Seven trends to watch as Cardinals soar season-best 7 games over .500

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ST. LOUIS — Phil Maton’s 1-2 curveball to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on Sunday afternoon was met with a swing and a miss and a roaring eruption from the home crowd at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals, who entered play 15-6 since May 1, wrapped up their fourth sweep of the season with another gritty one-run ballgame, this one a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The win, their 16th in their past 20 games, pushed them a season-high seven games over .500 — the highest they’ve been since Aug. 2, 2022.

Despite low projections, minimal roster upgrades and an organizational commitment to prioritize long-term development over short-term success, the Cardinals keep soaring.

Victor Scott II gives us the lead in the 7th! pic.twitter.com/uNvc9n45LT

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 25, 2025

In what has been the Cardinals’ most impressive month in recent memory, let’s take a look at a long list of what’s going right.

Brendan Donovan makes an early case for All-Star bid

Donovan’s three-hit game on Sunday afternoon was his seventh of the season and raised his average to .328, third highest in the National League. He leads the league in hits (65) and doubles (17) and has locked down the third spot in the Cardinals’ batting order. While he didn’t necessarily profile as a No. 3 hitter coming into the season, he sure has emerged as one.

“I’ve hit all over since I’ve been in the big leagues, but growing up I’ve always hit (third),” Donovan said. “And you look around at the hitters in front of me and behind me, I think there’s a real thing to that, I think that gives me better pitches to hit.”

While Donovan has always been able to hit for contact and spray the ball, he’s taken his offensive production to new heights this season. What’s led to the surge?

“I have it boiled down to a couple of things,” he explained. “But maturity, not just in the fact that I’m older, but seeing guys two, three years now, I have a little more information. I’m understanding when the right time is to take shots, because I’ve seen it and done it for a couple years now.”

Donovan has always been of high value to St. Louis because of his versatility on both sides of the ball. With the two-month mark of the season closing in, not only has Donovan been instrumental to the Cardinals’ success, but he’s also building a strong case for his first All-Star bid, perhaps as a reserve.

Nolan Arenado’s defense back to gold standard

Arenado made two game-saving plays from third base over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, he made a diving stop on a hard-hit groundball from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. that likely saved the winning run from scoring. On Sunday afternoon, he crashed into the wall in foul territory after securing a popup from Ketel Marte and finished the game despite being in obvious pain. Arenado has lamented his offensive performance this month and was moved down to the sixth spot in the order earlier in the week as he works to regain his power swing. But as frustrated as he is at the plate, his defense is again Gold Glove caliber.

NOLAN ARENADO GOES ALL OUT! pic.twitter.com/rbbdkfEBEe

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 25, 2025

“Throughout my career, I’ve always felt like I’ve done a good job at separating the two,” he said. “And I thoroughly enjoy playing defense, so that helps too. I try not to take my at-bats out there, and I have to try to contribute somehow until things change.”

“Offensively, (Arenado) is continuing to grind and I have full belief it will come back,” Marmol said, “but what he’s doing on the other side of the ball is very impressive.”

Arenado ranks behind only Pittsburgh’s Ke’Bryan Hayes in Outs Above Average (5), and is tied with Hayes in defensive runs saved (4). After two years of defensive decline, Arenado is back to reminding the baseball world why he’s won 10 Gold Gloves.

Iván Herrera becoming a staple in heart of the order

Since returning from the injured list on May 9, Herrera is hitting a brisk .396 with 14 RBI and a 1.008 OPS and has firmly planted himself as a mainstay in the heart of the order. His bat is such a threat that Marmol pledged to play him every day, even if the bulk of those at-bats come via the DH and not as a catcher. That consistency helps Herrera’s confidence at the plate, and it’s showing.

“Mentally, you know if you have a bad day, you’re still going to be in there the next day,” Herrera said. “If you don’t play every day, you put a lot of pressure on yourself because you want to do well, and sometimes when you’re trying more, things don’t go the right way.”

Donnie doubles and Iván brings him home! pic.twitter.com/SIqDazog5F

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 25, 2025

At a time when Arenado is scuffling and Willson Contreras (back spasms) has been unavailable, having Herrera’s thump from the right side has allowed the Cardinals’ lineup to remain versatile. Keeping him healthy remains a priority, but as multiple players begin to show the benefits of consistent playing time, Herrera stands out as a prime example.

“He’s in control of the moment,” Marmol said. “For his age and experience level … it’s a big deal. And he’s going to build off of that.”

Matthew Liberatore looks like a legit starting pitcher

In his latest dandy — a seven-inning, one-run affair on Saturday afternoon — Liberatore again showed why Marmol and pitching coach Dusty Blake were adamant about placing him in the rotation to start the season.

Liberatore owns a rotation-best 2.73 ERA over 10 starts. He has logged at least six innings in eight of those 10 starts (with one shortened by weather). His minuscule 3.4 percent walk rate is the third-lowest among MLB starting pitchers. He has not allowed more than two earned runs in his last eight starts dating back to April 7.

In a season where development remains the focus, Liberatore is an early success story and has arguably been the most effective starting pitcher in the rotation.

“This is awesome,” Liberatore said. “This is everything I ever dreamed of. When I got drafted, this is all I wanted to do. To be able to go through what I went through the last couple of years and make it into this position, and now have some success in it, I really couldn’t ask for more, and I certainly don’t take it for granted.”

Matthew Liberatore, Gorgeous 78mph Curveball. 😍 pic.twitter.com/C13bxOvJhC

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 24, 2025

Miles Mikolas making a turnaround

Mikolas picked up his fourth win of the season Friday night after hurling six innings of one-run ball on 81 pitches. It was his second straight quality start and the seventh time in 10 starts when he allowed two runs or fewer. He reached a low point in mid-April after allowing nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings of work against the Boston Red Sox. Since that start, he’s taken a new approach. After years of crafting an identity as a strike-thrower, Mikolas is trying to throw fewer of them — and it’s working.

Since that start against Boston, Mikolas owns a 2.15 ERA. He’s built trust back up with Marmol to start pitching deeper into games. He has reinvented his location and sequencing. As a result, he’s re-emerged as a formidable back-end starting pitcher.

“This means the world to me,” Mikolas said in regards to his turnaround. “I’m at a point in my career where all I really want to do is win. You know, this makes me feel pretty good about myself and what I’ve been doing.

“The more success you have, the harder it makes you want to work. So the better I keep doing, the harder I keep working. So hopefully this snowballs and I keep doing great.”

The Cardinals certainly hope that’s the case, as their rotation has been a surprising strength. Cardinals starters have combined to allow two earned runs or fewer in 13 of their last 17 games. While questions about the rotation’s sustainability remain, there’s no denying how effective the starting pitchers have been, and Mikolas has been a key part of that.

JoJo Romero regaining his form

Speaking of pitchers who have turned it around, Romero has found his groove again. After a rough April (when he finished with a 6.48 ERA) Romero has yet to allow an earned run in May. He credits the strength team for helping him activate his lower half in the weight room, leading to a more explosive delivery, which, in turn, has led to an uptick in velocity.

“This is the best I’ve felt body-wise probably since my UCL surgery (in 2021),” Romero said. “I feel I have everything underneath me. Doing the stuff in the weight room was really more explosive work, reminding my lower body that this is where we want to be.”

“Not really too much change,” he added. “Just a little bit of reinforcement.”

Romero’s resurgence allows St. Louis to pair him alongside Steven Matz, which has kept the Cardinals covered against left-handed hitters. The Cardinals have no plans to remove Matz from the bullpen, but they could revisit his role in early June, as the team has just two scheduled off days this month. If Matz resumes a hybrid role, having an effective Romero as the primary left-handed reliever will be vital.

Busch Stadium is starting to feel like … Busch Stadium

Historically low attendance has been a main storyline of the Cardinals’ season. But could the team’s surge encourage more fans to come to the ballpark? It sure seemed that way over the weekend. Official attendance of all three games against the D-Backs totaled at least 34,000 per game, making for one of the highest-attended series of the season.

The change in ballpark energy was noted by both the players and the coaching staff.

“I know the last two years haven’t been what we would’ve hoped for, from a club standpoint, from a fan base,” Marmol said. “But being able to see good baseball, slowly but surely, fans are starting to show up. They’re seeing the style of baseball that they expect to see.

“The crowd, they were into it. That’s what it’s supposed to sound like, and these guys are loving every second. Hearing the crowd get into it, playing at home under these conditions, it’s a hell of a lot of fun.”

(Top photo of Nolan Arenado: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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