WASHINGTON — Shortly after the St. Louis Cardinals wrapped up their commanding series sweep of the Washington Nationals, Nolan Arenado offered some thoughts that Cardinals fans could probably relate to.
“We’re excited to come to the ballpark,” Arenado said. “First time in a couple years where it feels like we’re coming to the ballpark ready to win a ballgame instead of coming to the ballpark hoping for something good to happen. It’s a different vibe, for sure.”
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A different vibe indeed. With their 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals have now won eight consecutive games, tying the Los Angeles Dodgers for the longest winning streak in baseball this season. The Cardinals sit two games over .500 for the first time since the opening week of the season and are just one game back from the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central.
“Watching the growth in some of our guys … they’re getting better at closing that gap,” manager Oli Marmol said. “It’s fun to watch. Probably the thing I’ve enjoyed the most so far.”
There is plenty to enjoy about the Cardinals’ recent stretch, which has included strong starting pitching performances — such as Erick Fedde’s shutout Friday night — timely offense and a much-improved bullpen. Let’s take a deeper look as to what’s going right in St. Louis.
NADOOOOO pic.twitter.com/tBOEzCku1F
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 11, 2025
Quality innings from the rotation
St. Louis starters have recorded the third most innings in the majors (225 2/3), with only the Kansas City Royals (242 1/3) and Boston Red Sox (231 2/3) amassing more. Having a rotation that can provide length is important. But the quality of those innings matters more.
The Cardinals rotation isn’t going to blow away opponents with velocity or strikeouts, but it has quietly been one of the more effective starting staffs in the league. St. Louis starters have done so by pitching to their strengths by inducing weak contact and keeping the ball in the ballpark.
Cardinals starters rank in the top third in opposing average (.237). They’ve also allowed the third fewest home runs (20) and have recorded the most ground-ball outs in baseball (240).
It’s certainly not the most modern approach to the game (though the team is working toward inducing more swing-and-miss from its starters). But it’s been the recipe for success for St. Louis. It’s also what allowed Andre Pallante to post a bounce-back start on Saturday.
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A day after Fedde’s stellar performance, Pallante delivered a gem of his own. He carried a shutout bid into the eighth inning before getting tagged for a two-run homer by Dylan Crews. The result was one of Pallante’s best of the season: 7 1/3 innings pitched, two earned runs, five hits, no walks and a season-high seven strikeouts. It helped that Pallante entered play Saturday with the highest ground-ball rate in the majors (66.1 percent) and the Nationals have the highest ground-ball out percentage (49.4 percent).
“My personal goal was to come out here and really be aggressive in the first pitch of the at-bat,” Pallante said. “I want to get ahead. It’s something I’ve been doing a horrible job with this year, and when I’m going really good, that’s what I’m doing.”
In their last turn through the rotation, Cardinals starters combined for 40 2/3 innings while allowing just seven earned runs.
Bullpen roles are being established
Much was made about the Cardinals’ relief woes in April, and for good reason. St. Louis’ inability to close out late innings cost them direly. But Marmol feels the recent tweaks made to the usage of Steven Matz and Gordon Graceffo will lead to better consistency.
“Lately, I think (the relievers) are starting to define the roles and settle into them,” Marmol said. “You look at how (Kyle) Leahy and (Phil) Maton have done in the seventh and eighth spot, obviously (Ryan) Helsley’s your nine guy, but Matz can give you some flexibility in the lanes you pick for him for multiple innings. (JoJo) Romero is looking more like himself. Graceffo has done a nice job in his righty lane.
“It’s starting to come together in that pen, which was something that gave us a little bit of trouble earlier in the year, but the rotation has been phenomenal and the pen is starting to settle in. It’s led to some pretty clean games.”
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Sunday provided a prime example of the importance of bridging the middle innings. Miles Mikolas cruised through the Nationals lineup, allowing one earned run over 5 1/3 innings. But when Washington’s heart of the order was due up for the third time as the Cardinals clung to a one-run lead, Marmol wasn’t taking any chances. He pulled Mikolas with one out in the sixth despite his efficient pitch count of just 69 and opted for Matz instead.
Why? The middle of the Nationals’ order is comprised of three left-handed hitters and a switch hitter, making it a tough area to navigate for Mikolas. But it was the ideal lane for Matz, who retired all five batters he faced before giving way to Maton in the eighth.
“That’s a tight game right there,” Mikolas said. “Our bullpen has been absolutely nails the last eight games. You want to keep the vibes going.”
“There’s a case you can make that Matz is one of the most valuable guys on our pitching staff,” he added. “It’s incredible what he’s done, and his stuff’s incredible too.”
Matz, who owns a 1.35 ERA as he balances a hybrid role for the first time in his career, can feel his stuff play up in short stints and said he finds it easier to attack hitters in relief because he knows he will likely only face them once.
“I’ve been trying to get guys on the fastball,” Matz said. “I want to see what they’re doing with my fastball, so I’m just going to be really aggressive with them and see if they’re comfortable and go from there. That’s been my mindset lately, and I really like the way it’s translated.”
There is much to like about the bullpen in general lately, especially its ERA. Over the course of their past eight games, Cardinals relievers have combined to allow just two earned runs in 20 innings, good for an 0.90 mark.
Versatile offense finds its groove
The Cardinals have scored 44 runs in eight games, which is encouraging enough. But what has really stood out is the different ways in which they’re scoring.
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Most teams generate their offense with consistent power, but the Cardinals’ 38 homers are below league average. Still, St. Louis has been able to manufacture runs even on nights when the long ball is lacking. The Cardinals’ .261 average is the fourth-highest in the majors, behind only the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. The Cardinals are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the third-highest on-base percentage (.338).
The Cardinals are working the strike zone well. They’re tied with the Dodgers for the seventh-most walks (150). While they’re not hitting for power in terms of homers, they are still slugging — as evidenced by their 82 doubles, which ties the Arizona Diamondbacks for the most in the big leagues. The Cardinals are also capitalizing on scoring opportunities, registering a sixth-best .787 OPS with runners in scoring position — a remarkably better outcome than last season, when they were one of the worst teams in baseball in such scenarios.
The consistent play of Brendan Donovan (.318 average, .834 OPS) and Victor Scott II (.290 average, .357 on-base percentage) has helped fuel the offense while Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker work through their early season slumps. Willson Contreras entered play Sunday hitting a blistering .342 with a 1.084 OPS — and then promptly homered in the second inning. Iván Herrera’s return off the injured list should also provide a boost.
Another inning, another homer! pic.twitter.com/gjI3mG7pGB
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 11, 2025
A big test awaits the Cardinals in their next series. They’ll take on the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park for three games beginning Monday. They hope their good vibes continue.
“It seems like the energy is different right now,” Arenado said. “We’re hoping that we can continue to carry it and continue to fight.”
(Top photo of Jordan Walker and Nolan Arenado: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
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