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THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Farm Report: Davis Drives In Five, Molina Deals, Springfield Storms Back St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinal Chronicle Farm Report is your most complete daily look at the Cardinals’ minor league system — from box scores and standings to standout performances and prospect notes.Friday’s farm report belonged to Memphis and Springfield.The Redbirds pounded Durham, 12-2, behind a five-RBI night from Chase Davis and a strong start from Mason Molina. Springfield erased a big deficit and beat Northwest Arkansas, 9-8, behind four home runs and a huge night from Dakota Harris.Palm Beach dropped its fourth straight, while Peoria’s game against Beloit was postponed due to wet grounds at Dozer Park.The full-season affiliates finished 2-1 in completed games.Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A Overall Record: 66-52 Second Half: 19-24, 8th in the International League West, 8.0 GB Streak: W1Memphis 12, Durham 2Memphis took a 2-0 punch in the first inning and then turned the game into a rout.The Redbirds scored four runs in the third, five in the fourth and three more in the eighth, beating Durham, 12-2, on Friday night.Chase Davis earned Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors after going 3-for-5 with a grand-slam, a double, five RBIs and a run scored.His final line:3-for-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, RThat is a breakout box-score line.Davis hit his third home run of the season, doubled and drove in half of Memphis’ runs. Colton Ledbetter added another big swing, going 1-for-3 with his ninth home run, four RBIs, three runs scored and two walks.Brody Moore hit his first home run of the season. Leo Bernal went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, pushing his RBI total to 71. Thomas Saggese reached three times and scored twice, while Victor Scott II, Ramón Urías, Ramon Mendoza and Noah Mendlinger also added hits.On the mound, Mason Molina settled in after the first inning and gave Memphis six strong innings.His final line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 KMolina allowed two first-inning runs, both on homers, but Durham did very little against him after that. He struck out eight, held the Bulls to two hits and turned the game over to the bullpen with Memphis in complete control.Matt Svanson worked a scoreless seventh, and Pete Hansen finished the final two innings without allowing a run.Takeaway: Memphis had the best all-around performance in the system. Davis drove in five, Ledbetter drove in four, Molina struck out eight and the Redbirds rolled.Springfield Cardinals — Double-A Overall Record: 58-53 Second Half: 27-16, 1st in the Texas League North Streak: W3Springfield 9, Northwest Arkansas 8Springfield looked buried.Then the Cardinals started hitting the ball over the wall.The Cardinals trailed 8-1 after the top of the sixth inning, but scored five in the bottom of the sixth, one in the seventh and two more in the eighth to stun Northwest Arkansas, 9-8.This was one of Springfield’s better comeback wins of the season.Dakota Harris had the biggest night, going 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored. His second homer helped finish the comeback and gave Springfield the kind of late punch it needed.Tre Richardson III went 2-for-3 with his eighth home run, an RBI, two runs scored and a walk. Deniel Ortiz hit his sixth home run and drove in two. Ryan Campos added two hits and two RBIs, continuing to quietly produce in the Springfield lineup.Josiah Ragsdale went 3-for-5, while Rainiel Rodriguez doubled, scored and was hit by a pitch. Won-Bin Cho doubled and scored, and Jack Gurevitch doubled, drove in a run and scored.Springfield finished with 13 hits and four home runs.On the mound, Tanner Franklin had a rough start, allowing six runs, five earned, over 4.1 innings. Jack Findlay recorded two key outs, and Chen-Wei Lin gave Springfield four innings of relief, allowing two runs while striking out four.It was not a clean pitching night, but the offense erased it.Takeaway: Springfield has now won three straight. This one took power, patience and a late-game fight after falling behind by seven.Peoria Chiefs — High-A Overall Record: 55-55 Second Half: 23-21, 5th in the Midwest League West, 2.5 GB Streak: W2Peoria vs. Beloit — PostponedPeoria’s scheduled Friday night game against Beloit was postponed due to wet grounds at Dozer Park.The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, August 15. Game one is scheduled for 5 p.m., with game two to follow approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A Overall Record: 55-57 Second Half: 22-24, 2nd in the Florida State League East, 8.0 GB Streak: L4Daytona 5, Palm Beach 2Palm Beach’s slide continued Friday night with a 5-2 loss to Daytona.The Cardinals managed only four hits and never found the big inning.Dee Kennedy doubled and scored. Yairo Padilla singled and scored. Sebastian Dos Santos reached three times with a hit and two walks. J.P. Cabrera added a hit, while Owen Henne drove in Palm Beach’s only listed RBI.On the mound, Jan Cabrera allowed four runs over 3.2 innings. JR Fordham recorded one out, Jaden Alba allowed one run over two innings, and Brian Garmon finished with two scoreless innings.Garmon’s line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 KTakeaway: Palm Beach has now lost four straight. The offense had just four hits, and Daytona controlled the game early.Quick Hits: 10 Players, 10 Stats 1. Chase Davis, Memphis: 3-for-5, including a grand-slam, double, five RBIs, run scored.2. Mason Molina, Memphis: 6.0 innings, two hits, two earned runs, three walks, eight strikeouts.3. Colton Ledbetter, Memphis: Ninth home run, four RBIs, three runs scored, two walks.4. Dakota Harris, Springfield: 2-for-4, two home runs, three RBIs, two runs scored.5. Tre Richardson III, Springfield: 2-for-3, home run, RBI, two runs, walk.6. Ryan Campos, Springfield: 2-for-4 with two RBIs.7. Deniel Ortiz, Springfield: Sixth home run, two RBIs, two runs scored.8. Josiah Ragsdale, Springfield: 3-for-5.9. Brody Moore, Memphis: First home run of the season.10. Brian Garmon, Palm Beach: 2.0 scoreless innings, one hit, two strikeouts.Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day Chase Davis, DH, Memphis RedbirdsDavis had the top offensive line in the system Friday night and helped power Memphis to a 12-2 win.His final line: 3-for-5, a grand slam, 2B, 5 RBI, RThree hits. Two extra-base hits. Five RBIs.That is a Player of the Day line.Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day Mason Molina, LHP, Memphis RedbirdsMolina settled in after the first inning and gave Memphis six strong innings in a blowout win.His final line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 KThe two runs came early, but Molina controlled the game from there and struck out eight.The Final Word Friday belonged to Memphis’ offense and Springfield’s comeback.Chase Davis drove in five. Colton Ledbetter drove in four. Mason Molina struck out eight. Dakota Harris homered twice. Springfield erased a seven-run deficit. Peoria was washed out. Palm Beach kept sliding.Memphis had the cleanest win.Springfield had the wildest one.And Chase Davis had the loudest offensive line on the farm.That is the farm report. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Chase Davis, Memphis Redbirds | MLB

Farm Report: Davis Drives In Five, Molina Deals, Springfield Storms Back

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cardinals Blanked at Wrigley St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurFor five innings Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, Matthew Liberatore gave the St. Louis Cardinals exactly what they needed.He matched Clay Holmes.He kept the Chicago Cubs quiet.He gave the Cardinals a chance to grab the opener of a critical weekend series.Then the sixth inning arrived, and one swing changed everything.Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run homer off George Soriano in the bottom of the sixth, and the Cubs beat the Cardinals, 3-0, sending St. Louis back to .500 and opening the final Cardinals-Cubs series of the regular season with a frustrating shutout loss.This one was there.That is what makes it sting.The Cardinals did not get buried early. They did not pitch poorly. They did not hand the Cubs a parade of free bases. For most of the afternoon, this was a tight, tense, old-fashioned pitching duel.The problem was simple.Chicago found the swing.St. Louis did not.Clay Holmes, making his first start at Wrigley Field since coming over from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, was outstanding. He retired the first 16 Cardinals he faced before José Fermín broke through with a single in the sixth inning.That was the first real crack.It was also one of the few the Cardinals found all afternoon.Holmes worked 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three. He threw 80 pitches, 50 for strikes, and kept the Cardinals off balance with early-count contact, ground balls and just enough movement to keep St. Louis from doing anything meaningful.The Cardinals finished with only three hits.Fermín had one. Iván Herrera had one. Bryan Torres had one.That was it.No extra-base hits. No big inning. No sustained pressure.For a club trying to stay in the National League Wild Card race, that is not enough.Liberatore deserved a better fate. He opened the game sharply, retiring the Cubs in order in the first, second, third and fourth innings. Chicago did not get its first hit until Nico Hoerner singled in the fifth.That was the best version of Liberatore.He worked with tempo. He challenged hitters. He used his stuff in the zone instead of nibbling around it. He did not look like a pitcher trying to survive. He looked like a pitcher competing with conviction.For five innings, that was enough.The Cardinals just could not reward him.St. Louis did not get a baserunner until Fermín’s sixth-inning single. César Prieto grounded out. JJ Wetherholt lined out to center. Herrera grounded back to Holmes to end the inning.The Cardinals had finally put a man on base, but nothing came of it.Then the bottom of the sixth changed the game.Dansby Swanson reached to open the inning, and Tyrone Taylor followed by getting aboard. Liberatore retired Pete Crow-Armstrong on a foul popup, but with two runners on and one out, Oliver Marmol went to Soriano.Suzuki made the move hurt.On Soriano’s fourth pitch, Suzuki drove a changeup to left-center field for a three-run homer. Just like that, a scoreless game became a 3-0 Cubs lead.That was the entire ballgame.It was not a long rally. It was not a slow bleed. It was not a bullpen collapse spread across multiple innings.It was one pitch.One mistake.One swing.The Cardinals had their best chance in the seventh. Jordan Walker walked with two outs, bringing Nathan Church to the plate as the tying run. Chicago went to Ryan Rolison, and Church grounded out to end the inning.In the eighth, Torres singled and Fermín walked, giving St. Louis two baserunners and a chance to bring the tying run to the plate. But Prieto lined out, Wetherholt struck out, and the Cardinals again came away empty.The ninth was no better.Herrera singled to open the inning against Jacob Webb, but Burleson grounded into a double play. Walker struck out to end the game.The Cubs closed it down.The Cardinals went quietly.That is the part that should bother St. Louis most.The pitching staff gave the Cardinals a chance to win. Liberatore was strong. Soriano made one costly mistake. Peter Strzelecki gave the Cardinals two scoreless innings to keep the game within reach.But the offense never gave the staff any margin.St. Louis went 0-for-the-afternoon on the scoreboard and left 10 men on base. Wetherholt and Prieto each left three. The Cardinals did not produce a run-scoring chance with the kind of force needed to change the game.That cannot happen in August.Not against the Cubs.Not at Wrigley.Not with the Cardinals trying to chase down the final National League Wild Card spot.The Cubs entered the day playing better baseball, and they showed why. Holmes controlled the Cardinals, Suzuki delivered the decisive swing, and Chicago’s bullpen finished the shutout. The Cubs did not need much offense because they were cleaner in the moments that mattered.The Cardinals were not.This was also the opener of a long road trip, and the tone matters. St. Louis came into Chicago after taking a meaningful series from Philadelphia, a series that gave the Cardinals something to build from.Friday stopped that momentum cold.The Cardinals are now 61-61. They remain alive in the playoff picture, but alive is not the same as gaining ground. Games like this are the difference between talking about a chase and actually making one.Liberatore gave them a chance.The offense gave them nothing.And Suzuki gave the Cubs all they needed.Cardinals 0, Cubs 3.Key StorylinesLiberatore Deserved BetterMatthew Liberatore gave the Cardinals 5.1 strong innings, allowing two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out six. He retired the first 13 Cubs he faced and matched Clay Holmes for most of the afternoon.Suzuki Changes the GameSeiya Suzuki delivered the only run-scoring swing of the day, hitting a three-run homer off George Soriano in the sixth inning. That one swing turned a scoreless duel into a 3-0 Cubs lead.Holmes Controls St. LouisClay Holmes retired the first 16 Cardinals he faced and worked 6.2 scoreless innings. St. Louis managed only one hit against him and never forced him into a sustained jam.Fermín Breaks Up the Perfect StartJosé Fermín singled in the sixth inning to end Holmes’ perfect-game bid. He later walked in the eighth, making him one of the few Cardinals to reach base more than once.Offense Goes QuietThe Cardinals finished with three hits and no runs. Iván Herrera, Bryan Torres and Fermín had the only hits for St. Louis.Eighth-Inning Chance Gets AwayThe Cardinals had Torres on with a single and Fermín aboard with a walk in the eighth, but Prieto lined out and Wetherholt struck out to end the threat.Strzelecki Keeps It ClosePeter Strzelecki gave the Cardinals two scoreless innings after the sixth, keeping the game at 3-0 and giving the offense a chance to respond. The response never came.Wild Card Ground SlipsThe loss dropped the Cardinals back to .500 and cost them ground in the National League Wild Card race. This was the kind of game St. Louis needed to steal, especially with Liberatore pitching well.Bottom LineMatthew Liberatore pitched well enough to win.The Cardinals did not hit well enough to give him a chance.Clay Holmes shut St. Louis down, Seiya Suzuki delivered the three-run homer in the sixth, and the Cubs took the series opener, 3-0.One swing decided it.The Cardinals never found theirs. 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: Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs | MLB

Cardinals Blanked at Wrigley

The Cardinal Chronicle The Wait Is Over: Joshua Báez Is Headed to St. Louis St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe wait is over.After months of watching one of the most powerful bats in the organization punish Triple-A pitching, the St. Louis Cardinals are calling up outfielder Joshua Báez from the Memphis Redbirds, according to reports Friday afternoon.For Báez, it will be his first opportunity in the Major Leagues.For the Cardinals, it should be much more than simply rewarding a prospect for a tremendous season.It is time to find out what Joshua Báez can do against Major League pitching.And he has certainly earned the opportunity.Báez leaves Memphis hitting .256 with a .901 OPS, 34 home runs, 90 RBIs, 79 runs scored and 21 stolen bases.Those aren't numbers that require much interpretation.Thirty-four home runs and 21 stolen bases represent the kind of power-speed combination the Cardinals simply do not have in abundance, and Báez has accomplished it as a 23-year-old facing Triple-A competition.Even more encouraging has been the way he has responded throughout the season.There have been hot streaks. There have been stretches when the swing-and-miss resurfaced. There have been adjustments, counter-adjustments and plenty of reminders that Báez remains a developing hitter.But every time his season appeared to be leveling off, he found another gear.Just Thursday night, Báez launched his 34th home run of the season, providing Memphis with its first run in a 3-2 extra-inning loss at Durham.One day later, the call every prospect dreams about finally came.The Cardinals selected Báez in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft with the 54th overall pick.From the beginning, nobody questioned the tools.At 6-foot-3 and approximately 220 pounds, Báez possessed tremendous raw power, a strong throwing arm and enough athleticism to offer intriguing upside in the outfield.The question was whether he would make enough contact to allow those tools to play consistently.That question hasn't completely disappeared.Nor should anyone pretend it has.Báez will strike out in the Major Leagues. He will chase pitches he shouldn't. There will be nights when experienced pitchers exploit holes in his approach that Triple-A pitchers couldn't.That's baseball.The important thing is that Báez has made enough progress for the Cardinals to determine that the next stage of his development belongs against Major League competition.There comes a point when Triple-A can teach only so much.Báez has reached that point.Báez's 2026 season has included one of the most memorable performances in Memphis Redbirds history.On June 16, the anniversary of the death of his father, José Manuel Báez, Joshua hit four home runs in one game, becoming the first player in Redbirds history to accomplish the feat.It was an extraordinary baseball performance wrapped inside an emotional family story.And it became the centerpiece of a season in which Báez transformed himself from an intriguing prospect with enormous raw power into a player knocking loudly on the Major League door.Now that door is opening.The Cardinals' decision to trade Lars Nootbaar to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline changed the equation.Suddenly, there was an opening in the St. Louis outfield.The Cardinals initially chose not to immediately fill that opening with Báez, allowing him to remain in Memphis while managing the timing of his promotion.That patience was understandable.But once Báez continued producing and the calendar moved deeper into August, there wasn't much left to accomplish by keeping him in Triple-A.The Cardinals can also potentially preserve Báez's rookie eligibility for 2027, provided he remains within Major League Baseball's limits on at-bats and active-roster days.That's good roster management.But now that he's coming, the emphasis needs to change.Don't Call Him Up to SitThis is the most important part.Play him.Don't call Joshua Báez to St. Louis so he can get three starts a week and spend the rest of his time watching Major League baseball from the dugout.Put him in the lineup.Give him meaningful at-bats.Let him face right-handers. Let him face left-handers. Let him see velocity. Let him see Major League breaking stuff. Let him experience the adjustments pitchers will immediately make against him.And when he struggles — because virtually every young hitter does — resist the temptation to pull the plug after a bad week.The Cardinals aren't bringing up a finished product.They're bringing up a talented 23-year-old with 34 home runs, 90 RBIs and 21 stolen bases who has earned the chance to take the next step.The objective over the remaining weeks shouldn't simply be squeezing a few extra victories out of Báez's bat.It should be learning something.Can the power translate?Can he control the strike zone well enough?Can he make the necessary adjustments after Major League pitchers identify weaknesses?Where does he fit defensively?And perhaps most importantly:Can Joshua Báez establish himself as an everyday piece of the Cardinals' 2027 lineup?Those questions can no longer be answered in Memphis.The Cardinals have spent much of 2026 talking about transition, development and building the next sustainable contender.Eventually, those words have to turn into Major League opportunities.Báez represents another step in that process.Jordan Walker is already there.JJ Wetherholt has arrived.Other highly regarded prospects are moving through the farm system behind them.And now one of the organization's biggest power bats is getting his opportunity.Nobody should expect Báez to arrive and immediately become a finished middle-of-the-order Major League hitter.That's unfair to the player and unrealistic about the difficulty of the jump from Triple-A.But Cardinals fans should be excited about what he represents.Power.Youth.Athleticism.Upside.And something that has occasionally been in short supply around Busch Stadium:the possibility that every swing could change the game.The Cardinals have spent long enough wondering what Joshua Báez might eventually become.Beginning now, they get to start finding out.Welcome to St. Louis, Joshua Báez.The next chapter begins in the Major Leagues. 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: Joshua Báez, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

The Wait Is Over: Joshua Báez Is Headed to St. Louis

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Series Preview: Cardinals Take Their Wild Card Push Into Wrigley Field St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals head to Wrigley Field this weekend for three games against the Chicago Cubs with considerably more on the line than another chapter in one of baseball’s oldest rivalries.The Cardinals are playing meaningful baseball again.St. Louis enters Friday at 61-60, above .500 and three games behind the final National League Wild Card position. After stumbling badly coming out of the All-Star break and selling at the trade deadline, the Cardinals have quietly put themselves back into the postseason picture by doing something rather simple.They started winning series.Three straight, in fact.The latest came against the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium, where St. Louis rebounded from a frustrating loss in the opener to take the next two games, including Wednesday’s convincing 7-1 victory.Now comes a considerably different test.Chicago enters the weekend at 71-51, sitting second in the National League Central and firmly positioned in the postseason race. The Cubs are four games behind Milwaukee in the division and have been one of the National League’s most consistent clubs.They are also familiar.Very familiar.The Cardinals and Cubs have already played 10 times this season, and neither club has been able to claim an advantage.The season series is tied 5-5.That makes this weekend simple.Whoever wins two of three at Wrigley Field wins the 2026 season series.For the Cardinals, it could mean considerably more.This is no longer about trying to catch the Cubs in the division. A 10½-game gap makes that an unrealistic target with six weeks remaining.The Wild Card is the race.And suddenly St. Louis is back in it.The Cardinals have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games, and what appeared to be a season drifting toward another long September has taken an unexpected turn.Perhaps there is a lesson somewhere in that.The front office sold at the trade deadline.The players did not.Dustin May and JoJo Romero were traded to Milwaukee. Lars Nootbaar was moved to Arizona. The roster became younger, the future became a greater priority and expectations for the final two months were understandably reduced.Then the Cardinals started playing better baseball.Andre Pallante has emerged as one of the better pitchers in the rotation.Kyle Leahy continues to provide quality innings.JJ Wetherholt has continued an impressive rookie season.Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson remain central pieces of the offense.Iván Herrera continues to provide an important bat.Nathan Church, César Prieto, Jimmy Crooks and others are receiving opportunities that might not have existed before the deadline.There is something refreshing about watching young players compete without being told the season no longer matters.Development should never become another word for accepting losing.The Cardinals have 41 games remaining.Three games out is not buried.Three games out is a pennant race.Friday afternoon’s series opener will feature Matthew Liberatore against Cubs right-hander Clay Holmes.First pitch is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. CT, with the game carried nationally on Apple TV.Liberatore enters at 5-9 with a 5.15 ERA and 110 strikeouts.The season has remained a frustrating mix of flashes and inconsistency.There are innings when Liberatore looks capable of dominating a Major League lineup. His breaking ball generates swings and misses, his fastball plays when he commands it and his ability to strike hitters out has never really been the question.The difficulty has been putting everything together for six or seven innings.One bad inning has too often changed an otherwise competitive start.At Wrigley Field, that becomes particularly dangerous.The wind, the dimensions and the Cubs’ ability to produce extra-base damage mean Liberatore cannot spend the afternoon pitching from behind in counts.He must attack.Strike one remains his most important pitch.When Liberatore gets ahead, the entire arsenal becomes available. When he falls behind, Major League hitters can eliminate the breaking ball and wait for something they can drive.Chicago will counter with Holmes, who enters at 4-5 with a 2.86 ERA.That ERA alone tells the Cardinals what kind of afternoon they could be facing.St. Louis cannot afford another game in which the offense waits five or six innings before applying pressure.The Cardinals have played better recently because they have begun producing more complete offensive innings rather than relying on one hitter to solve everything.That was evident Wednesday against Philadelphia.St. Louis scored four times in the fifth inning and continued adding on rather than asking the bullpen to protect another one-run lead.That formula needs to travel.Wetherholt must continue creating traffic near the top of the lineup.Herrera and Burleson must provide quality at-bats behind him.Walker remains the hitter capable of changing a game with one swing, but he becomes considerably more dangerous when someone is standing on base in front of him.The Cardinals also need continued production from the bottom half of the lineup.Masyn Winn, Church, Prieto, José Fermín and Crooks do not all need to become middle-of-the-order hitters.They need to extend innings.Put the baseball in play.Take a walk.Move a runner.Turn the lineup over.That is winning baseball, particularly against good pitching.Saturday afternoon may provide the Cardinals their most favorable pitching matchup of the weekend, although there is nothing particularly easy about facing this Cubs rotation.Michael McGreevy will start for St. Louis against left-hander Matthew Boyd.First pitch is again scheduled for 1:20 p.m. CT.McGreevy enters at 4-9 with a 3.64 ERA and 85 strikeouts.His record remains one of the more misleading numbers on the Cardinals roster.McGreevy has pitched considerably better than four wins would suggest. He does not overpower hitters, but he changes speeds, commands the strike zone and generally keeps the Cardinals in games.That matters.There remains a tendency in modern baseball to judge starting pitchers by radar-gun readings before looking at whether they actually get hitters out.McGreevy gets hitters out.He pitches.There is still value in that.He will need every bit of his command against a Cubs lineup that has punished mistakes throughout the season.Chicago enters the series with a plus-108 run differential and has scored more than 630 runs. The Cubs can produce damage throughout the lineup and have repeatedly shown the ability to turn one mistake into a large inning.Pete Crow-Armstrong remains one of the most dynamic players in the National League.Alex Bregman has added another dangerous veteran bat to the middle of the order and recently produced a three-home run, seven-RBI performance.Michael Busch, Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner give Chicago a lineup without many comfortable places for a pitcher to hide.McGreevy cannot give that group free baserunners.His advantage comes from forcing hitters to put the ball in play on his terms.Ground balls.Weak contact.Quick innings.He cannot afford three-ball counts throughout the afternoon because Chicago will eventually make him throw something over the plate.Boyd enters Saturday at 8-1 with a 3.50 ERA.The veteran left-hander has provided stability for the Cubs and presents another test for a Cardinals lineup that must avoid allowing opposing starters to dictate the pace.The Cardinals should have several right-handed bats available against Boyd, with Walker, Herrera, Winn and Fermín among those positioned to play important roles.Walker in particular becomes an important matchup.The Cardinals need him in the middle of this Wild Card push.His development remains important, but there comes a point when development and production become the same conversation.Walker is no longer simply a young player trying to establish himself.He is one of the Cardinals’ best hitters.They need him to hit like it.Sunday’s finale may be the most interesting pitching matchup of the weekend.Hunter Dobbins will start for St. Louis against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga.First pitch is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. CT, with the game receiving national television coverage on ABC.Dobbins enters at 2-3 with a 3.40 ERA.His arrival from Boston in the Willson Contreras trade last winter did not generate the attention reserved for higher-profile acquisitions, but Dobbins has gradually created a place for himself in the Cardinals’ pitching plans.He competes.He throws strikes.And he has given the club useful innings when called upon.That is particularly important now.The deadline changed the Cardinals rotation.May is gone.Quinn Mathews has made his Major League debut but has since been returned to Memphis.Younger pitchers are moving closer to St. Louis, but the Cardinals still need Major League innings while those arms develop.Dobbins has an opportunity to show he can provide them.Imanaga enters at 8-9 with a 3.74 ERA and 130 strikeouts.The Cubs left-hander is capable of dominating when his fastball command is sharp. His ability to change eye levels and challenge hitters at the top of the strike zone makes him difficult to square up, particularly when hitters begin chasing secondary pitches.The Cardinals must avoid giving him quick innings.The first time through the order should be about learning how Imanaga is attacking them without becoming passive.If the fastball is over the plate, hit it.If the breaking ball is below the zone, let it go.That sounds simple because hitting usually does until someone is standing 60 feet, 6 inches away trying to make you fail.The Cardinals will also enter Wrigley wearing a familiar look.The club has restored its navy blue caps as the primary road cap for the remainder of the season, beginning with this series.There are bigger issues than hats in a postseason race, but sometimes tradition does not need to be improved.The Cardinals looked right in navy on the road for decades.They will again this weekend.More importantly, they need to play right.The Cubs are not the Colorado Rockies.They are not a rebuilding team simply trying to evaluate players over the final weeks.Chicago expects to play in October.The Cubs have won 71 games, own one of the better run differentials in baseball and have spent most of the season among the strongest teams in the National League.This is exactly the kind of opponent the Cardinals need to face.There is little value in arguing that St. Louis remains a Wild Card contender if it cannot compete with playoff-caliber teams.The Cardinals do not need to sweep Chicago.They need to win the series.Two out of three would move St. Louis another step closer in the Wild Card race and guarantee the Cardinals the season series over their oldest rival.It would also continue a trend that has suddenly made August baseball considerably more interesting.Win series.Then win another.That is how teams erase three-game deficits.Not with projections.Not with playoff-odds calculators.Not by spending every afternoon studying what Arizona, Philadelphia, Miami or San Diego might do.Win the baseball game in front of you.Friday, that means Liberatore against Holmes.Saturday, McGreevy against Boyd.Sunday, Dobbins against Imanaga.Three games at Wrigley Field with the season series tied.The Cubs are trying to chase Milwaukee.The Cardinals are trying to chase October.And somewhere along the way, a club that sold at the deadline has managed to put itself back into the fight.Now comes the difficult part.Stay there. 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: Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Series Preview: Cardinals Take Their Wild Card Push Into Wrigley Field

The Cardinal Chronicle MLB Pipeline Adds Five 2026 Draft Picks to Updated Cardinals Top 30 St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurMLB Pipeline has updated its St. Louis Cardinals Top 30 prospect rankings, and the organization’s highly regarded 2026 draft class has officially arrived.Five members of the Cardinals’ newest draft class have entered Pipeline’s Top 30, led by first-round outfielder Trevor Condon&nbsp;at No. 6 and right-hander Tegan Kuhns at No. 10.Shortstop Rocco Maniscalco checks in at No. 16, while outfielders Andrew Williamson and Caden Ferraro enter at Nos. 28 and 30, respectively. (X (formerly Twitter))Perhaps just as noteworthy as the newcomers is what did not change.Pipeline kept the first five prospects in the organization intact:1. Rainiel Rodriguez, C/1B 2. Liam Doyle, LHP 3. Joshua Báez, OF 4. Alexander Frias, OF 5. Tanner Franklin, RHPRodriguez remains the organization's No. 1 prospect, followed by Doyle and Báez, while Frias and Franklin round out the top five. (MLB.com)Condon Makes an Immediate Top-Six Entrance The highest-ranking newcomer is no surprise.St. Louis selected Condon with the 13th overall pick in July, making the 18-year-old prep outfielder the centerpiece of the Cardinals’ 2026 draft class. Pipeline had Condon rated among the better amateur prospects available, assigning him a 55 overall grade with a combination of hitting ability, plus-plus speed and center-field defensive potential. (MLB.com)His arrival at No. 6 puts him immediately behind Franklin and ahead of a collection of established Cardinals prospects who already have significant professional experience.That is a strong statement from Pipeline.Condon has only begun his professional career, but the ranking reflects ceiling rather than proximity. The Cardinals believe they landed a potential everyday center fielder with an unusually broad collection of tools, and Pipeline clearly agrees.Kuhns Gives the Cardinals Another Top-10 Arm Kuhns becomes the second member of the draft class to crack the Top 10.The Cardinals selected the Tennessee right-hander 32nd overall, continuing an organizational trend that has brought several Volunteer pitchers into the system, including Doyle and Franklin in the 2025 draft. (MLB.com)Pipeline ranked Kuhns as its No. 25 prospect entering the draft and highlighted a fastball capable of reaching 98 mph along with a plus curveball. He struck out 106 batters in 81 innings during his sophomore season at Tennessee while significantly improving his control. (MLB.com)Putting Kuhns at No. 10 immediately gives the Cardinals another high-ceiling starting pitching prospect in a system already carrying considerable pitching depth.Maniscalco Lands in the Middle of the Top 30 The Cardinals used the 50th overall selection on Maniscalco, one of the youngest players available in the entire draft.He had only recently turned 17 when selected after reclassifying into the 2026 draft class. Pipeline now places the switch-hitting shortstop at No. 16 in the Cardinals system. (MLB.com)While Condon and Kuhns arrive with more immediate national recognition, Maniscalco may be one of the more intriguing long-term additions.His defensive ability at shortstop is already considered a significant part of his profile, and his age gives the Cardinals considerable developmental runway for the offensive game to mature.Williamson and Ferraro Round Out the Newcomers Two college outfielders complete the draft class additions.Williamson, selected 68th overall out of Central Florida, enters Pipeline’s rankings at No. 28. The Cardinals were attracted to a combination of power, high-end exit velocities and enough contact ability to give the power a chance to translate against professional pitching. (MLB.com)Ferraro, the Cardinals’ third-round selection at No. 86 overall, takes the final spot at No. 30.The Texas Tech product hit .374 with a 1.085 OPS in his final college season after making the jump from junior college to Division I competition without sacrificing his power production. (MLB.com)Five Additions Mean Movement Throughout the Board The arrival of five draft picks naturally creates movement throughout the existing Top 30.That distinction is important.When Pipeline inserts Condon at No. 6, Kuhns at No. 10 and Maniscalco at No. 16, players previously occupying spots beneath them are automatically pushed farther down the numerical rankings even if Pipeline’s underlying evaluation of those players has not materially changed.In other words, a prospect moving from No. 9 to No. 11 following a draft update is not necessarily the same thing as Pipeline deciding that prospect has taken a step backward.Sometimes the neighborhood simply gets more crowded.And the Cardinals’ prospect neighborhood became considerably more crowded this summer.The updated rankings provide another indication of how quickly the composition of the Cardinals farm system is changing.The top of the organization still belongs to established names such as Rodriguez, Doyle, Báez, Frias and Franklin. But the addition of Condon and Kuhns to the Top 10 gives St. Louis another wave of premium talent behind them.Maniscalco adds another high-upside teenage position player, while Williamson and Ferraro extend the depth farther down the board.That is ultimately the biggest takeaway from Pipeline’s update. That is that the Cardinals did not need their new draft class to replace the talent already at the top of the farm system.They added it to what was already there.And with five members of the 2026 class already occupying spots in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30, the Cardinals’ rebuilding effort at the minor league level just became a little deeper and considerably more interesting. 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: Trevor Condon, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

MLB Pipeline Adds Five 2026 Draft Picks to Cardinals Top 30

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day: Ryan Mitchell Keeps Palm Beach Fighting St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurRyan Mitchell gave Palm Beach every reason to keep fighting Thursday night.Mitchell is the Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day after going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, two runs scored and two walks in Palm Beach’s 10-9 loss to Daytona.His final line:2-for-4, HR, 3&nbsp; RBI, 2 R, 2 BBThat is a complete offensive night.Palm Beach fell behind early after Daytona put up eight runs in the second inning, but the Cardinals did not go quietly. They kept chipping away, scored four runs in the ninth and nearly pulled off one of the more unlikely comebacks of the week.Mitchell was right in the middle of that fight.He reached base four times, hit his 12th home run of the season, drove in three runs and scored twice. On a night when Palm Beach finished with 16 hits and seven walks, Mitchell had the top run-producing line.The loss takes some of the shine off the night, but it should not bury the performance.Mitchell gave Palm Beach power, patience and production.Yairo Padilla also had a big game, going 3-for-6 with a double, a triple and an RBI. Matthew Miura continued to swing the bat well, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk and his 17th stolen base. Sebastian Dos Santos added his fifth home run, two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk.But Mitchell owned the headline.Two hits. A home run. Three RBIs. Two walks. Four times on base.That is the kind of line that stands out, even in a loss.Palm Beach did enough offensively to win most nights, but Daytona’s eight-run second inning created a hole that was just a little too deep. The Cardinals still made it interesting late, and Mitchell was one of the biggest reasons why.Sometimes Player of the Day comes from a winning box score.Sometimes it comes from the player who refuses to let a game disappear.That was Ryan Mitchell on Thursday night.He kept Palm Beach alive, filled up the box score and delivered the top offensive performance in the Cardinals’ system.That earns the spotlight.Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day: Ryan Mitchell, LF, Palm Beach Cardinals Final Line: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB 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: Ryan Mitchell, LF, Palm Beach Cardinals | MLB

MiLB Player of the Day: Ryan Mitchell

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The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle is dedicated to preserving Cardinals history, covering today’s game, and following the next generation through the minor leagues. Written in the tradition of the old beat writers, it’s baseball with perspective — steady, faithful, and rooted in a lifelong love for the game.

The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle, Ray Mileur

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