������Ƶ

CHICAGO — Cardinals 6-foot-8 relief pitcher Chris Roycroft grew up in Illinois dreaming, initially, about playing for the Chicago Bulls. Eventually, that dream morphed into visions of playing Major League Baseball.

So when he picked up a ball on the warning track during batting practice on Friday and tossed into the stands, it marked a full-circle moment. He also made it a point to stop on his way in after batting practice and put his signature on a ball for each young child that asked.

“It’s fun. It’s part of the game,” Roycroft said of those exchanges. “I want to inspire as many kids as I can. So it’s fun to do that. It’s awesome.”

Himself a kid who grew up in Villa Park, Illinois, and went on to play at Aurora University, Roycroft said off the top of his head he estimated he’d attended more than a dozen games as a fan at Wrigley Field. He’s probably been that child shouting for a ball to be tossed in his direction.

Friday marked his first time in Wrigley as a big league pitcher.

“It’s awesome,” Roycroft said. “I grew up coming to this stadium and watching from the seats, so it’s cool. It’s almost like an honor to be on the field now playing.”

Roycroft, who will turn 27 on June 21, took a long journey to the big leagues. His path included being undrafted out of college, two stints in independent ball separated by a period out of baseball all together during the pandemic. His last stint in independent ball came in Joliet, Illinois.

The Cardinals signed him to a minor-league contract in late June 2022. The right-hander with an fastball in the upper 90s reached Triple-A Memphis in 2023, and he began this season back at Triple-A. He made his major-league debut on May 7.

“I’ve always dreamed of this since I was a little kid,” Roycroft said. “Going up through the minors, it’s always been in the back of my head. A constant reminder. When I was in Triple-A, it was like right there. I’m like ‘Holy crap. It’s probably going to happen.’ Then it happens, and I’m here. Now, it’s like wow. It’s pretty awesome.”

Roycroft had family members in attendance for the start of the series with the Cubs, including his mother, father, stepfather and grandfather.

In nine appearances in the majors, Roycroft has posted a 3.18 ERA and struck out 12 batters in 11 1/3 innings.

He said he took a moment before the hustle and bustle started at the ballpark to soak up the scene and appreciate the setting.

“Pregame I walked out here and nobody was out here,” Roycroft said. “The grounds crew was out here. And I just took it all in, took a deep breath. I did some stretching in the grass. It was just almost a surreal moment. I was just amazed. I was just like now I’m ready to get back to work.”

Contreras stays in ������ƵFormer Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras did not travel with the club as it faced his former club at Wrigley Field this weekend. Contreras, who is on the IL, continues to rehab from a fractured forearm. He’s progressed in his daily activity to the point of catching bullpen sessions and taking batting practice. However with three day games in Chicago, the amount of pregame work he’d have been able to do would have been limited if he’d traveled with the club.

Gallegos rehabs with Springfield

Right-handed reliever Giovanny Gallegos was slated to throw an inning for Double-A Springfield against Northwest Arkansas (Kansas City Royals affiliate) in the latest step of his minor-league rehab assignment on Friday night.

Gallegos, who is coming back from a right shoulder impingement, could rejoin the Cardinals in the coming days depending upon how he comes through his outing.

������Ƶ Cardinals

What to expect when the Cardinals pick 7th in MLB draft next month

• Brandon Haynes

Minor-league

Cardinals prospect Gordon Graceffo glides through six shutout innings: Minor League Report

• Brandon Haynes

������Ƶ Cardinals

Brendan Donovan anticipated Mitch Keller's next move. He didn't miss: Cardinals Extra

• Daniel Guerrero

CHICAGO — Pedro Pages wanted to avoid the tears, but he never once tried to deny the emotionally charged moment that came with his first home run in the majors.

The Cardinals’ rookie catcher entered the day with three hits in the big leagues, two of them singles. With neither the Cardinals nor the Chicago Cubs having scored in the eighth inning, Pages smacked a ball into the basket just above the wall in left field for a momentum-swinging home run. A swing he and his father will never forget.

Pages’ solo home run in the eighth inning pumped life into an offense that had been scuffling and put the Cardinals on their way to a 3-0 win over the Cubs in the first game of a three-game set at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon.

“No, I couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” Pages said in the clubhouse after the game. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of, obviously, as a little kid — hitting a home run in a big moment. I’m glad my first one did come out like that.

“Just being able to do it in front of my dad that’s here this weekend for Father’s Day, my family that is here, it means a lot. There’s a lot of emotions still going through me. I’m just sitting here smiling. I don’t even know what to do with myself right now.”

Pages’ father, Edgar, flew into Chicago Friday morning to watch his son play and spend Father’s Day weekend with their family. Pages’ sister, fiancée, his fiancée’s parents and Edgar’s wife were all in attendance with Pages’ stepsister in route and due to arrive later in the day.

“I went out there right now to say hi to them,” Pages said. “The first thing he does is give me a hug and just starts crying. I’m like, ‘Dad, please don’t cry right now. Then I started tearing up a little bit. It’s just a big moment for us. We’ve been through a lot as a family. Just being able to be here and be a part of it, it’s amazing.”

The Cardinals (34-34) climbed back to .500 with the win, but they had to scratch and claw their way to the victory and benefited from the combination of solid defense and well-timed wind gusts in the Windy City.

Cubs starting pitcher Jordan Wicks, who made his first start since coming off the injured list with a forearm strain, left the game with two outs in the second inning due to “right oblique discomfort.”

Normally, the left-hander’s early exit might signal an easier path for the Cardinals’ offense. However, Cubs manager Craig Counsell turned to noted Cardinals nemesis Kyle Hendricks out of the bullpen.

Hendricks, who’d been demoted from the rotation to the bullpen due to poor performance earlier this season, entered the day with a career record of 13-4 and a 2.68 ERA with a 1.068 WHIP and 4.22-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 26 appearances against the Cardinals.

Hendricks retired the first 11 batters he faced, and he allowed just two hits in 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. He struck out one and did not walk a batter.

Cardinals veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson held the line while the Cubs (33-37) held his club’s offense in check. Gibson (5-2) pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just two hits. He walked one and struck out six.

“He had everything working,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Gibson. “He mixed extremely well, got some very defensive swings. He could do whatever he wanted with the baseball today. So he gave us more than a shot. That was a phenomenal showing by Gibby.”

The biggest threat to his scoreless outing came in the third inning when Cubs slugger Cody Bellinger hit a deep drive into right field. Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson caught the ball on the warning track after he had trouble finding it in the Chicago sky.

“It was right in the sun. It was like trying to catch the moon in a solar eclipse,” Burleson said. “It was right in the sun. I couldn’t see it. I threw my glove up in the sun and I told myself I was either going to catch it, it was going to be a homer, or it was going to be a double. It was going to be one of those three options. Luckily, it just fell right into my glove.”

The score remained 0-0 until Pages hit a 2-2 sweeper from Cubs right-hander Hayden Wesneski an estimated 363 feet. Pages fouled off the previous pitch, also a sweeper.

The Cubs threatened to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Gibson had thrown 88 pitches, and he’d given up just two hits. He retired the side in order in the seventh, including two strikeouts. He would have faced the Nos. 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the Cubs lineup in the eighth.

The ninth hitter, Miguel Amaya had one of the two hits against Gibson and lined out on a scorcher up the middle in another at-bat. Marmol knew he had trusted left-handed reliever JoJo Romero ready to pitch if needed, but Marmol also knew that whoever started the inning would have to get through Amaya before they got to a left-handed “lane” or hitters at the top of the Cubs’ lineup.

With the one-run lead providing the slimmest of margins to operate within, Marmol chose to give rookie reliever Ryan Fernandez a clean inning to start the eighth.

Fernandez gave up a leadoff single to Michael Busch. Pinch runner Pete Crow-Armstrong stole second base, and then advanced to third on a grounder to second base.

With one out and the infield playing in on the grass, Amaya hit a grounder sharply to second baseman Nolan Gorman, who threw home in time to cut down Crow-Armstrong with a good tag from Pages for the second out of the inning.

“We made the decision to just give Fernandez the clean inning, and thankfully Gorman came through there and Fernandez made his pitches in order for that to happen. Bottom of the lineup there, you can easily let (Gibson) face those three guys. I felt like he did his job.”

With Amaya on first, Marmol called upon Romero for that lefty lane of hitters. Counsell countered with right-handed hitting Patrick Wisdom as a pinch hitter. Wisdom blasted a 3-0 sinker left over the heart of the plate to left field. The exit velocity on the drive registered at 111 mph.

The ball traveled to the warning track in the left field corner, but the wind kept it from getting over the wall and Brendan Donovan caught the ball for the final out of the inning, which prompted Wisdom to put his hands on his head in shock as he reached first base.

The Cardinals tacked two runs onto their lead in the ninth thanks to a leadoff double by Nolan Arenado, an RBI double by Ivan Herrera and an RBI single by Dylan Carlson.

Closer Ryan Helsley came out of the bullpen and recorded his MLB-leading 23rd save of the season. The tying run came to the plate after a pair of walks by Helsley, but he struck out Nico Hoerner to end the game.

The Cardinals were last at .500 when they won the finale of their series in Cincinnati to go to 27-27 on May 29.

“I think it’s a benchmark and it’s a step along the way,” Gibson said. “We know that other than the few division leaders that have got five or six game leads, the rest of the NL is kind of stacked up right there within three or four games.

“Yeah, we’d obviously love to be ahead in our division and five games up instead of five or six down, but we feel like we’re putting ourselves in a pretty good spot right now in the middle of June to play really good baseball, win a couple series in a row and see where we’re at at the end of June. Hopefully, we’re four or five above .500 and playing really well.”

������Ƶ Cardinals

Chris Roycroft's big-league journey comes full circle with trip to Wrigley: Cardinals Extra

• Lynn Worthy

������Ƶ Cardinals

‘We’ve got a lot of dogs’: Cardinals bullpen shows how deep goes its bite in tight win

• Derrick Goold

������Ƶ Cardinals

Goold's chat: What is the future, 2025 and beyond, of Cardinals' corner infield spots?

• Derrick Goold

It's Flag Day? Have you checked the standings yet? Following closely behind the Cardinals' 3-0 victory against the Cubs at Wrigley Field and each team's 49th game this season decided by three or fewer runs, a question was presented to KMOX/1120 AM's Kevin Wheeler.

What are the traits necessary for a team to do well in so many slim-margin games?

As a guest on a brand-new edition of the Best Podcast in Baseball with Derrick Goold, Wheeler outlines two necessities for every team to thrive in close games and how doing one will help the other survive. It is vital Wheeler illustrates for a team to get more innings from the rotation so that it's asking less of the bullpen in close games, and that will help keep the bullpen fresh to turn those close games into victories. This is how teams can get friendly with the confines of close games.

During a 4-3 home stand and again as they opened a Father's Day weekend series at Wrigley, the Cardinals showcased some of the developing depth in the bullpen that is helping them hold leads and secure slim victory. Ryan Fernandez has emerged with holds in consecutive games; Matthew Liberatore's return to the bullpen gives the Cardinals a third setup lefty and one with strikeout stuff at his best; and Chris Roycroft, only a few years removed from independent ball, has intrigued the Cardinals with his power stuff and movement. Or, as one teammate put it, "filth."

The Cardinals returned to .500 with the victory and should they spillover for the first time in more than a year, they'll be one of the few teams in the National League with a winning record.

Wheeler and Goold discuss if that's fallout from the consolidation of spending and power at only a few NL spots, such as Dodger Stadium and South Philadelphia. If those teams are collecting the highest-dollar stars in the NL what does that mean for the remainder of the standings and how do teams keep up as that spending gap grows into a standings gap. Wheeler suggests that a lot can be learned from NL Central-leader Milwaukee and how the Brewers have kept ahead without spending too much. It's an example of how the division, bunched-up and sometimes confusing mediocrity for parity, will be decided.

What team gets its stars to shine the brightest the soonest?

That list would include Cubs Dansby Swanson just as it could be asked of the Cardinals' cornerstones Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras, who is on the injured list with a fractured arm. That list would also include Cardinals starter Sonny Gray, whose bounce-back start helped Cardinals to a winning home stand. And all of that brings the conversation back around to one way for a team to thrive in so many close games.

Play fewer of them.

Score more runs to avoid them.

Also discussed in this episode of BPIB is the Cardinals' visit to Rickwood Field later this month for the first National League regular-season game at the nation's oldest ballpark.

The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design of ������Ƶ, is a production of the ������Ƶ, , and baseball writer Derrick Goold.

2 truths and an underlying question: Revealing trends in Cardinals’ riveting loss to Bucs

Miles Mikolas and rookie Paul Skenes combined for a compelling pitchers due to continued two positives for two Cardinals and one recurring question for club. 

Paul Skenes, Miles Mikolas duel perfectly before Pirates walk away with win vs. Cardinals

All the runs in 2-1 loss came in the ninth after Miles Mikolas was perfect through five, no-hitting Pittsburgh through six, going zero for zero with Bucs rookie Paul Skenes.

-

-

The Cardinals find themselves in an unfamiliar spot — one they have not experienced in more than a quarter century.

For the first time since 1998, when they selected outfielder J.D. Drew with the fifth pick, the Cardinals will make a top 10 selection in the MLB draft.

A 71-91 finish in 2023, the fifth-worst mark in the the majors and the lack of lottery luck means the Cardinals own the seventh pick in this year’s draft, which is set from July 14-16 in Arlington, Texas.

The selection will represent just the 12th time in team history the Cardinals have picked in the top 10. It also will signify the highest draft pick assistant general manager Randy Flores has made since he started overseeing the team’s amateur draft as director of scouting in 2015.

Flores, brought in ahead of the 2016 season, has assisted in making 10 first-round selections, three of which were compensatory picks, for the Cardinals.

Four of those selections — Nolan Gorman (2018), Jordan Walker (2020), Dylan Carlson (2016) and Delvin Perez (2016) — were high school prospects. The remaining picks were players from four-year universities, but none of them currently have a place on the Cardinals major-league active roster.

There is an even split between pitchers and position players drafted across that span, but the Cardinals have selected three pitchers in the past five seasons — Cooper Hjerpe (2022), Michael McGreevy (2021) and Zack Thompson (2019). All are in the minor leagues.

Even with the talent that exists in the Cardinals’ minor league system, MLB Pipeline named the farm system the before the season began. Aiming to replenish their system, the Cardinals will turn to the seventh pick in hopes of landing an impact player for the future.

History of 7th pick

A slugger inducted in 2014 to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and one of the most dominant left-handers this century headlines the top talent selected with the draft’s seventh pick.

Former White Sox star first baseman and designated hitter Frank Thomas (1989) and current Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw (2006) were taken No. 7, quickly becoming franchise cornerstones.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2005), outfielder Nick Markakis (2003), starting pitcher Aaron Nola (2014), first baseman Prince Fielder (2002) and left-hander Max Fried (2012) are among a number of players also drafted in that spot who had major league success this century.

Excluding the three most recent No. 7 picks, only 11 prospects who signed with a team failed to make the major leagues. Only one of those players — Trey Ball of the Red Sox (2013) — has failed to do so in the past 20 years.

In team history, the Cardinals have selected No. 7 twice — in 1966 and 1984.

The first of those selections was infielder Leron Lee, an infielder high school infielder from Sacramento, California. He played three seasons for the Cardinals with a .222 average, seven home runs and 25 RBIs and later played with the Padres, Indians and Dodgers as part of his eight-season big league career in which he hit 31 homers, drove in 152 runs and hit .250.

In 1984, the Cardinals plucked right-handed pitcher Mike Dunne from Bradley University. He never played for the team, though, as he was included with Andy Van Slyke and Mike LaValliere in a trade to the Pirates for catcher Tony Pena on April 1, 1987. Dunne debuted with the Pirates in 1987, compiling a 25-30 record with a 4.08 ERA in his five big-league seasons.

Key trends

Although each draft and teams’ preferences change from year to year, the seventh pick has a couple of interesting patterns that paint a picture of what to potentially expect from the Cardinals.

The No. 7 slot has become synonymous with pitching as of late, with 14 of the past 20 picks being hurlers. Of them, eight were left-handed pitchers and six were college players.

Only one non-pitcher has been selected with the seventh pick across the past six drafts — Pirates shortstop Nick Gonzales in 2020, a draft shortened to five rounds because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A pitcher has been taken in that spot in each of the past three seasons — Rhett Lowder (Reds), Cade Horton (Cubs) and Frank Mozzicato (Royals).

In a draft class this year that includes a handful of potential frontline starters, the Cardinals have an opportunity to land an impactful one. Wake Forest right-hander Chase Burns, Arkansas southpaw Hagen Smith, Saguaro (Arizona) High School lefty Cam Caminiti and East Carolina righty Trey Yesavage are potential options.

If the Cardinals opt to draft a player from a four-year university, it would continue a more recent trend of college selections over prep players at the seventh pick.

A total of 32 high school players have heard their names called for that slot, but only three of those have come in the past decade. In the past 20 drafts, nearly the same number of four-year college prospects (12) were selected as in the first 38 years of the draft (14).

Of the past eight prep players drafted with the seventh pick, each one was selected as a pitcher.

Under Flores, the Cardinals have selected five pitchers in the first round, all of whom came from a four-year university, two out of Southeastern Conference programs.

Financial outlook

The Cardinals will have a draft bonus pool of $10,213,000 with which to sign their picks, which is the 17th-most in MLB. Each team is given a bonus pool dependent on the value of the slot they pick at and how many selections they have in each draft.

In the 12 drafts with bonus pool rules, though, the Cardinals are one of the few teams that have overspent their assigned purse each time. Clubs that spend beyond allotted pay bonuses are assessed a 75% tax based on what percentage they spend beyond their allotted total. Penalties worsen if the overage exceeds 5%.

For their first-round pick in particular, the Cardinals are allotted a bonus pool of $6,823,700. The Reds, who had a first-round bonus pool of $6,275,200 last season, signed Lowder to a signing bonus of $5.7 million, the highest bonus for any seventh pick in history.

A common tactic by teams is to spend less than the assigned value for the top choices, allowing them to reallocate unused bonus to another player in a different round. That allows them to offer a player over-slot payment to woo them from a college commitment, as an example. The Reds did that with their saved spending, and the Cardinals will be able to negotiate their own bonus with whoever they select seventh.

That high in the draft, teams prefer to be confident of the price and that a deal can be reached before making the pick. If unable to sign a player drafted that high, the team will get a similar pick the next year.

In the 2023 MLB draft, high school players edged out college draftees in their average bonuses. However, of the draft picks who were selected among in the top 28 of the first round, 12 signed at or above their slot value, with eight of them being players from four-year universities.

������Ƶ Cardinals

Brendan Donovan anticipated Mitch Keller's next move. He didn't miss: Cardinals Extra

• Daniel Guerrero

������Ƶ Cardinals

A rocky start centered Cardinals’ Sonny Gray and he kept his word. ‘Practice what you preach.’

• Derrick Goold

������Ƶ Cardinals

Kyle Gibson, Cardinals travel to battle rival Cubs in Friday matinee: First Pitch

• Staff report

������Ƶ Cardinals

Chris Roycroft's big-league journey comes full circle with trip to Wrigley: Cardinals Extra

• Lynn Worthy

������Ƶ Cardinals

Cardinals, with Andre Pallante on hill, can top .500 with win vs. Cubs: First Pitch

• Staff report

How to watch Sunday’s game

Wanting to tune into Sunday’s Cardinals game? The good news is that it’s free to watch. You’ll have to watch it on Roku, thanks to MLB’s new broadcast deal.

The game vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field is the team’s second appearance on Roku, part of MLB’s new streaming deal. Starting time was moved up to 12:05 p.m., more than an hour earlier than the usual Sunday afternoon start time at Wrigley.

The game is available for free and without an account. Here’s how to watch:

If you have a Roku device, the game is available on your home screen. Or by searching “MLB Leadoff.”

On smart TVs and other streaming players, search for the apps section, then search for “The Roku Channel” and install it. Once you’ve got the app installed, search “MLB Leadoff.”

The Roku Channel is accessible on Amazon Fire devices, Samsung TVs and Google TVs.

On the web via a computer, the game is available at . Here’s a .

On a cellphone or tablet, you’ll need to download the Roku App via the or the . Then search “MLB Leadoff.”

If you already have an or MLB Extra Innings subscription, the game is available there for free and without blackout restrictions worldwide using the MLB app or your cable system as you would any other game.

Sunday’s game will feature Cardinals broadcaster Chip Caray on play-by-play with Cubs broadcasters Jim Deshaies (analyst) and Elise Menaker (reporter) rounding out the crew.

If you want to watch it later, a full game replay will be available to stream via the above methods six hours after the game ends.

This is the final scheduled Cardinals appearance on Roku, whose MLB deal runs on Sundays through Sept. 15.

The Cardinals’ game on May 19 at home vs. Boston previously aired on Roku, the first game in the MLB/Roku deal.

After giving up 12 runs across his past three starts, Cardinals prospect Gordon Graceffo rebounded with one of his most complete outings for Class AAA Memphis on Tuesday at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia.

Graceffo picked apart Norfolk's offense across six shutout innings, striking out seven and giving up just three hits in Memphis' 5-3 win. The right-hander retired seven of the first eight batters he faced and capped his day with a perfect sixth inning, during which he struck out two.

Graceffo threw 58 of his 91 pitches for strikes. 

The six shutout innings were a season-best for Graceffo, who had given up at least one run in 11 of his 12 starts this season. Graceffo's only other scoreless start came in a five-inning effort against Nashville on April 12.

A key to success for the former fifth round pick in the 2021 MLB draft was his utilization of off-speed pitches. Of the three hits Graceffo gave up, only one came against an off-speed pitch — a single by Norfolk's Connor Norby on a slider in the third inning. 

Graceffo deceived opposing hitters with his curveball (44% whiff rate) and changeup (43%), using those pitches to complement his fastball and slider combination. Overall, Graceffo generated a 24% whiff rate on 45 swings. 

With the performance, the Cardinals' eighth-rated prospect improved to 7-5 and picked up his third win in as many games. Graceffo also lowered his season ERA to 4.11, the lowest mark he has held since May 21.

Infielder Thomas Saggese, Class AAA Memphis: The 2023 Texas League MVP extended his hitting streak to six games with a two-run single in the fourth inning of the Redbirds' victory over Norfolk. Saggese's single pushed Memphis' first two runs of the game across the plate. Although Saggese has hit safely in eight of 10 games in June, he has yet to record a multi-hit game since May 29. Following his 1-for-4 day, Saggese's season average dipped to .229 alongside a .296 on-base percentage and .695 on-base plus slugging mark. Saggese is specifically struggling when falling behind in counts (.214 average), looking like a much different hitter than when he is ahead (.313). 

Catcher Leonardo Bernal, Class High-A Peoria: In a game suspended in the fourth inning due to inclement weather, the Cardinals' seventh-rated prospect had a two-run double in his lone at-bat against South Bend at Dozer Park. Following a one-out walk and a single, Bernal stepped to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and lined a double into left field to give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. A throwing error on the play allowed Bernal to advance to third base, and he then scored on an RBI single by Alex Iadisernia. Bernal, who has shown offensive improvement in each of his first four seasons, also pushed his RBI total this season to 31, which is only 13 RBIs away from his single-season high set last year. The double, his ninth of the season, came against a right-handed pitcher. Bernal has struggled against righties this season, hitting to a .242 average, whereas he owns a .366 average against southpaws.

Left-handed pitcher Pete Hansen, Class High-A Peoria: The third-round selection in the 2022 MLB draft had a bounce-back performance against South Bend, tossing 3⅓ shutout innings with two strikeouts, before his start was cut short due to inclement weather. Hansen, who walked four batters in his previous start, did not issue a walk in his rain-shortened effort. The left-hander set down the first eight South Bend hitters he faced before giving up a two-out single in the third inning. Hansen allowed just two hits and threw 37 of his 58 pitches for strikes. 

Outfielder Bryan Torres, Class AA Springfield: The reliable leadoff hitter continued his efficient season with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate against Northwest Arkansas at Hammons Field. Torres reached on a pair of singles and also scored a run in Springfield's 14-3 loss. The Texas League's second-best hitter for average (.326) recorded his 19th multi-hit game of the season, including his third in June. Both of Torres' hits came against right-hander Mason Barnett, who held the rest of Springfield's lineup to three total hits. Torres reached base a third time on a walk in the seventh inning. 

Left-handed pitcher Ixan Henderson, Class A Palm Beach: The Cardinals' eighth-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft hurled one of his most dominant performances of the season against Daytona. Henderson tossed six one-hit innings, striking out seven and walking one. It was Henderson's first start of more than five innings and marked the fifth time this season he has eclipsed five strikeouts. Henderson did not factor in the decision, but he lowered his season ERA to 2.72.

‘We’ve got a lot of dogs’: Cardinals bullpen shows how deep goes its bite in tight win

Without Ryan Helsley to close and almost five innings to cover, young relievers shined, and Chris Roycroft snagged his first MLB win in 4-3 victory vs. Pirates.

Brendan Donovan anticipated Mitch Keller's next move. He didn't miss: Cardinals Extra

To cap a productive homestand, Brendan Donovan belted a solo home run off Pirates starter Mitch Keller to help the Cardinals to a 4-3, series-clinching win.

All the Cardinals relievers could count on for sure was if it was a close game Thursday, there would be no bells ringing, no AC/DC playing to herald the arrival of closer Ryan Helsley, and that it would be a close game.

Because they all inevitably are these days.

“Business as usual,” setup man Andrew Kittredge said.

A homestand that featured seven games all decided by four or fewer runs and three losses by a combined three runs reached its predictable conclusion with another tightrope for the bullpen to walk. Only, due to his recent usage, it would perform this high-wire act without its headliner, Helsley. The stage belonged Thursday to the understudies — and they shined.

Five relievers, including two rookies, pitched 4⅔ scoreless innings to first stall the Pirates and then preserve a 4-3 victory against Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer in the third for the early lead that was misplaced. Brendan Donovan’s tie-breaking solo home run in the sixth made a winner of rookie Chris Roycroft for the first time in the majors, just two years after the former college basketball player was pitching in an independent league. Kittredge closed out the ninth for his first save as a Cardinal a day after collecting his 18th hold.

The vulcanized bullpen secured a series win for the Cardinals against the Pirates for the first time since 2022 and bound it tight with the narrative thread of 2024.

The Cardinals improved to 10-9 in one-run games and played in their 53rd of 67 games decided by four runs or fewer. Of their 33 wins, 30 have come by four runs or fewer.

Close games mean a busy bullpen.

The relievers may have changed Wednesday. Their task did not.

“It makes you better for when it matters,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “It allows you to learn how to play in close games. And when you go down the stretch, that’s what matters. Your ability as a team to not panic when you’re down one or down two or you have to hold a one-run lead from the fifth inning on. I think it does build character, and we will benefit from that here in the next several months.”

Certain they would avoid Helsley and wishing to go a day without needing lefty setup man JoJo Romero, Marmol, pitching coach Dusty Blake and other members of the staff discussed before the series finale the different scenarios and “lanes” for available relievers.

Marmol has been gradually ratcheting up the pressure of Roycroft’s appearances because of how intrigued the coaches are with his stuff. Opponents, too. Houston’s Alex Bregman asked Roycroft “who he is and where he’s coming from because he’s gross,” said lefty Matthew Liberatore.

Ryan Fernandez, the Cardinals’ Rule 5 pick plucked from Boston’s organization, and Liberatore would have a prominent late-inning spots.

The preference was for starter Lance Lynn to pitch so deep he made those decisions.

“Left a decent outing on the table by not getting out of the fifth,” the veteran starter said after his third consecutive start without completing the fifth inning. His outing ended a streak of four consecutive quality starts for the rotation. “Bullpen picked me up, like they’ve been doing all year.”

Lynn did not allow a hit until the fourth inning and had the Pirates scoreless going into the fifth. Walks to the Nos. 7 and 9 hitters began to unravel the inning, and by the time one ball became an RBI single when it hit him, Lynn’s outing was at its end. The Pirates had a run in and the bases loaded for No. 3 hitter Oneil Cruz. The choice was to reach into the bullpen in that moment and pull out lefty John King to face the left-handed-hitting Cruz, who greeted the lefty with a two-run single and a tie game, 3-3.

The ex post facto question was posed by the manager after the game.

“If I’m being completely honest, I wish I would have let him work through it and see what that looked like,” Marmol said of Lynn. “I felt like he could have walked off the mound himself with the score still in our favor. But I don’t mind the matchup of a high-ground-ball guy in King getting the double play there. That’s a spot there where there’s an argument for letting him work through it.”

The Cardinals’ innings-eating rotation has been decidedly average when it comes to ingesting its helpings. A handful of short starts and an abundance of close games have shifted much of the leverage to the bullpen. Cardinals relievers’ total innings are slightly below average in bulk and their 49 holds — the save equivalent for middle innings — are the most in the National League. There are only three relievers in the majors with more than 17 holds this season. Romero (19) and Kittredge (18) are two of them.

Of the ways to keep a bullpen fresh and vital and avoid ruptures, the most obvious is more innings from the starters. But alternatives exist. A bullpen with interchangeable talent that does not have to rely on a three-man recipe for late innings, that doesn’t encounter turbulence when relievers must try new roles can help save its peers.

When the show must go on, understudies are essential.

“That’s the goal because you don’t want it to be sects of the bullpen,” Kittredge said. “You want it to be one unit and everyone is pulling for everyone no matter what the situation is. I think when you get guys who can get into the experience of leverage, it makes the whole unit so much better because it doesn’t have to be a certain way. A lot of times, games don’t go the way you plan them to. It helps when guys have had that opportunity to pitch in those situations when they’re asked to do it again.”

After King allowed two of his inherited runners to score and knot the game, the Cardinals bullpen barely blinked again.

Assigned the eighth inning of a one-run game, Fernandez walked the third batter he faced, but he struck out the other three. Once King got an inning-ending double play in the fifth and Roycroft (1-0) came in for the sixth, the Bucs did not get a runner safely to second. And not a pitch was thrown by Romero or Helsley.

“We have everybody down in that ’pen who can get in any of the situations that we put them in,” Fernandez said. “All the guys are throwing really well down there. We’ve got a lot of dogs down in that bullpen. We’re backing it up.”

Said Donovan: “I’m just glad I’m one of the ones playing behind them and not the one in the box. You’ve got some funk. You’ve got some power. It’s just a different look from each guy.”

It’s so much of the same look from each game.

The Cardinals finished the homestand 4-3, with their wins coming by one-, two-, three- and four-run gaps. Through 67 games and back again on the precipice of .500, the Cardinals have the smallest average margin of victory in the National League at 2.53.

They’ve played 48 games (71.6%) decided by three or fewer runs. That ties for the most in the majors with ... the Cubs, who host the Cardinals for three-games this weekend at Wrigley Field. Where close can be a given.

Confines is in the place’s nickname.

Maybe the practice can pay off.

“Yeah, if we win them,” Goldschmidt said. “Hopefully, (in) some of these close games we can find a way either to come back or open them up. We are getting used to it. It’s not by design. Tight game is something we’re definitely getting used to.”

������Ƶ Cardinals

Brendan Donovan anticipated Mitch Keller's next move. He didn't miss: Cardinals Extra

• Daniel Guerrero

Minor-league

Cardinals prospect Cooper Hjerpe allows five runs in Class AA debut: Minor League Report

• Daniel Guerrero

������Ƶ Cardinals

A rocky start centered Cardinals’ Sonny Gray and he kept his word. ‘Practice what you preach.’

• Derrick Goold

Photos: ������Ƶ Cardinals defeat Pittsburgh Pirates

Once he found himself ahead 2-1 in his at-bat against Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller in the sixth inning Thursday, Cardinals utilityman Brendan Donovan had an idea of what might be thrown his way next.

Facing Keller for a third time in the series finale, Donovan knew Keller could challenge him with a cutter in that spot. He saw the righty do that on the first pitch of their duel in the fourth inning, then once again on the third pitch he saw in the sixth inning, which he fouled over the screen behind home plate.

Anticipating he could see the pitch once more, Donovan knew he couldn’t miss it.

He didn’t.

When another Keller cutter was thrown his way, Donovan lifted a fly ball to right field for a leadoff home run that proved to be the deciding run in a 4-3 Cardinals win.

“He came back with it,” Donovan said. “I was just thinking, ‘I got to be a little bit more out in front on it,’ and I caught it good.”

The home run was Donovan’s fifth of the year and first since providing a go-ahead home run on May 7 against the Mets. It bookended a strong homestand for the 27-year-old.

Across seven games — four against the Colorado Rockies and three against the Pirates — Donovan went 9 for 26 (.346) with two RBIs. He hit safely in all seven games.

“There’s a calmness to him (Donovan),” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s been working hard at just being hard through the middle. We saw several counts throughout this series where he’s picked his spot and took some aggressive swings. He ran into one today.”

The seven-game stretch at Busch Stadium lifted Donovan’s batting average from .236 to .248 as ������Ƶ travels for road games against the Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins and a “home game” in Alabama — Donovan’s home state — to play the Giants at Rickwood Field in Birmingham.

Donovan feels the production that peaked through during the seven-game stretch has been present all season but limited by “tough luck.” The third-year player who ranks among MLB’s best in both whiff rate and strikeout rate batted .228 in his first 50 games. That start included a .255 expected batting average, per Statcast.

Donovan explained that he’s been committed to a “crisp” hitting routine and came into Thursday with a .333 average and a 54.1% hard-hit rate in 42 at-bats prior to the series finale.

The process has been “pretty frustrating” and included “little wins” along the way.

“You take little mini-victories and you can stack as many little mini-victories on top of each other and not worry about the results. I feel like the results will be there at the end of the year,” Donovan said.

Arenado OK after bruising pitch

Third baseman Nolan Arenado, who had three consecutive multi-hit games coming into Thursday’s finale, was struck on the right hand by a pitch in the eighth inning. Home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi ruled that Arenado swung through on the pitch and struck out instead of earning the base with a bruise.

Arenado had X-rays taken at the ballpark while the Cardinals secured the 4-3 victory, and they did not reveal any damage, Marmol said. Arenado was diagnosed with a bone bruise. His status for Friday’s series opener at Wrigley Field will be decided once the team sees that day if there’s any swelling or stiffness.

During the homestand, Arenado went 8 for 24 (.333) with three RBIs and a series of defensive plays, including two throws on the run from foul territory, that will be on the 2024 highlight reel.

Parade of pitchers heads to Springfield

Steven Matz’s start Sunday will conclude a weekend of rehab arrivals and appearances at the Cardinals’ Class AA affiliate in Springfield, Missouri.

By the time Matz aims for around 50 pitches Sunday in his next rehab game, two relievers recovering from injury will have pitched in games, and a third will be getting close to games after facing Springfield Cardinals batters in a controlled setting.

Nick Robertson (elbow inflammation) will throw a live batting practice Friday in Springfield. That night, Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder impingement) will continue his rehab assignment with an inning of work — and if he recovers well and pitches well, his next appearance could be in the majors. On Saturday, Riley O’Brien (flexor tendon) will officially begin his rehab assignment with an inning of work for the S-Cardinals.

The start on Sunday for Matz (lower back) is significant because how he recovers from the increase in pitches will determine if he repeats that target or increases it by 15 the next time out. That would put him closer to a baseball decision based on effectiveness.

Contreras, Nootbaar, etc.

Willson Contreras (fractured arm), who has been described as “eager” to push the timetable for his return, took batting practice in the cages adjacent to the Cardinals clubhouse and will advance through a hitting program based on how he recovers. He said he’ll likely workout at Busch Stadium while the team goes to Wrigley Field so that he can get the necessary treatment and workouts with an eye on a rehab assignment on or around June 18.

• Lars Nootbaar (oblique strain) could be swinging a bat by this weekend after successfully going through a series of workouts and baseball activities this week that tested the recovery of his torso muscle.
• Pirates reliever Hunter Stratton left in the eighth inning after facing one batter with an apparent arm injury. After striking out Arenado on the pitch that hit the third baseman, Stratton pointed to his shoulder and biceps area to call for a trainer. The Pirates did not disclose the specific injury during the game.

Post-Dispatch reporter Derrick Goold contributed to this report.

������Ƶ Cardinals

‘We’ve got a lot of dogs’: Cardinals bullpen shows how deep goes its bite in tight win

• Derrick Goold

������Ƶ Cardinals

A rocky start centered Cardinals’ Sonny Gray and he kept his word. ‘Practice what you preach.’

• Derrick Goold

������Ƶ Cardinals

2 truths and an underlying question: Revealing trends in Cardinals’ riveting loss to Bucs

• Derrick Goold

������Ƶ Cardinals

How rookie Pedro Pages has looked to stay ready in backup catcher role: Cardinals Extra

• Daniel Guerrero

Photos: ������Ƶ Cardinals defeat Pittsburgh Pirates