The Cardinals are heading into a stretch that leaves very little room for error, and the first hurdle is a three-game set at home against the Baltimore Orioles. After getting swept by the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend, St. Louis is treating this series like one it needs to win to stay in the National League Wild Card chase.
That pressure is real with the standings the way they are. The Cardinals entered Tuesday five games behind the San Diego Padres for the No.
3 National League Wild Card spot, with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Miami Marlins also ahead of them in the race. With roughly five weeks left in the regular season, there is not much time to make up ground.
Baltimore comes in at 63-68, and St. Louis has to make the most of this matchup before tougher tests against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The bigger issue, though, is the state of the rotation. St.
Louis is piecing things together right now with Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins on the Injured List. Dustin May is gone after being traded before the deadline, and Quinn Mathews is up in the majors, but there is still a gap behind him.
The Cardinals are also keeping a close eye on Kyle Leahy’s innings.
For the Orioles series, the Cardinals have already lined up their starters.
Matthew Liberatore will get the ball first, and he has started to settle in again. In his last outing on Aug. 19 against the Cincinnati Reds, he worked six innings and gave up three runs.
Before that, he allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 14.
What had looked like a pitcher who might be headed back to the minors has quickly shifted into someone the club now needs.
Michael McGreevy is set to start Wednesday night in what will be his 26th start of the season. He has been strong throughout the year, posting a 3.54 ERA and a 95-to-36 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 137 1/3 innings. Before the 2026 season, McGreevy had never thrown more than 95 2/3 innings in a major league season.
Thursday’s starter has not been officially announced yet. Quinn Mathews looks like the most likely choice, though, since his last outing came on Aug. 22 and a Thursday start would line him up on the fifth day after that appearance. Leahy pitched on Aug. 23, so using him there would mean short rest.
If the Cardinals decide to bring in another arm, whether from inside the organization or outside it, Thursday is the day to watch. For now, Mathews appears to be the leading candidate.
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