After back-to-back wins over the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, the St. Louis Cardinals came back to earth Tuesday night, getting shut out 2-0 by left-hander Ryan Weathers.
St. Louis actually outhit the Yankees in the second game of the series, but never found the big hit it needed.
The biggest talking point from the loss wasn’t just the offense drying up. It was Oli Marmol’s lineup construction, especially the decision to leave Alec Burleson out of the starting nine after Burleson blasted three home runs in Monday’s series opener.
That choice stood out even more when Jordan Walker was scratched because of right knee inflammation. With Walker unavailable, Burleson’s bat looked like an obvious place to keep the momentum going, but Marmol opted to give him a scheduled day off anyway.
Burleson did enter as a pinch hitter for Jose Fermin in the top of the eighth and drew a walk, but the Cardinals could have used that presence from the start. Fermin ended up batting third after Walker was scratched, and the lineup never really found its footing from there.
Marmol has gotten a lot out of a roster with limited resources, and the day-off approach is part of how managers handle a long season. Still, this one felt like a tough sell given how hard the Cardinals have been fighting for offense. Sitting Burleson the night after a three-homer game, with Walker already out, was a choice that was always going to draw attention.
There was also a clear alternate path available. St.
Louis could have used Fermin in right field, Blaze Jordan at third base and Burleson at first base. Whether that would have changed the outcome is impossible to know, but it’s the kind of move that might have altered the shape of the game.
The criticism around surprise off days for key players has followed Marmol before, and this was another example that invited it again. At the same time, the decision doesn’t erase the fact that he’s a good manager. It just underscored how questionable this particular call was.
And the left-handed matchup didn’t really justify it, either. One of Burleson’s home runs on Monday came against left-hander Tim Hill, a reminder that he can still do damage from that side.
Unless something changes, the Silver Slugger should be back in the lineup Wednesday.
In Other News...
Nolan Gorman Is Forcing A Cardinals Question They Can't Ignore
Nolan Gormans path back into the Cardinals plans has been circling the same question for a while now: what do they do with a player whose bat still carries obvious upside, but whose time in St. Louis has been uneven? After struggling across 2025 and 2026, Gorman was sent to Triple-A Memphis, where the Cardinals have been able to watch him try to reset out of the spotlight while the major league club has moved into a different phase of the season.
A recent home run in Memphis does not answer everything, but it does sharpen the conversation around his next step. With St. Louis out of postseason contention, the rest of 2026 can start to look less like a chase and more like an evaluation period, and that gives Gorman a chance to force his way back into more opportunities if he keeps producing. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Walkers Absence Leaves Cardinals Waiting On One Big Answer
Jordan Walkers recent run at the plate gave the Cardinals a needed jolt, which made his absence on Wednesday all the more noticeable. The outfielder was scratched from the lineup before the game because of right knee inflammation, and St. Louis played on without one of its hotter bats while waiting for clarity on how long he might be sidelined.
Oli Marmol said the clubs hope is that Walker will be day-to-day and could be back soon, which at least offers some early optimism. For now, the Cardinals are left to monitor the knee and see whether a brief hiccup stays brief, especially with no serious diagnosis announced and Walker coming off a strong stretch of play. [Read more 🡒]
JJ Wetherholt Is Giving Cardinals Fans A Rookie Season To Believe In
JJ Wetherholt has quickly become one of the more compelling names in the National League Rookie of the Year conversation, and the latest polling only reinforces how tightly packed the race remains. The Cardinals infielder is tied with Cincinnatis Sal Stewart at 144 total vote points, but Wetherholt has the edge in first-place votes and brings a stronger bWAR into the conversation, which is enough to keep St. Louis fans paying close attention as the season unfolds.
Stewart still has the offensive numbers that make this a legitimate fight, and that is what keeps the award picture from feeling settled even with Wetherholt drawing so much support. For the Cardinals, the encouraging part is not just that their rookie is in the mix, but that he is holding his own in a race with no clear runaway, leaving plenty of runway for this to become one of the more interesting individual storylines on the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]