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The Cardinal Chronicle Jacob Odle Turns in Pitcher of the Day Performance for Palm Beach St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurJacob Odle is starting to become one of the more interesting arms to follow in the lower levels of the Cardinals’ system.The 6-foot-5 right-hander gave Palm Beach exactly what it needed Tuesday night, working 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the Cardinals’ 4-1 win over St. Lucie. Odle allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out eight, continuing what has been a noticeable step forward in his second full season of professional baseball.That outing earned Odle The Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day honor, and it was not a courtesy pick. He controlled the game, missed bats, limited traffic and gave Palm Beach a chance to win without needing the bullpen to perform gymnastics.Odle was selected by the Cardinals in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, No. 425 overall, out of Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. Baseball America lists him as Jacob Edgar Odle, born Nov. 30, 2003, in San Diego, and notes that he signed with the Cardinals for $250,000.&nbsp;The Cardinals saw the upside when they drafted him. MLB.com’s draft coverage at the time described Odle as a 6-foot-5 right-hander with “oodles of talent,” while also noting that he had pitched only 13 games that spring at Orange Coast College before the Cardinals took him on Day 3.&nbsp;That is the kind of pick that does not always show up quickly on prospect lists. It takes innings. It takes development. It takes patience. And in Odle’s case, it also took getting healthy and finding the strike zone often enough to let the stuff play.There has never been much question about whether Odle could miss bats. In 2025 with Palm Beach, he struck out 69 batters in 51 2/3 innings, showing the swing-and-miss ability that gives him a real developmental foundation. The issue was command. The stuff was there, but too many free passes kept him from fully settling in.This season, the picture is starting to sharpen.After Tuesday’s outing, Odle’s 2026 line with Palm Beach sits at 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA, 43 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP over 30 innings, according to his MiLB player page. (MLB.com)That is the kind of progress that gets attention. Not headline-chasing attention. Real baseball attention.Odle is not just surviving Low-A hitters right now. He is putting them away. Tuesday’s eight strikeouts pushed him deeper into a strong early-season trend, and the one walk may be just as encouraging as the strikeout total. Young pitchers with size and stuff can often get outs in the lower minors. The separator is whether they can keep the ball in the zone enough to stay ahead and avoid self-inflicted damage.Against St. Lucie, Odle did that.He threw 75 pitches, 54 for strikes, faced 20 batters and kept the Mets scoreless into the sixth inning. That is not just raw stuff. That is pitching with purpose.Palm Beach backed him with early power from Brayden Smith and Chase Heath, but Odle’s outing gave the Cardinals control of the night. He left with the game still in hand, and the bullpen finished the job from there. Dylan Driessen, José Davila and Antoni Cuello covered the final 3 2/3 innings, with Cuello closing it out by allowing one hit over two scoreless frames.For Odle, the larger story is not just one strong start. It is the direction of travel.He came into pro ball as a long, projectable right-hander with late-blooming draft momentum. He has already shown strikeout ability. Now he is beginning to pair that with better run prevention and more competitive command. That does not mean he is a finished product. Low-A is still Low-A, and the walk rate remains something to watch as he climbs.But there is a difference between a pitcher simply having tools and a pitcher beginning to turn those tools into results.Odle looks like he is starting to make that turn.Old School TakeYou do not need a radar-gun dissertation to understand this one.Jacob Odle is 6-foot-5, throws right-handed, misses bats and is beginning to throw enough strikes to make hitters earn what they get. That is a good place to start.The Cardinals have plenty of young arms in the system who can flash ability. The next step is repeating it. Odle’s Tuesday night start was not just a good line in a box score. It was another sign that he is moving in the right direction.And in the lower minors, that is the whole ballgame. Gateway Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports

Jacob Odle Turns in Pitcher of the Day Performance for Palm Beach

The Cardinal Chronicle Palm Beach Arms Lead the Way, Memphis Grinds Out Road Win St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals’ minor league system had one of those split-result nights Tuesday, with Memphis and Palm Beach taking care of business, Peoria’s offense unable to keep pace in a slugfest, and Springfield washed out by rain.Palm Beach delivered the cleanest performance of the night, riding strong pitching and early power to a 4-1 win over St. Lucie. Memphis worked through a long night in Iowa and pulled away late for a 6-3 victory over the Cubs. Peoria collected 12 hits but fell 10-5 to Cedar Rapids, while Springfield’s road game at Arkansas was postponed because of rain and scheduled to be made up Wednesday, May 20, 2026.Hitter of the Day Brayden Smith, Palm Beach CardinalsSmith gave Palm Beach the swing it needed, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, one run scored and a walk. His three-run homer helped give the Cardinals early breathing room in what became a strong road win at St. Lucie.Pitcher of the Day Jacob Odle, Palm Beach CardinalsOdle set the tone on the mound, working 5 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing three hits, walking one and striking out eight. That is the kind of outing that travels well: strikes, swing-and-miss and no free damage.&nbsp; Memphis Redbirds Record: 28-18, 1st, International League WestMemphis 6, Iowa 3Memphis did not overpower Iowa, but the Redbirds kept adding pressure and eventually pulled away with single runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth before tacking on two more in the ninth.Jimmy Crooks led the offense with three hits, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a walk. Nelson Velázquez and Colton Ledbetter each had two hits, while Ledbetter, Joshua Báez, Leo Bernal, Crooks and Brody Moore each drove in a run.Brycen Mautz gave Memphis four solid innings, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Ryan Fernandez delivered one of the sharper relief lines of the night, striking out four over two innings. Max Rajcic closed it with a scoreless ninth, walking one and striking out one.It was not a tidy offensive night in the traditional sense — Memphis walked 13 times, struck out often and left some traffic on the bases — but the Redbirds kept forcing Iowa to pitch under stress. That usually pays off somewhere along the way, and it did Tuesday night.&nbsp; Springfield Cardinals Record: 16-23, 5th, Texas League NorthPostponed — Rain Makeup date: May 20, 2026Springfield’s Tuesday night game against Arkansas was postponed because of rain and is scheduled to be made up Wednesday, May 20, 2026.The rainout leaves Springfield at 16-23 as the Cardinals continue their road series against Arkansas. With the game pushed back a day, the Double-A club will look to get back on the field Wednesday and continue what has become one of the more important developmental stops in the system.&nbsp; Peoria Chiefs Record: 16-23, 6th, Midwest League WestCedar Rapids 10, Peoria 5Peoria had plenty of offense Tuesday, but not enough pitching to hold down Cedar Rapids in a 10-5 loss at Dozer Park.The Chiefs finished with 12 hits, including home runs from Jesús Báez and Tre Richardson III. Báez went 1-for-5 with a solo homer, while Richardson reached three times, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two walks, an RBI and two runs scored. Jalin Flores added two hits, including a double, and Josh Kross continued to swing the bat well with two hits, a double, an RBI and a walk.The problem was run prevention. Yhoiker Fajardo struck out five over four innings, but he allowed five runs, three earned, on four hits. Two home runs hurt him. Patrick Galle steadied things with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts, but the bullpen gave up five runs over the seventh and eighth innings as Cedar Rapids put the game out of reach.For Peoria, the offensive signs were encouraging. The pitching line was not. That is the simple old-school read: 12 hits should keep a club in most games, but giving up 10 runs leaves too steep a hill to climb.&nbsp; Palm Beach Cardinals Record: 23-17, 2nd, Florida State League East, 1 GBPalm Beach 4, St. Lucie 1Palm Beach played the cleanest all-around game in the system Tuesday, beating St. Lucie 4-1 behind early power and strong pitching.Brayden Smith did the biggest damage, going 2-for-3 with a three-run homer, a walk and three RBIs. Chase Heath also homered, giving Palm Beach all four of its runs on two swings. Ryan Mitchell added two hits and a walk, while Ryan Weingartner singled and scored.Jacob Odle was the story on the mound. The right-hander worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. Dylan Driessen, José Davila and Antoni Cuello handled the final 3 2/3 innings, with Cuello finishing the game by allowing one hit over two scoreless frames.Palm Beach remains one game back in the Florida State League East, and the Cardinals continue to get strong work from a Low-A club that has quietly become one of the more interesting watches in the system.&nbsp; Old School TakePalm Beach gets the headline because pitching still runs the game. Smith’s home run supplied the thunder, but Odle’s outing gave the Cardinals control of the night.Memphis deserves credit, too. The Redbirds won without a big power show, leaning instead on walks, pressure and late scoring. That is not always pretty baseball, but it is winning baseball.Peoria had the kind of box score that makes a manager rub his forehead. Twelve hits, five runs, two homers — and still a five-run loss. Sometimes baseball is complicated. Sometimes it is brutally simple.Springfield, meanwhile, gets the old baseball standby: try again tomorrow. Rain has been part of the game since Abner Doubleday was still getting blamed for everything.The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports

Palm Beach Arms Lead the Way, Memphis Grinds Out Road Win

: The Cardinal Chronicle Herrera Walks It Off as Cards Beat Pirates in 10 to Open Divisional Gauntlet St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals opened their divisional gauntlet Tuesday night with the kind of win that can carry more weight than one line in the standings.St. Louis beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-6 in 10 innings at Busch Stadium, and it ended with a swing Iván Herrera will not forget.Herrera, whose season has already included plenty of attention on his bat and increased focus on his defensive work behind the plate, delivered the biggest moment of his young career in the bottom of the 10th inning. With the game tied and the Cardinals looking for one final answer, Herrera launched a three-run walk-off home run to give St. Louis a 9-6 win in the opener of a three-game series against Pittsburgh. It was the first walk-off home run of Herrera’s major league career.That is how a division stretch ought to begin.The Cardinals had already been through enough turns Tuesday night to make the game feel like three different contests. They built an early lead, watched Pittsburgh punch back, reclaimed control, gave it up again, then finally ended the night with one clean, decisive swing.JJ Wetherholt started the scoring in the third inning with a two-run homer, continuing to inject energy into the top of the Cardinals’ lineup. St. Louis added another run in the fourth when Alec Burleson scored on a Nolan Gorman double-play grounder, giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.For a while, Matthew Liberatore had enough cushion. Then the fifth inning arrived, and the Pirates turned the game around.Pittsburgh scored four times in the inning, using a wild pitch, a Bryan Reynolds two-run double and an Oneil Cruz RBI single to take a 4-3 lead. It was the kind of inning that can turn a clean night into a long one, and it forced the Cardinals to answer instead of cruise.They did.Gorman answered in the sixth with a go-ahead two-run homer, putting St. Louis back in front 5-4. Burleson added a solo homer in the eighth, stretching the lead to 6-4 and giving the Cardinals what looked like needed insurance. As it turned out, it was not enough.Pittsburgh scratched back late, tying the game and forcing extra innings. That left the Cardinals in a familiar place — another close game, another late test, another chance to prove whether this early-season run has some backbone to it. Herrera provided the answer.In the bottom of the 10th, with the game tied 6-6, Herrera stepped in and ended it with one swing, driving a three-run homer that turned Busch Stadium loose and gave the Cardinals a 9-6 walk-off win.For Herrera, the moment carried an extra layer. The Cardinals have been asking more of him behind the plate this season, and he has been open about the work required to improve defensively, particularly in controlling the running game and earning trust as a catcher. But nights like Tuesday remind everyone why the Cardinals have continued to invest in him. His bat changes games.This one changed in a hurry.The win also came without Masyn Winn in the starting lineup. Winn, who left Sunday’s game against Kansas City with left knee discomfort, was held out Tuesday after remaining sore. The encouraging news is that his MRI came back clean, and the Cardinals remain hopeful he can return soon. He is considered day to day.That matters because Winn is one of the tone-setters on this club. The Cardinals can survive a night without him, as they did Tuesday, but they are better when his glove, arm and energy are at shortstop.Still, this was exactly the kind of win St. Louis needed to begin this stretch. The Cardinals are now into a run of division games that will help define the rest of their month. Pittsburgh came to Busch Stadium looking to make noise. The Cardinals answered with power from Wetherholt, Gorman, Burleson and, finally, Herrera.It was not tidy. It was not calm. It was not the kind of game that lets a manager sit back and enjoy his coffee.But it was a win.And in the bottom of the 10th, Iván Herrera made sure it was one worth remembering.Final: Cardinals 9, Pirates 6 — 10 inningsUp next: The Cardinals and Pirates continue the series Wednesday night at Busch Stadium. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.

Herrera Walks It Off as Cards Beat Pirates in 10 to Open Divisional Gauntlet

The Cardinal Chronicle Divisional Gauntlet Begins: Cardinals Open Key NL Central Stretch Against Pirates St. Louis, MO By Ray Mileur The Cardinals have reached the part of the May schedule where the standings begin to speak a little louder.After closing out the I-70 Series with Kansas City, St. Louis opens a three-game set Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium, the first stop in what amounts to a divisional gauntlet to close out the month. With the National League Central still packed tightly enough that one good week can change the view from the top porch, the Cardinals now turn from rivalry noise to division business.First pitch Tuesday is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. at Busch Stadium. Pittsburgh is expected to send right-hander Mitch Keller to the mound, while St. Louis will start left-hander Matthew Liberatore.The good news for the Cardinals is that they are not expected to see Paul Skenes in this series. Skenes made his turn Sunday against Philadelphia, putting him out of line for the three-game set in St. Louis. For a Cardinals club trying to build momentum inside the division, missing one of baseball’s most dominant arms is no small break.The other encouraging development is the status of Masyn Winn. Winn left Sunday’s game against Kansas City in the seventh inning with left knee discomfort, but early signs were the shortstop avoided anything serious. With the Cardinals off Monday, Winn had an extra day to recover, and the club expects him to be back in the lineup as St. Louis opens the series against Pittsburgh.That matters. Winn has become more than just a defensive anchor at shortstop. He sets the tone for this club with his range, arm strength, energy and ability to impact the game in ways that do not always fit neatly into the box score. In a stretch loaded with divisional opponents, having Winn available is simply not a lineup boost. It is a stabiliser.There will also be a little extra noise in the building Tuesday night.The Stephen F. Austin Club Baseball team, which helped turn Busch Stadium into something closer to a college football student section during the weekend series against Kansas City, is expected back for one final ride, leading the #TarpsOff section. For a franchise that has spent the early part of the season trying to reconnect momentum on the field with energy in the stands, the return of the Tarps Off crew gives Tuesday’s opener a little more life than a standard May weeknight game.And frankly, the Cardinals should take every bit of it.This is the kind of stretch where good teams begin to separate themselves from hopeful teams. The Pirates come in trying to keep pace in a crowded division, while the Cardinals aim to prove their recent surge is more than a hot streak. They have played themselves into a position where the next two weeks matter, and now they get a chance to make those games count against the clubs they are directly chasing — or trying to hold off.Liberatore’s start will be worth watching closely. The left-hander has shown flashes of the pitcher the Cardinals believe can hold a rotation spot through the grind of the season, but Pittsburgh has seen him before and will not be walking into Busch Stadium blind. His ability to command the strike zone early, avoid long innings and keep the ball in the yard could shape the tone of the entire series.Offensively, the Cardinals need to return to the kind of pressure baseball that drove their climb. That means traffic on the bases, aggressive, but smart at-bats, and production beyond the middle of the order. The Pirates are not a club that the Cardinals can afford to let hang around, especially with division games carrying added weight this time of year.The calendar still says May, but the schedule says something else.The Cardinals are entering a stretch that will help define what they are — not in October, not at the trade deadline, but right now. A strong finish to the month could strengthen their case as a legitimate player in the division race. A stumble could force harder questions about depth, roster construction and how aggressively Chaim Bloom should approach the summer.For one night, though, it starts simply enough.Beat Pittsburgh. Protect Busch Stadium. Let the Tarps Off crowd make some noise one more time.The divisional gauntlet begins Tuesday night. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports

Cardinals Open Key NL Central Stretch Against Pirates

Cardinal Chronicle The Divisional Gauntlet Awaits the Cardinals St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals did not lose the I-70 Series on Sunday; they lost a chance to enter the most important stretch of their young season with a little extra cushion.That may sound like a small distinction in May, but with the National League Central already bunched near the top and a divisional gauntlet waiting on the other side of Monday’s off-day, small distinctions can start to matter quickly.St. Louis remains firmly in the race. The Cardinals are 27–19, still positioned as one of the early stories in the National League and close enough to make a serious move before the calendar turns to June. But Sunday’s 2–0 loss to Kansas City served as a timely reminder: the Cardinals have played their way into contention, and now they have to prove they can handle the weight that comes with it.Nobody wins a division in May. But plenty of teams begin revealing themselves before Memorial Day.For the Cardinals, that process begins now.After Monday’s scheduled day off, St. Louis opens a three-game series against Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium, followed by a weekend trip to Cincinnati, a three-game stop in Milwaukee and a home weekend series against the Cubs. That is 12 of the next 13 games against NL Central opponents, with only one off-day, May 28, separating the Brewers and Cubs series.That is not just a schedule. That is a measuring stick.The Cardinals have spent the first seven weeks proving they are more than a pleasant early-season surprise. They have won games with late offense, survived uneven starting pitching, leaned hard on the bullpen and found enough production from a young, developing lineup to stay in the thick of the division race.Now comes the question every contending team eventually has to answer.Can they keep doing it when the games begin to carry more weight?Sunday’s loss was not alarming by itself. Good teams get shut down. Good pitchers lose games they deserve to win. Baseball has a way of humbling a lineup just when everyone starts talking about momentum. Andre Pallante gave the Cardinals a start good enough to win, but the offense never found an answer against Kansas City right-hander Stephen Kolek, and Salvador Perez supplied all the scoring the Royals needed.That happens over 162 games.The timing, however, matters.The Cardinals are stepping into a stretch where quiet bats, missed chances and defensive mistakes will carry more weight because every game is against a club either ahead of them, near them or close enough to pull them backward. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are trying to stay attached to the race. Milwaukee and Chicago are trying to control it.The Cardinals are trying to prove they belong in the middle of that fight.The first test comes Tuesday against the Pirates. Pittsburgh is in the race and those are the kinds of games contenders are expected to handle at home. A club with division ambitions cannot afford to let winnable home series slip away, especially when more difficult assignments are waiting on the road.From there, St. Louis heads to Cincinnati, where no lead at Great American Ball Park ever feels quite safe. The Reds remain close enough in the standings to matter, and that ballpark can turn an ordinary inning into a crooked number before a manager can get his bullpen moving.Then comes Milwaukee, the kind of series that will tell more than a box score. The Brewers remain one of the division’s measuring sticks — a club built around pitching, defense, pressure and execution. For the Cardinals, winning there would carry more weight than simply taking another series. It would be a statement that this start has staying power.After an off-day, the Cubs come to Busch Stadium for a three-game weekend series to close the month. Cardinals-Cubs at Busch Stadium, late May, with the division beginning to take shape — that is the kind of baseball St. Louis was built for.The standings will not be settled by June 1. That is not how baseball works. But the tone of a season can change in a hurry, especially inside the division.For the Cardinals, this run is about more than gaining ground. It is about proving the early surge was not built on smoke and mirrors. It is about seeing whether the young core can handle division heat. It is about whether the rotation can give the club enough length, whether the bullpen can continue absorbing leverage and whether the lineup can avoid the kind of shutdown games that leave strong starts unrewarded.The Cardinals do not need to sweep through this stretch. That is not the standard. But they do need to play winning baseball against the clubs that will decide their summer.They have earned their place in the conversation. Now they have to earn the right to stay there.The National League Central is not waiting until August to reveal itself.It starts Tuesday. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports

The Divisional Gauntlet Awaits the Cardinals

The Cardinal Chronicle Former Cardinals Outfielder Mike Antico Lands Fresh Opportunity with Rockies St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurMike Antico did not stay unemployed long.Six days after the Cardinals released the veteran minor league outfielder, Antico found a new opportunity in the Colorado Rockies organization, signing a minor league contract and being assigned to the ACL Rockies.For the Cardinals, it marked the end of a long organizational run for a player who had quietly climbed the ladder from the lower minors to Triple-A Memphis. For Antico, it may simply be the next door opening.Antico, 28, was selected by St. Louis in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Texas. He never reached the major leagues with the Cardinals, but he carved out a useful minor league resume built on speed, defensive versatility and enough offensive production to stay in the conversation as organizational outfield depth.His best recent showing came last season at Memphis, where he hit .279 with a .366 on-base percentage, seven home runs, 57 RBIs and 21 stolen bases over 104 games. That kind of season does not guarantee a major league opportunity, but it does show why another organization would be willing to take a look.The 2026 season, however, began poorly. Antico opened the year 1-for-20 in six games with Memphis before the Cardinals decided to move on. In a system where younger outfielders are pushing for opportunities and roster spots are constantly being reshuffled, Antico became the odd man out.Colorado, meanwhile, appears to be doing what rebuilding clubs often do: collecting useful depth, especially players with upper-level experience. The Rockies have dealt with multiple May roster moves and injuries, including placing outfielder Jordan Beck on the injured list while continuing to shuffle players between Colorado and Triple-A Albuquerque.That could make Antico’s landing spot more interesting than it first appears. Starting in the Arizona Complex League does not sound glamorous, but it may simply be an entry point. Antico has already played at Triple-A, has a track record of stealing bases, and brings experience at a time when the Rockies need bodies who can move quickly if needed.This is not a headline-grabbing transaction. It is not the kind of move that changes a franchise overnight. But these are the kinds of signings that matter to players who are still fighting for a chance.Antico’s time with the Cardinals ended before he reached St. Louis. Now he gets a fresh start in a Rockies system where opportunity may come sooner if he produces.Sometimes baseball closes one clubhouse door and opens another down the hall.For Mike Antico, the next chapter begins in purple. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports

Former Cardinals Outfielder Mike Antico Lands Fresh Opportunity with Rockies

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

Jacob Odle Turns in Pitcher of the Day Performance for Pa...

Palm Beach Arms Lead the Way, Memphis Grinds Out Road Win

Herrera Walks It Off as Cards Beat Pirates in 10 to Open ...

Cardinals Open Key NL Central Stretch Against Pirates

The Divisional Gauntlet Awaits the Cardinals

Former Cardinals Outfielder Mike Antico Lands Fresh Oppor...