Jordan Walker and Ramón Urías delivered clutch home runs, but the Cardinals saw a three-run edge disappear when relievers Ryne Stanek and Matt Svanson were touched up for six runs and three homers in an ugly eighth inning. The result was a forgettable 9-6 loss to the Nats.
Their bullpen a true strength of the team each of the past two seasons, the Cardinals saw the downside of having shaky relief pitching again on Monday in an ugly loss they won’t soon forget.
Up three runs after getting clutch homers from Jordan Walker and Ramón Urías, the Cards could only look on in horror as relievers Ryne Stanek and Matt Svanson were touched up for six runs and three home runs in the eighth inning of a 9-6 loss to the Nationals.
“There were a lot of bright spots, but the game sucked overall as far as how it ended,” Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol said to Cardinals. TV, while also pointing out the seven walks that his pitching staff surrendered.
“This is part of it. You regroup, point out the things that we did well and then – no different than any other day – you circle back to the things that we can make some improvements on and you keep going.”
The Cardinals let leads of 3-2 and 6-3 get away from them and they lost for a third time in the past four games. Here are three takeaways from a game that devolved into a rough night for the Redbirds:
Again, no relief from the ‘pen
A Cardinals club that traded away closer Ryan Helsley and relievers Phil Maton and Steven Matz last July has had all kinds of trouble with their bullpen early this season.
Undoubtedly, they are hoping that Monday’s game is the low point of a poor start to the season.
Stanek, the veteran reliever signed in the offseason to bring leadership and a scorching fastball to the relief corps, surrendered two singles and a three-run homer to James Wood early in the eighth. Catcher Ivan Herrera won an ABS challenge to get Stanek ahead 1-2 in the count, but the 6-foot-6 Wood shredded a 99-mph fastball in the heart of the plate for a 409-foot homer to straight-away center field that tied the game.
Wood’s 114.3-mph homer chased Stanek, but things didn’t get any better when Svanson entered. Curtis Mead touched him for a double down the third base line and Brady House followed 423-foot homer when Svanson hung a slider in the middle of the plate.
CJ Abrams completed the six-run, three-homer onslaught when he smashed a ball into the seats in left field.
Another bullpen wobble earlier in the game – this time from lefty Justin Bruihl – also cost the Cards a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning. Bruihl walked two and then allowed a 1-2 double to No. 9 hitter Jacon Young to knot the game.
Outside the brilliance of JoJo Romero (zero earned runs in six outings) and the steadiness of Riley O’Brien (zero earned runs in five games), the Cardinals have yet to find much relief from the bullpen in their first 10 games.
Pitching ruins Walker, Urias HRs
Jordan Walker, the 23-year-old slugger who is starting to live up to his enormous potential, smashed his third home run of the season when lefty Ken Waldichuk dared to challenge him with back-to-back fastballs in a tied game. Walker’s 366-foot drive left the bat at 104.4 mph and briefly gave the Cardinals a 4-3 lead.
“Jordan took a really big swing and then he stayed on that ball to right field (in the ninth inning for his second hit of the game),” Marmol said.
Moments later, third baseman Ramón Urías came through on a hit-and-run pitch and drilled a ball into the right-center gap to score Masyn Winn from first base. Urias later scored on a second sacrifice bunt in as many nights from Victor Scott II to give the Cards a seemingly safe 6-3 lead.
Urias showed his sneaky power earlier in the game when he drilled a two-run homer to give the Cards a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning. Urias laid off a sweeper on the outside edge and then turned around a fastball to the tune of 414 feet and 106.8 mph off the bat.
Said Marmol: “Urias had some really good at bats today and with Masyn in motion, him putting that ball in the gap was awesome.”
Pallante solid a second straight outing
Pallante came into the 2026 season riding an eight-game losing streak and a 10-start stretch without a victory – remnants from a disastrous 2025 season that the 27-year-old right-handed obviously hoped to shed.
Pallante won his first start of the season when he limited the Mets to just three hits over five-plus scoreless innings of work. He wasn’t as sharp on Monday night, but he still put the Cardinals in position to win by limiting damage by the Nats.
Washington struck first by pushing across two runs against Pallante in the first inning. Daylen Lile plated James Wood with an infield grounder. Nasim Nunez made it 2-0 with a hard-hit single back up the middle to plate Luis Garcia Jr.
From there, Pallante settled in and allowed just one hit over his final four innings of work.
Two games into Pallante’s 2026 season – one that has seen him change his pitch mix and add a kick-change pitch – Pallante has allowed just two earned runs and six hits over 10 innings of work. He’s struck out just five, but he’s gotten 17 ground ball outs through two starts.
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