Pre-game
The Cardinals enter their April 5th, 2026 matchup vs the Tigers in Detroit with the 10th highest runs per 9 scored in the NL, but their 5.38 average runs allowed per game is the 4th worst in all of baseball. Prior to the game, the Cardinals were tied with the Cubs at the bottom of the NL Central.
Both the Tigers and the Cardinals have .500 records. If the Cardinals avoid the sweep, they will be the team with the winning record. If the Tigers sweep our redbirds, we will have went from 4-2 on
the young season, to 4-5. That would take some wind out of the sails, momentum from the series wins vs Tampa Bay Rays and NY Mets. Kyle Leahy took the mound tonight vs Keider Montoro. I would describe Montoro as a back-of-the-rotation starter who relies on his good changeup to get outs. ERA probably will be mid 4s range. Leahy relies a lot on a sweeper that makes some batters chase pitches outside the zone. Leahy can also rely on trying to induce ground balls, and hopefully come up with some gidp. The verdict is still out on Leahy, but he appears to be a back-of-the-rotation starter experiment so far. What it is.
The Tigers have a better offense than the Cardinals, who are more of a mediocre offense so far compared to the Tigers, who have the 4th best team OPS in the AL. So far, the Cardinals offense has scored the same amount of runs as the two Chicago teams, and the Mariners. Which puts them middle of the pack.
If Leahy has a good start, the Cardinals have a good lineup to defeat Montero. If Leahy gives up 5 runs or more, I think it’ll be a total crapshoot. The game was streamed through the new Sunday night game-of-the-week host, Peacock, so if you have a Cardinals.TV subscription, the game was blacked out. So does MLB just expect everyone to subscribe to watch one game on a streaming site, or go out to a bar to watch the game? I guess so!
Cardinals 45.7% chance of winning
0-1 7.20 ERA 5 IP 1 SO
- 1.JJ Wetherholt L 2B
- 2.Iván Herrera R DH
- 3.Alec Burleson L 1B
- 4.Jordan Walker R RF
- 5.Nolan Gorman L 3B
- 6.Thomas Saggese R SS
- 7.Nathan Church L LF
- 8.Pedro Pagés R C
- 9.Victor Scott II L CF
Tigers 54.3% chance of winning
- 1.Colt Keith L DH
- 2.Kevin McGonigle L 3B
- 3.Gleyber Torres R 2B
- 4.Kerry Carpenter L RF
- 5.Riley Greene L LF
- 6.Dillon Dingler R C
- 7.Parker Meadows L CF
- 8.Spencer Torkelson R 1B
- 9.Javier Báez R SS
Well there you have it, I guess the Cardinals are the underdog in this matchup. But it could be a good game.
Top 1
To begin what looked like a chilly night in Detroit, JJ Wetherholt, a masked Ivan Herrera (looking almost ninja-like), and Alec Burleson were retired quickly by Keider Montero. 1-2-3
Bottom 1
Kyle Leahy was aggressive going up against the Tigers leadoff hitter Cole Keith, and struck him out to start the game. Leahy definitely needed to up his K rate there. Vs McGonigle, Leahy lost the battle; McGonigle worked it to a full count and then walked. Leahy recovered and then struck out Gleyber Torres! To complete an impressive first inning, Kyle struck out Kerry Carpenter.
Top 2
Jordan Walker lead off the 2nd with a single to right field, hitting cleanup. Nolan Gorman, another possible cleanup hitter batting fifth, popped up just outside the infield after fighting off a bunch of pitches. 1 out. Then Saggese flew out to right field. Walker’s hit had better placement, but similar nonetheless. Nathan Church was not up to the challenge, ending the top of the inning with a groundout.
Bottom 2
Kyle Leahy was looking good in the second until he started putting runners on base. Runners at first and second, Leahy faced bottom of the order Javier Baez with two outs. The escape artist, escaped unscathed.
Top 3
The Cardinals offense just wasn’t getting it done, but both teams had 1 hit at this point in the game. Baseball gonna baseball, would not have guessed these two pitchers would be having a pitcher’s duel, but Detroit in early April at night isn’t usually that conducive to hot hitting.
Bottom 3
Holt lead off the 3rd with a hit through the infield between 2nd and short. Leahy then struck out McGonigle with a filthy pitch that McGonigle could not connect with. However, the next batter Kerry Carpenter took Leahy deep to center during the next at bat. 2-0 Tigers. When Leahy gets hit, he gets hit hard. JJ Wetherholt almost made a super rangey, amazing play where he needed to slide and throw, making a play close that should not have been. The Tigers offense was dialing in on Kyle Leahy. But Kyle left the inning with only 2 runs allowed.
Top 4
Ivan Herrera lead off the 4th for the Cardinals and struck out on an ABS challenge. The rest of the Cardinals offense also appeared to be frozen in place in the freezing Michigan night.
Bottom 4
Leahy gave up a double to Spencer Torkelson to start out the 4th. Not a good start. Leahy however was able to retire two batters in a row, Torkelson advanced to third on a shattered bat. If nothing else, Leahy’s changeup looked real good tonight. He was just throwing too many pitches down the middle. Luckily, sometimes even when you throw a meatball, the hitter just pops out to center. Stil 2-0 Tigers.
Top 5
Finally the Cardinals got on base somehow, Nolan Gorman sharply hit a liner that bounced off the diving first baseman’s glove. Gorman on first with Saggese at the plate. Thomas worked the count to 3-2, then walked. There were 2 on nobody out for Nathan Church. Could Church save Easter Sunday for the Cardinals? 1-0. Foul, behind on the fastball. 1-1. 2-1 on another ball outside. It looked like Church had hit into a double play but the Tigers did not execute on the throw to second, which still got 1 out for them. Pedro Pages was up with 1 out, runners at first and third… it was quickly 0-2 for Pages. But, Pedro came up with a clutch RBI single! Nathan Church, absolutely flying around the bases, advanced all the way to third somehow. This moment knocked Montero out of the game.
Cardinals were down 2-1 with a runner at third base and 1 out when Victor Scott II layed down a bunt that actually worked out splendidly, because it scored a run and turned into VSii making it to first base. JJ Wetherholt popped out but moved Pages over to third. Then Ivan Herrera knocked in 2 runs byt hitting an opposite field lining looper which landed in right. Burleson was up with two outs and Herrera at first base, and grounded out up the middle. The damage was done though, Cardinals 4-2!
Bottom 5
Leahy continued with this 3rd MLB start of his career. Out #1 was an insanely high pop out to deep right center. McGonigle just missed a dinger. He retired Gleyber Torres. Kerry Carpenter up again, Leahy looked really good and went to 1-2 with another nasty changeup. 2-2 after a pitch missed low. 3-2 on a pich way outside. And Leahy just could not find the zone vs Carpenter, who walked to first. Kyle lost control of that at bat. Could Leahy retire Greene? He threw 3 straight balls. The wheels were coming off for Leahy. Finally a strike. Leahy quickly improved the count to two strikes. On the full count, Riley Greene hit one deep to center field and Victor Scott II pulled it in for the out.
Top 6
Jordan Walker was up at the plate. He struck out on a pitch way outside the zone, looking like the bad version of Jordan Walker. Nolan Gorman was up vs DeJesus on Easter Sunday and hit a dribbler up the middle. He almost beat it out because the ball moved slowly under the pitcher’s glove. Thomas Saggese was up and hit a deep one to right field but the outfielder was able to reign it in.
Bottom 6
Tigers down 4-2 still. George Soriano took over for Kyle Leahy. He threw 3 balls then a strike. Then another one missed low and Dingler walked. Leadoff hitter on base. Soriano did not have it tonight. Hsi slider ended up towards the middle of the zone, which got hit advancing the runner to third. Nobody out. This was the bullpen’s game to take. What would happen next? Tigers stole a base, runners at second and third. Pages with a terrible throw that bounced in the grass. Soriano battled back and it was 0-2 vs Torkelson. Then he threw one into the dirt which was blocked nicely by Pages. 2-2 count. Torkelson worked a full count by checking his swing at one in the dirt. Soriano walked the bases loaded, almost was a wild pitch. Pedro went out to the mound to calm down the vibes.
The Tigers got a run on what was in effect a sacrifice fly and Marmol decided to bail on his George Soriano plan for the 6th. There was 1 out with runners on first and second, leadoff man Jones was up with Romero. Saggese botched the double play but JoJo got an out. Cards up 4-3 with two outs, runners on first and third. It was McGonigle vs Romero… JoJo got wild and went 3-0! And then missed inside! Bases were loaded. Gleyber Torres was up and was 0-3 on the day… could he do anything? Romero threw a strik and two balls, 2-1 count. This time Saggese was able to make up for his botched DP, tossing the ball to second base for the out.
Top 7
The game felt far from over. Cardinals at bat. Church could not buy himself a hit tonight, or even a walk. One down on DeJesus striking out Church. Pedro Pages also struck out vs DeJesus. Buinting expert Victor Scott II flew out to left field this time. 1-2-3
Bottom 7
Romero was back out and quickly got a deep fly out to right field. 1 down. Riley Greene was up vs JoJo. JoJo struck him out! Two outs. Dillon Dingler which is one of the dumbest names I’ve ever heard… was up at the plate. Romero threw one low that he lost control of. But then Torres just ended up having a bad day and JoJo steamrolled through the Tigers offense like it was warm butter.
Top 8
JJ Wetherholt lead off the 8th inning for the Cardinals. He got a hit vs DeJesus! Who you might be surprised was still in the game. This hit knocked him out though. It was Herrera vs Seabold. Herrera took 3 balls in a row, and then four for the walk. Two on nobody out! Burly was up, having a no hit night. He took a strike, then whiffed on a pitch that dropped down out of the zone. Seabold threw another one outside the zone, which Burleson popped up to center field. Wetherholt was able to advance on this pop-out though, so it was not an entirely unproductive at bat.
One out for Jordan Walker, he held off on an away sweeper. Three balls in a row again, Walker thought he had a walk, but Seabolt caught the top of the zone. The next pitch was some junk down low though, so Seabolt walked the bases loaded, 1 out. Nolan Gorman was up at the plate. Took a ball inside that looked more like a nasty strike, but the Tigers didn’t challenge it. 1-1 count to Gorman. 2-1, then a nasty changeup fooled Gorman, making it 2-2. 3-2… Gorman popped out to left field, but it worked as a sacrifice fly. 5-3 Cardinals with Wetherholt scoring! Saggese struck out to end the inning. Not a very good day for Thomas Saggese.
Bottom 8
Ryne Stanek was in for the 8th. It was an 0-2 count vs Meadows. Then he threw 2 balls, 2-2. Meadows popped out. Stanek got a gift from the ump with a ball up in the zone, Tigers no challenge. 1-1 on an outside pitch. Stanek through a ball high, 2-2. Did he attack the zone? No, he threw it into the dirt. 3-2. Then he walked him, nibbling around the zone, but too wild. With a runner at first, Baez was up. Urias was brought in as a defensive replacement for Gorman at the beginning of the inning, by the way.
Stanek was able to strike out Baez on a nasty breaking ball just outside the zone. 2 outs. Top of the order, Jahmai Jones up. Stanek took the count to 1-2, then threw some slop in the dirt making it 2-2. Stanek tried to throw it by Jones, up in the zone, but he fouled it off. Then Ryne Stanek struck out Jones!
Top 9
It was 5-3 Cardinals. Seabold was still in pitching for the Tigers. Church had a chance to get his first hit of the day. He swung at some junk outside the zone and tapped out to the pitcher. Pages, first pitch swinging, grounded out to first. Victor Scott II was up! He got a single past second base! This brought up Wetherholt again… however Victor tried to steal and was barely thrown out. You just knew he was going to try to steal there.
Bottom 9
Closer apparent Riley O’Brien got the ball to try and shutdown the game with a 2 run lead. Quickly, O’Brien got the leadoff hitter with a nasty sinker! Gleyber Torres was 0-4 on the day, O’Brien looking good. But then he threw one into the dirt that Pages blocked with his body, spinning out of control. Riley was looking wild, 3-1 count… another sinker sunk the count to full. O’Brien blew away Torres with another sinker higher up. Nasty high heat. Vierling was up to bat, trying to make something happen… strike. Then a wild pitch. 1-1. The game ended with a weak flyout to the outfield.
Post-game
The Cardinals manufactured a win with some small ball, good pitching, and some defense. JoJo Romero gets my nod for player of the game, he really swayed the outcome and locked down some key outs. Kyle Leahy only gave up 2 runs today, which was another key to the game. The only poor pitching performance came from George Soriano, who otherwise has been good this year. The Cardinals pitchers looked to be struggling a bit with the cold, issuing 7 walks today. But the effectively wild “tactic” worked. Sometimes an MLB team is just tough to sweep, and the Cardinals were up to the challenge of not getting swept on the road by a pretty good team.
Ivan Herrera was your player of the game on offense, providing 2 of the 5 RBI today. He was 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout tonight. Burleson, Saggese, and Church all could not hit tonight, so it is somewhat surprising we scored 5 runs. Nolan Gorman, Pedro Pages, and Victor Scott II all had an RBI each. Teamwork gets the job done sometimes. Gorman and Walker were both 1-3, Jordan taking a walk so a .400 OBP is nice, eh? 15 total strikeouts between both teams.
The Cardinals go to Washington DC next and face the Nationals tomorrow night at 5:40pm!
