ST. LOUIS -- When the Cardinals stranded the tying run on third to end the eighth inning of Monday’s series-opening clash with the Phillies, the prospect of a series win seemed to dissipate before the first game of the series had officially concluded.
The Phillies' bullpen was thin that night after a grueling recent stretch of usage, yet rookie Andrew Painter was able to pitch into the sixth inning before allowing a hit.
St. Louis' late surge against a beleaguered Philadelphia bullpen fell short, and two of the National League’s top starters -- Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler -- loomed for the remainder of the midweek set.
On paper, the Cardinals were in trouble.
But in a year where St. Louis has relished its role in defying expectations, Wednesday’s 7-1 win over the Phillies at Busch Stadium to secure a series win should come as no surprise.
One day after the Cardinals eked out a win despite a scoreless effort against Sánchez, the bats came to life on Wednesday afternoon. St. Louis notched five runs against Wheeler, pinning four earned runs on the three-time All-Star as the Cardinals (61-60) propelled their record back above .500.
In the context of Monday’s grating loss, the series win over Philadelphia stood out to Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol as the latest example of a young clubhouse that has been steadfast in “flushing the previous day and taking care of business.”
“Sánchez and Wheeler, those are two playoff-caliber arms,” Marmol said. “Those are the guys you’re going to face when it matters. So, what I love about a series like this is, you were playing against a team that’s built to make a deep run into the playoffs -- and we played like one, too.”
The Cards did the bulk of their damage against Wheeler in a four-run fifth inning, perhaps buoyed by the energy provided to the dugout when rookie infielder César Prieto led off the inning with his first big league hit of 2026 -- in his 28th at-bat of the campaign.
“He needed that,” Marmol smiled. “You can tell by the reaction of the dugout, it was good for everybody. I’m glad he got that out of the way.”
Following Prieto’s breakthrough, four straight two-out hits against Wheeler turned a tie game into a 5-1 advantage. The Cards carried their consistent plate approach into matchups with the Phillies' 'pen, taking advantage of lefty reliever José Alvarado’s flimsy command of the strike zone. Alvarado walked three of the five batters he faced in a two-run bottom of the seventh.
Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy followed Tuesday’s splendid six-inning performance from Andre Pallante with another standout effort despite the sweltering St. Louis heat and humidity.
“I’ll take today’s weather any day over what I’ve pitched in so far,” Leahy joked, apparently thankful for the cloud cover. “A little overcast, I’ll take that.”
Leahy fanned six Phillies in five innings, allowing just one run to trim his rotation-best ERA down to 3.38. Combined across the pair of wins, Leahy and Pallante covered 11 innings while allowing just one total run.
“Huge for us,” Cardinals rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt said. “Starting pitching, when those guys are dialed in for us, it gives us a chance to find a groove. ... It gives us confidence moving forward, knowing that those guys are able to hold a lineup like that to not a lot of runs.”
For Leahy, Wednesday’s start marked the ninth in a row in which the first-year big league starter has held opponents to two or fewer runs. It was also the first time amid this stretch of dominance -- a 1.52 ERA over his last nine starts -- that the Cardinals have armed Leahy with more than three runs of support.
Still, his foray into a rotation role is paying dividends.
“When you give him the opportunity, this is kind of what you had in mind as far as, if this works out, what’s possible for Kyle,” Marmol said. “There’s a steadiness to his personality. There’s a dedication to the way he prepares and you combine those things with his -- I know he’s quiet, and when you guys try talking to him, you don’t get a ton from him, but this is a super-competitive dude. You put that all together and it’s not surprising that he’s doing what he’s doing right now.”
Leahy improved his record to 9-4 by outdueling Wheeler, though he doesn’t really see it that way.
“I can’t go up there and hit off of him,” Leahy said. “Nor would you want me to.”
See, Oli? Leahy’s a great quote.