpen after that. Michael Watson and D.J. Carpenter combined to allow five runs in the middle innings, and Arkansas had enough cushion from there.Domenic Picone finished with a clean ninth, retiring the side on just five pitches.Old School Take: Springfield had seven hits, but the pitching staff handed out 11 walks. That is a hard way to win a baseball game. Cho’s homer was the bright spot, but this one got away early and stayed away.Peoria Chiefs Wisconsin 4, Peoria 0 Peoria: 38-42 overallPeoria got the pitching performance it needed from Jacob Odle.The Chiefs just could not give him any runs.Peoria was shut out 4-0 by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Sunday afternoon at Dozer Park, managing only three hits while striking out 11 times.Odle gave the Chiefs a strong start, working 4.1 scoreless innings while allowing two hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. He threw 50 strikes on 81 pitches and kept Wisconsin off the board before handing the game to the bullpen.Bobby Olsen followed with 1.2 scoreless innings and two strikeouts, keeping the game scoreless through six. But Wisconsin finally broke through in the seventh against Nolan Sparks, then added three more in the eighth against Dominic Freeberger to take control.Peoria’s offense could not answer.Cade McGee doubled, Luis Pino doubled and Josh Kross singled. That was the extent of the Chiefs’ offense. Pino also drew a walk, and Kross walked as well, but Peoria never found the big hit.The Chiefs wasted a strong pitching effort through the first six innings, and Odle’s outing deserved better than a shutout loss attached to it.Old School Take: Jacob Odle did his job. Four-plus scoreless innings, seven strikeouts and only two hits allowed should give a club a chance. But when the offense puts up three hits and no runs, even a good start gets stranded.Palm Beach Cardinals Palm Beach 5, Lakeland 3 Palm Beach: 43-38 overallPalm Beach had to climb out of an early hole, and the Cardinals did exactly that.After falling behind 3-0 through four innings, Palm Beach rallied for a 5-3 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Sunday afternoon at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.Lakeland scored twice in the third and once in the fourth, putting Palm Beach in a 3-0 deficit. The Cardinals answered in the fifth with three runs to tie the game, then added one in the sixth and one more in the eighth to finish the comeback.Palm Beach scored five runs on just five hits, using six walks and timely situational hitting to get the job done.Sebastian Dos Santos went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base. Chase Heath doubled and drove in a run. Trevor Haskins also drove in a run, while Brayden Smith, Matthew Miura and Alex Birge each scored. Johnfrank Salazar added a walk, and Jonathan Mejía reached twice with two walks and scored a run.Nathan Shinn started and allowed three runs over four innings, giving up five hits and three walks while striking out three. From there, the bullpen pieced it together.Zeke Wood struck out two in a scoreless fifth. Liam Best worked a scoreless sixth. Nelfy Ynfante and Dylan Driessen each worked around traffic, and Justin Militello closed it with a clean ninth.Lakeland had 11 hits, but Palm Beach pitching held the Flying Tigers scoreless over the final five innings.Old School Take: Palm Beach did not win this one with a pile of hits. The Cardinals won it by taking walks, scratching across runs and letting the bullpen shut the door. That is useful baseball.Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day Won-Bin Cho, OF, SpringfieldWon-Bin Cho earns Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors after providing Springfield’s biggest swing in Sunday’s loss to Arkansas.Cho went 1-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and one run scored. It was his seventh home run of the season and continued an impressive power stretch since joining Springfield.The Cardinals did not have much to celebrate in a 10-2 loss, but Cho’s bat remains one of the better stories in the system. He has brought impact power to the Double-A lineup and continues to show that the swing can carry against better pitching.On a quiet offensive day across the system, Cho’s home run stood out.Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day Jacob Odle, LHP, PeoriaJacob Odle gets the nod as Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day after another strong outing for Peoria.The left-hander worked 4.1 scoreless innings against Wisconsin, allowing just two hits while walking three and striking out seven. Peoria eventually lost 4-0, but Odle gave the Chiefs exactly the kind of start they needed.He missed bats, worked through traffic and kept the Timber Rattlers off the board.The offense never came, and the bullpen gave up the game late, but Odle’s work stood out as the best pitching performance in the Cardinals’ full-season system Sunday. 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 href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Matt Koperniak, Memphis Redbirds | MiLB

Memphis Walks It Off, Palm Beach Rallies as Affiliates Split Sunday

The Cardinal Chronicle Leahy, Bullpen Blank Cubs as Cardinals Win Series at Wrigley St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals did not need another 17-run explosion Saturday night at Wrigley Field.They needed pitching.They got it.One night after hammering the Chicago Cubs 17-1 in the series opener, the Cardinals came back with a completely different kind of win, beating the Cubs 3-0 behind five scoreless innings from Kyle Leahy and four shutout innings from the bullpen.That is how a club takes a series on the road.Friday was loud. Saturday was controlled.The Cardinals used a leadoff home run from JJ Wetherholt, timely RBI singles from Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson, and one of the cleaner pitching performances they have put together recently to beat Chicago for the second straight night. The win gave St. Louis the series at Wrigley Field and continued a strong response after taking two of three earlier in the week in Atlanta.This was not the same kind of game as Friday.It did not need to be.The Cardinals had already shown they could win with thunder. Saturday night, they showed they could win with pitching, defense and just enough offense.That may matter even more.Wetherholt wasted no time giving St. Louis the lead. On the first pitch of the game, he drove a ball to left-center field for a leadoff home run, his latest reminder that he can change the tone of a game before an opponent has time to settle in.It was a quick 1-0 lead.Against Shota Imanaga, that mattered.Imanaga still had swing-and-miss stuff working. He struck out eight Cardinals over 4 2/3 innings, but St. Louis forced him to work, made him throw pitches, and did enough damage to give Leahy a lead to protect.Wetherholt was at the center of much of it.He finished 3-for-4 with the home run, a run scored and an RBI. He also helped set up the Cardinals’ second run in the third inning after Nathan Church reached and came around to score on Herrera’s single to center field. Wetherholt moved to second on the play, and the Cardinals had stretched the lead to 2-0.It was not a big inning.It was enough.That was the story of the night for the offense. The Cardinals did not bury Chicago with crooked numbers. They did not run the Cubs out of the ballpark again. They scored early, added on in the third, and found one more run in the eighth when Burleson singled to right to bring home Jordan Walker.Three runs.With the way the pitching staff performed, three was plenty.Leahy gave the Cardinals exactly what they needed. He worked five scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out six. He threw 77 pitches, 45 for strikes, and kept the Cubs off balance enough to prevent Chicago from ever taking control of the game.It was not just the line.It was the timing.The Cardinals’ bullpen had been asked to do a lot recently. Dustin May lasted only two-thirds of an inning Thursday night in Atlanta, forcing the relief corps to carry almost the entire game. Friday’s blowout helped ease some of that strain, but the Cardinals still needed a starter to give them structure Saturday.Leahy did that.He did not give the Cubs the big swing. He did not let traffic turn into trouble. He struck out six, worked through the few chances Chicago had, and handed the bullpen a shutout lead after five innings.That is winning baseball.The Cubs had opportunities, but they never cashed them in. Chicago finished with five hits and left eight runners on base. That is where the game was decided as much as anywhere. The Cubs put enough men aboard to make things interesting, but the Cardinals kept making the right pitch when the inning demanded it.George Soriano took the sixth and was sharp, striking out two in a clean inning.Ryan Stanek handled the seventh, allowing one hit but keeping the shutout intact.JoJo Romero worked the eighth and had to pitch with traffic, allowing a hit and a walk, but he struck out two and kept Chicago from climbing back into the game.Then Riley O’Brien closed it down in the ninth.O’Brien worked around a walk, struck out one, and finished the Cardinals’ 3-0 win for his 22nd save of the season. It was not a high-drama ninth, but it was the kind of inning a club wants from the back end of the bullpen — take the ball, protect the lead, end the game.That is exactly what he did.For the Cardinals, the shutout was important because of the opponent and the moment.Chicago came into the series ahead of St. Louis in the National League Central standings. The Cubs were at home, playing in front of a holiday weekend crowd at Wrigley Field, and trying to steady themselves after being embarrassed Friday afternoon.The Cardinals did not let them.Instead, St. Louis backed up a 17-1 win with a 3-0 shutout.That is not easy to do.Baseball has a way of snapping a team back to reality after a blowout. One day, everything falls in. The next day, the bats go quiet, the opponent responds, and the previous day’s win starts to feel like a one-game outlier.The Cardinals made sure that did not happen.They did not need another offensive avalanche. They needed a professional win.They got one.Wetherholt gave them the spark. Herrera gave them an important add-on. Burleson added insurance. Walker reached, scored and remained part of the pressure in the middle of the order. The Cardinals finished with eight hits and played clean defense behind the pitching staff.That last part matters.No errors. No giveaway inning. No late bullpen collapse.Just a road shutout at Wrigley Field.After some of the recent frustration around the offense, this weekend has been a good reminder that wins do not all have to look the same. Friday was about the lineup erupting. Saturday was about run prevention. Both count the same in the standings, but together they tell a better story.The Cardinals are finding different ways to win.That is what good teams have to do.They cannot always count on 17 runs. They cannot always expect three home runs and a parade around the bases. Some nights require a starter to carry five innings, the bullpen to cover the final twelve outs, and the offense to take advantage of the few chances it gets.Saturday was that kind of night.Leahy earned the win and improved to 7-4. Imanaga took the loss for Chicago despite striking out eight. O’Brien picked up the save. The Cardinals improved to 47-39 and moved to 24-18 on the road, continuing to show they can carry their game outside Busch Stadium.That is not a small thing.The Cardinals have now won three straight games, taking the final game in Atlanta and the first two in Chicago. That is the kind of road stretch that can change the tone of a season, especially inside the division.There is still one more game left in the series.The Cardinals already have what they came for.Now they have a chance to do more.Friday was the blowout.Saturday was the shutout.Together, they made a statement at Wrigley Field. 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 href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Leahy, Bullpen Blank Cubs as Cardinals Win Series at Wrigley

Jordan Walker Named to National League All-Star TeamThe Cardinal Chronicle St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurJordan Walker is an All-Star.For the St. Louis Cardinals, that sentence carries more weight than a simple roster announcement. It represents patience, development, frustration, adjustment and finally, production. Walker has been named to the National League All-Star team, earning a place among the game’s best after putting together the kind of first half the Cardinals always believed was possible.This is not just a nice story. It is one of the most important developments of the Cardinals’ season.Walker entered professional baseball carrying the weight that comes with being a first-round pick and one of the top prospects in the sport. The talent was never in question. The size, strength, bat speed and raw power were always there. What was missing was consistency, and for a time, that created real questions about where he fit and how quickly he would become the player so many projected him to be.Those questions have been answered in 2026.Walker has not just been better. He has become a middle-of-the-order force for a Cardinals team trying to stay in the National League race. As July began, Walker was hitting .288 with an .853 OPS, 18 home runs and 58 RBIs, numbers that placed him firmly in the All-Star conversation and gave the Cardinals a legitimate run-producing threat in the heart of the lineup.The power has been the most obvious part of the breakout, but it is not the only part. Walker has looked more comfortable, more balanced and more prepared to handle the daily adjustments that come with being a big-league hitter. The swing decisions have improved. The contact quality has shown up more consistently. The damage has followed.That is what makes this selection meaningful.Walker’s path was not a straight line. Few player-development stories are. The modern game has a habit of rushing judgment, especially with young players who arrive with big expectations. A few rough stretches can quickly become labels. A bad month becomes a flaw. A tough season becomes a verdict.Walker did not let that happen.Instead, he kept working. The Cardinals stayed with the talent. And now the result is an All-Star selection that feels like both a personal achievement and an organizational win.For Walker, this is validation. For the Cardinals, it is a reminder of why patience matters. Not every young player arrives fully formed. Not every former top prospect develops on a clean timeline. Sometimes the growth comes through failure, adjustment and the willingness to keep showing up when the outside noise gets loud.That is what Walker has done.The Cardinals have spent much of the season trying to identify which players are part of their next real competitive core. Walker’s first half has made that answer clear. He is not just a former top prospect anymore. He is not just a player with potential. He is a major-league producer, an All-Star, and one of the most important bats in the organization.That changes the conversation.The Cardinals still have work to do. One All-Star selection does not solve the roster, fix every flaw or guarantee anything in October. But Walker’s emergence gives St. Louis something every club needs: a young impact bat around which bigger plans can be built.That is why this matters beyond one summer showcase.Jordan Walker being named to the National League All-Star team is a reward for a strong first half, but it is also a marker in his career. It is the point where the story shifts from what he might become to what he is becoming right now.The Cardinals believed there was an All-Star player in Jordan Walker.Now everybody else gets to see it, too. 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: Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Jordan Walker Named to National League All-Star Team

The Cardinal Chronicle Liberatore Gets the Ball as Cardinals Go for Sweep at Wrigley St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals came to Chicago needing to make up ground.Two games later, they have put themselves in position to leave Wrigley Field with a broom in their hand.St. Louis closes its three-game holiday weekend series against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon, looking to complete a sweep after taking the first two games in very different but equally important ways.First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field, with left-hander Matthew Liberatore getting the ball for the Cardinals against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad.The Cardinals enter Sunday at 47-39, while the Cubs come in at 49-40. That puts St. Louis within striking distance of Chicago in the National League Central race, and it makes the finale more than just another rivalry game. This is the kind of head-to-head opportunity that can tighten a division race in a hurry.The Cardinals opened the series Friday with a 17-1 pounding of the Cubs, the kind of game that empties a ballpark emotionally long before the final out. Nathan Church and Masyn Winn went deep, the lineup kept adding on, and St. Louis turned the opener into one of its loudest offensive performances of the season.Then Saturday night looked completely different.Instead of another avalanche of runs, the Cardinals won 3-0 behind pitching, defense and just enough offense. JJ Wetherholt opened the game with a first-pitch home run and reached base four times. Kyle Leahy gave St. Louis five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out six. The bullpen did the rest, with George Soriano, Ryne Stanek, JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien finishing off the shutout.That is what made Saturday encouraging.The Cardinals did not have to repeat Friday’s fireworks to win. They found another way. They pitched. They defended. They held the Cubs quiet in their own ballpark. After Chicago scored just one run across the first two games, the Cardinals have a chance Sunday to turn a good weekend into one of their best series of the season.Now Liberatore gets his turn.Liberatore enters at 4-5 with a 5.33 ERA and 79 strikeouts. His season has had its uneven stretches, but this is exactly the kind of start where he can help change the feel around his own role. The Cardinals do not need him to be perfect. They need him to be competitive, aggressive in the zone and steady enough to keep Chicago from grabbing early momentum.The formula is simple.Throw strikes. Get ahead. Keep the ball in the yard. Do not give the Cubs free baserunners in front of the middle of the order.That last part matters. Wrigley Field can flip a game quickly, especially if the wind, the crowd and the Cubs’ lineup all start leaning in the same direction. The Cardinals have controlled the first two games because their pitchers have not allowed Chicago to stack pressure. Liberatore has to keep that going.The Cubs counter with Assad, who enters at 6-1 with a 4.53 ERA and 31 strikeouts. His win-loss record looks strong, but the Cardinals should not let that change their approach. Assad can compete, mix speeds and keep hitters from getting too comfortable, but St. Louis has already shown in this series that patience and pressure can wear down Chicago pitching.The Cardinals need to get traffic early.That means Wetherholt setting the tone again. His first-pitch homer Saturday gave St. Louis immediate control, and his ability to reach base gives this lineup a different look. When Wetherholt is creating pressure at the top, the Cardinals are not waiting around for the middle of the order to rescue the game. They are forcing the opponent to work from the start.Jordan Walker remains the biggest power threat in the lineup. Alec Burleson continues to be one of the steadier bats on the club. Iván Herrera’s on-base ability gives the Cardinals another difficult at-bat. Masyn Winn can impact the game with his glove, arm, legs and now occasional power. Nathan Church has already made a major impact in this series. Blaze Jordan and Jimmy Crooks give the bottom half of the order some real bite.That depth has been one of the keys at Wrigley.The Cardinals have not won this series because one player carried them. They have won because the lineup has produced from multiple places and the pitching staff has not let Chicago breathe.That is the kind of baseball that travels.It also matters because the standings are no longer background music. The Cardinals are still chasing Milwaukee and Chicago in the division picture, but this weekend has given them a direct path to make up ground. Beating the Cubs does more than add wins to the Cardinals’ column. It hands losses to the club directly in front of them.That is old-school standings math, and it still works just fine.The Cubs will not roll over Sunday. They have too much talent, too much pride and too much at stake to let the Cardinals sweep them at Wrigley without a fight. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Alex Bregman, Carson Kelly and the rest of that lineup are capable of making a long afternoon for any pitcher who falls behind.The Cardinals should expect Chicago’s best effort.That is what makes the opportunity valuable.Sweeping a division rival on the road is never easy. Sweeping the Cubs at Wrigley over a holiday weekend is the kind of thing that can change the tone of a season, especially for a Cardinals club that has spent much of the year trying to prove that its contender status is more than just a line in the standings.The Cardinals are still flawed. The pitching is still the question. The bullpen can still make a comfortable game feel like a late-night prayer request. The offense can still disappear at the wrong time.But this weekend has shown the other side.When the rotation gives them clean innings, when the young bats apply pressure, when the defense does its job and the bullpen finishes, the Cardinals look like a club that belongs in the race.Sunday gives them a chance to make that case louder.A win would complete the sweep, pull St. Louis closer to Chicago and send the Cardinals out of Wrigley with one of their strongest road series of the year. A loss would still leave them with a series win, but it would also feel like a missed chance to take full advantage of the moment.That is what July baseball does.It makes good opportunities feel urgent.The Cardinals have already won the series.Now they have a chance to make it sting.Liberatore gets the ball.The Cubs are on the ropes.Go get the broom.Game Info Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs When: Sunday, July 5, 2026 First pitch: 1:30 p.m. CT Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago Probable Pitchers: LHP Matthew Liberatore vs. RHP Javier Assad Liberatore: 4-5, 5.33 ERA, 79 SO Assad: 6-1, 4.53 ERA, 31 SO Records: Cardinals 47-39; Cubs 49-40 Broadcast: Peacock / NBCSN ExtraThe Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future. Photo Credit: Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Liberatore Gets the Ball as Cardinals Go for Sweep at Wrigley

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

MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Jacob Odle

MiLB Player of the Day: Won-Bin Cho

Memphis Walks It Off, Palm Beach Rallies as Affiliates Sp...

Leahy, Bullpen Blank Cubs as Cardinals Win Series at Wrigley

Jordan Walker Named to National League All-Star Team

Liberatore Gets the Ball as Cardinals Go for Sweep at Wri...