Kyle Leahy successfully navigated a lineup a third time on Wednesday, but the Cardinals fell to 6-8 in his 14 starts when the Padres beat them 6-1 at Busch Stadium. Leahy, who dropped to 5-4 with a 4.63 ERA, might be better served as a long reliever as the season progresses.
A Cardinals club that was aggressive in working to improve the offensive production from their catching, third base and center field positions might soon have a couple of decisions to make regarding its pitching staff.
Reliever-turned-starter Kyle Leahy pitched well on Wednesday when he scattered seven hits and struck out seven. However, he allowed three earned runs in a 6-1 loss to the Padres and the Cardinals dropped to a disappointing 6-8 this season in his 14 starts.
“If you look at the ball-in-play (data), five of the nine ground balls got through for hits, but he was still able to pitch around that,” manager Oliver Marmol told Cardinals. TV. “He made a little mechanical change that led some (increased velocity) there early and even in the sixth inning he was hitting some 95.5s and his (velocity) held better.
“I liked the way he navigated that lineup. The curveball was a good pitch for him today and he got some decent swing-and-miss on that. Overall, I would categorize today as progress.”
Leahy, who had a career year in 2025 as a middle reliever, might be better served in the days and weeks ahead as a reliever who can fortify the team’s struggling bullpen, especially as a reliever who can bridge to the closing core of JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien.
Quinn Mathews, the Cardinals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2024, has been hot of late by posting a 3-0 record with a 1.59 ERA and 20 strikeouts compared to just six walks in three June starts. A promotion of Mathews – who won on Tuesday night despite four walks in five innings of work – could provide a similar boost to the moves made by adding Blaze Jordan, Jimmy Crooks and Nathan Church to the roster in recent weeks.
Hunter Dobbins, who has impressed the Cardinals this season both as a starter and a long reliever, is another option for a third MLB call-up of the season. Reliever Chris Roycroft, who was promoted when Dobbins was sent back to Triple-A Memphis to get consistent starts, struggled badly again in Wednesday’s later innings. He allowed four hits, three earned runs and two walks in 1 1/3 innings of work that required him to throw 42 pitches – meaning he will likely return to Memphis by Thursday.
For third time, Cards fail at bid to move 10 above .500
Winners on Monday and Tuesday behind the stellar starting pitching behind Dustin May and Andre Pallante, the Cardinals were unable to close out a sweep and unable to get 10 games over .500 for the first time this season. Still, they won the season series over the Padres – one of the teams that they might be battling for a Wild Card position come October.
The Padres led 3-0 before the Cards got on the scoreboard with a Manny Machado sacrifice fly, an RBI single by Xander Bogaerts and a hard-hit liner that was misplayed by Church on a windy, warm day at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals’ only run of the day came in the fifth inning when Alec Burleson used his quick hands to turn on an inside pitch and dump it into right field to plate Church. The single extended Burleson’s hitting streak to a career-best 17 games.
“He’s just a professional hitter,” Marmol said of the 2025 Silver Slugger award winner. “He’s one of those guys who has a really good plan and really commits to it. I’ve said that a ton, but that’s what allows him to have success. When we talk about guys studying the game and studying the opposition, he knows exactly how he’s going to be attacked and how he wants to combat it and veering from it if necessary.”
Join the conversation
Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
