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After a week of discussions during which the baseball operations group explored both short-term alternatives and long-term ramifications, the Cardinals have elected to turn to Erick Fedde, as scheduled, for a start Saturday against Atlanta.

The right-hander has struggled to regain the familiar feel and movement of his most effective pitches in his past three starts and experienced his ERA mushrooming by a run.

Manager Oliver Marmol made the announcement Thursday as the Cardinals finished a three-game series with Washington.

"We're going to give him another shot at it," Marmol said.

The choice is more layered than just a July start ahead of the All-Star break.

There is, for the Cardinals, the trade deadline to consider and not much time between this week and July 31 for trends to change.

Marmol said there was "no doubt about it" that factors beyond the mound played into the decision, though he declined to elaborate.

John Mozeliak, the Cardinals president of baseball operations, said at Wrigley Field this past week that right-hander Michael McGreevy is ready for a spot in the rotation in the majors, and he has pitched well when given that opportunity. A possibly goal for the Cardinals is to use the trade deadline to create that opening for McGreevy to spend the final two months of the season in the rotation.

Or, they do have the power to just do so sooner without a trade.

The Cardinals are open to trading several of their pitchers who can be free agents at the end of this season, and Fedde's contract ends shortly after this fall's World Series. The Cardinals acquired Fedde a year ago in a three-team swap that was finalized minutes before the trade deadline. In the deal, the Cardinals acquired Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham from the Chicago White Sox, while dealing Tommy Edman and a prospect to eventually land with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fedde, 32, had returned from Korea as a triple-crown winner there and signed a friendly, two-year deal to reestablish himself as a starter in the majors, and the Cardinals saw the 2025 half of the deal appealing.

When they made the decision to enter a "transition" year, the flexibility that Fedde offered on a short-term deal was appealing, as was his potential upside as either a starter or a trade piece to move to a contender in need of starting pitching (because there is always a need for starters at the trade deadline). Fedde will be owed around $3.5 million for the remainder of the season.

Fedde as a starter is more appealing to teams and the Cardinals than Fedde in long relief, and Fedde performing as a starter is also, obviously, more appealing for teams looking to add pitching at the trade deadline and offer young talent to do so.

The decision, however, represents an ongoing contrast for the Cardinals who have pledged to give young players a "runway" to show their place in the future of the team and yet have veteran players at prominent spots, and in this case a veteran starting in the immediate future ahead of a prospect in McGreevy.

Fedde was unable to complete the second inning Sunday night at Wrigley Field and allowed three runs on six base runners while only getting four outs. After the game, he expressed frustration with his results and his inability to trust his fastballs to produce outs. Marmol said that night and reiterated Wednesday that "there's more conversation to be had because there are other variables that play into this other than just performance."

Marmol spoke only to Fedde's role on the mound, not on the front office's plans for the trade deadline.

"My hope is that we can get on the other side of (what) his last couple of outings have looked like," Marmol said.

In 18 starts for the Cardinals this season, Fedde is 3-9 with a 4.79 ERA. He is winless (0-6) in his past 10 starts and the Cardinals are 2-8 in those games. During that span, Fedde has allowed 53 hits, 24 walks and a total of 78 base runners in his past 47 1/3 innings while striking out 28. He has a 5.70 ERA in those starts.聽

The Cardinals previously announced that Matthew Liberatore will start Friday night's game against Atlanta.

Sonny Gray has the first-half finale Sunday.

The Cardinals rearranged their rotation earlier in the week to get Gray two starts before the All-Star break and allow for him to start again early when the second half resumes July 18 in Arizona.

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With the fifth pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft, the 最新杏吧原创 Cardinals select a player they鈥檝e so rarely had a chance to pick in their history and could help shape the organization for the decade to come.

If not sooner.

Due to the fortuitous bounce of a lottery ball, the Cardinals scored the No. 5 pick in Sunday鈥檚 draft, and regardless of the outcome, it will be a seminal one for the club. Assistant general manager Randy Flores, leading the team鈥檚 scouting and draft preparation for the 10th year, called the pick 鈥渦nprecedented.鈥� For the first time since 1998, the Cardinals pick as high as No. 5, and for the first time in the six decades of the draft, they have top 10 picks in back-to-back drafts after selecting JJ Wetherholt at No. 7 overall a year ago.

This pick will also bridge two eras 鈥� it will be final first-round pick with John Mozeliak as president of baseball operations and the first to enter as Chaim Bloom鈥檚 group leads development and he takes over later this season as president of baseball operation.

This past year鈥檚 draft has already produced five players who reached the major leagues, and the Cardinals鈥� pick, Wetherholt, homered in his Class AAA debut Wednesday. The fifth overall pick this season will present the Cardinals a choice between a pitcher with college polish who could move fast and younger players with high ceilings who will take longer to arrive. During a lunchtime conversation Thursday between his meetings with scouts in 最新杏吧原创, the Post-Dispatch asked Flores if a team鈥檚 view of how soon it can contend influences the selection.

鈥淚 think that the amateur draft in baseball is so much different than basketball and football in the success rates in hits on those picks that it makes pretending that you know the impact (or) the precise proximity and you鈥檙e able to predict the injures 鈥� it鈥檚 too many variables,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淭o pretend, you risk overweighing it in your decision. It鈥檚 different than someone at No. 2 who is picking a quarterback in the NFL and you already have a starting quarterback. I don鈥檛 think baseball is there yet.鈥�

The Cardinals can count on one of the top college pitchers being available at No. 5, and it is likely that the second-rated prep infielder and college infielder will be there for the picking, too. Three years after his oldest son, Jackson, was the first overall pick, Cardinals Hall of Famer Matt Holliday鈥檚 younger son, Ethan, is Baseball America鈥檚 prep player of the year, a power-packed infielder and a possible No. 1 overall pick. It is difficult to see a scenario where he gets past the Colorado Rockies at No. 4.

If he does, the Cardinals are waiting.

Otherwise, at least one of the top college lefties Kade Anderson (LSU), Liam Doyle (Tennessee) and Jamie Arnold (Florida State) will be on the board. Arnold is considered a swift mover who could help a team as soon as 2026. Also likely to be available and assuredly of interest to the Cardinals is Oklahoma prep standout Eli Willits, former big leaguer Reggie鈥檚 son. The shortstop is one of the youngest players in the draft, and that has appealed to the Cardinals with past picks.

Other established college players, pitcher Kyson Witherspoon (Oklahoma) and shortstop Wehiwa Aloy (Arkansas), are projected as first-round picks in that Nos. 5-15 range.

Flores said he did not want to enter the meetings this week focused on five names and ordering them 鈥� certain they would get one of them. He wanted to start with a list twice that size to narrow it down and 鈥渕ake sure that we鈥檙e convicted at the top half of that board.鈥�

Proximity to the majors is a consideration but not a driving one, he said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not the thing that leads the discussion,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of it. In general, we鈥檙e trying as best as possible to evaluate the player鈥檚 career 鈥� which is impossible, but we鈥檙e trying to do so. This is a game of longevity and so you try to measure an attempt to evaluate the chance of this player having a successful career. That leads it. ... I think any time you lean too far one way on proximity, you miss out on chances like Jackson Holliday or other high school picks who have excelled, including some of our own.鈥�

When last the Cardinals had the fifth overall pick, they helped change the draft by picking J. D. Drew and signing him to a record bonus in 1998. Drew debuted later that same year and in 2003 was part of a trade that brought back Adam Wainwright, who won 200 games for the Cardinals and helped define pitching in 最新杏吧原创 for more than a decade.

It was a transformative pick for the Cardinals.

In 18 years, from 2004 to 2021, the fifth overall pick produced a player who reached the majors 17 times. A dozen of those 17 were position players 鈥� suggesting how rare surefire hitting talent is and also how few times the Cardinals have had access to it.

鈥淎 lot of pitching is development,鈥� said Flores, a World Series champion with the Cardinals as a lefty reliever. 鈥淵ou see pitchers who change drastically with increases in velo(city). You see pitchers who change drastically with changes in arsenal. You see pitchers who change drastically with changes in usage. You see growth or different arm angles. Pitching success 鈥� long-term pitching success 鈥� can happen from a lot of spots. Hitting a baseball is so difficult that I think it is less likely to have long-term, tremendous hits the further away you get from the top of the draft.鈥�

The Cardinals enter the draft with the seventh-highest bonus purse, at $14,238,300. The slot value for No. 5 is $8,134,800, positioning them to surpass last year鈥檚 club record bonus of $6.9 million. Last year, the Cardinals had the seventh overall selection and did not pick again until No. 80. This year, they鈥檒l have four picks on the first day of the two-day draft: Nos. 5, 55, 72 and 89. That gives them some flexibility to be strategic with their spending and aim for over-slot offers in rounds outside the first or second.

In the 13 drafts with a bonus limit, the Cardinals are one of four teams to spend beyond it every year and pay the tax for an overage of 5% or less.

鈥淲hat I read is the top five, six, seven or eight are unsettled, and I bet someone would ask me, 鈥楢re you unsettled by that?鈥欌�� Flores said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 actually an opportunity. If the board was set on the top four 鈥� like dead-set 鈥� maybe we would be like, 鈥極h, I wish we were in that top four.鈥� But I think the unsettledness provides us an opportunity to have our board different than another team鈥檚 board and hope that we鈥檙e on the right side of it.鈥�

Fedde gets 鈥榓nother shot at it鈥�

After a week of discussions within the baseball operations group, the Cardinals chose to remain with their current rotation, as scheduled, and start Erick Fedde on Saturday despite the right-hander鈥檚 run of turbulent starts. The decision goes beyond the results on the mound, manager Oliver Marmol agreed when asked Thursday afternoon.

Fedde had an abbreviated four-out start Sunday night at Wrigley Field and allowed three runs and six base runners. In his past three starts he鈥檚 allowed 17 runs, and the veteran right-hander is winless in his previous 10 starts. Over that time, he鈥檚 struggled with his sinker and cutter, and the lack of familiar fastball has left him vulnerable to walks and damage. His ERA has climbed by a run in his past three starts, and he鈥檚 allowed 53 hits, 24 walks and 78 base runners in his past 47 1/3 innings.

The decision to start Fedde relates to the team鈥檚 plans at the trade deadline and the possible attempt to generate interest him ahead of a move to create a spot in the rotation for a prospect, right-hander Michael McGreevy.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to give him another shot at it,鈥� Marmol said of Fedde. 鈥淢y hope is that we can get on the other side of (what) his last couple of outings have looked like.鈥�

No catch to Herrera鈥檚 return

Ivan Herrera (hamstring) began his rehab assignment Thursday with Class AAA Memphis, and the plan is for the right-handed hitter to spend the weekend as designated hitter for the Redbirds and not catch at all during his rehab assignment. If he catches at all in the second half of the season, it will be limited after two leg injuries this season, Marmol said. That puts Herrera and his .320 average and .925 on-base plus slugging percentage at DH most of the time in the second half.

The Cardinals will decide on Herrera鈥檚 availability coming out of the break based on his first two games with the Redbirds. He may be able to find at-bats at the team鈥檚 complex in Jupiter, Florida, if necessary over next week鈥檚 All-Star break.

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As Miles Mikolas navigates perhaps the worst stretch of his career, he hopes a small victory can lead to a larger one.

Mikolas starts Thursday for the Cardinals at 6:45 p.m. in the rubber game of a three-game series against the Nationals at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals fell 8-2 Wednesday as Andre Pallante was shelled.

The聽right-hander Mikolas (4-6, 5.26 ERA) is enduring a horrid stretch, an聽8.31 ERA in last five starts, three of which he has allowed six or more earned runs. Mikolas had never previously permitted six runs three times in the span of a month in his career.

He gave up a record six homers last time out, vs. the Cubs in Chicago. But he took a small amount of solace in eating innings, going six innings, which helped the team win the following day.

Turning that tiny silver lining on one of the worst days of his career into a larger measure of success is Mikolas' next task.

Before this recent nosedive, Mikolas, who is in the last year of his contract, had been performing better than expected.聽After he was shelled in his second start of 2025, Mikolas produced more than respectable results for a long stretch: In 10 starts from early April to early June, he put up a 2.87 ERA.

Since then, Mikolas has been rocked by hard contact and home runs. Comparing his last five to that earlier stretch of solid results, Mikolas' average exit velocity is up 2.7 miles per hour, his hard-hit rate is up 7 percentage points, and his batting average against has jumped from .236 to .327.

Nearly half of the balls hit against Mikolas have been fly balls in recent starts, and a quarter of those have left the yard, not a good combination. The Nationals produce pulled fly balls at the lowest rate in baseball, perhaps a sign that Mikolas could be a bit more effective.

This season, Mikolas' success has been correlated with that of his breaking pitches.聽From April 12 through May 23, opponents hit .132 against his breaking pitches. Since then, he's allowing foes to hit .333 vs. breaking balls.

The Nationals will send out聽right-hander Michael Soroka (3-6, 5.40 ERA),聽who was one of the game's top rookies in 2019 with Atlanta before injuries derailed his career. , both requiring long rehabs.

Soroka's slurve is one of the most effective breaking pitches in baseball.

Former Cardinal聽Paul DeJong will make his first appearance of the series, batting sixth and playing third base for Washington. He in mid-April and didn't return to the active roster until July 1.

The Cardinals are 49-44, third in the National League Central and 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Cubs.

Washington is聽38-54, last in the National League East.

How to watch Cardinals vs. Nationals

When:聽6:45 p.m. Thursday

Where:聽Busch Stadium in 最新杏吧原创

TV/radio: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest (); KMOX (1120 AM and 104.1 FM), other stations in the as well as .

Your options to watch: Input your ZIP code and see your choices for watching Cardinals games.

Lineups

CARDINALS

1. Brendan Donovan, 2B

2. Masyn Winn, SS

3. Alec Burleson, RF

4. Willson Contreras, 1B

5. Lars Nootbaar, LF

6. Nolan Arenado, 3B

7. Nolan Gorman, DH

8. Yohel Pozo, C

9. Victor Scott II, CF

P: Miles Mikolas, RHP

NATIONALS

1. CJ Abrams, SS

2. James Wood, LF

3. Luis Garc铆a Jr., 2B

4. Josh Bell, DH

5. Nathaniel Lowe, 1B

6. Paul DeJong, 3B

7. Daylen Lile, RF

8. Drew Millas, C

9. Jacob Young, CF

P:聽Michael Soroka, RHP

Injury report

Jordan Walker, OF (appendicitis):聽A wrist injury that also limited his playing time in June is part of the reason the Cardinals expect Walker to remain on his rehab assignment for a longer stretch than just proving his health.聽When Walker could be activated and rejoin the Cardinals is unclear as he continues to work on his timing at the plate and adjustments to his stance.聽Updated July 8

Ivan Herrera, C/DH (left hamstring strain):聽Herrera expects to begin a rehab assignment later this week. He could join Triple-A Memphis by Thursday or Friday, he said Tuesday. Herrera聽said he has felt fine running the bases and squatting. That timeline puts him in track to return after the All-Star break.聽Updated July 8

Zack Thompson, LHP (shoulder, lat strain):聽Lefty starter has begun a throwing program designed to strengthen his arm after a long stretch without much activity. The shoulder has responded well and Thompson has felt progress with this program, which had to be restarted because his recovery stalled in May. There is no timetable for his return to the mound.聽Updated June 19

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While Andre Pallante鈥檚 start Wednesday against the Nationals provided an example of what can happen when the 26-year-old starter鈥檚 pitch-to-contact style doesn鈥檛 go his way, how the Cardinals offense responded to the starter opposite their right-hander showed what has been able to handcuff them.

Trailing 3-0 in the first inning after Pallante allowed a three-run homer to Nathaniel Lowe, the Cardinals responded by pushing across one run against Nationals lefty starter MacKenzie Gore. The RBI hit, which came on a single from Alec Burleson, showed early life from the Cardinals offense before it was held mostly quiet by a left-hander once again.

In the five innings Gore pitched after his first frame, the Cardinals were limited to three hits, one walk and no runs against the lefty. Gore struck out seven batters on 89 pitches before he was lifted from his start at the start of the seventh inning. The limited offense was not enough to overcome a start by Pallante during which he allowed a season-high seven runs over six innings, leading to an 8-2 loss against Washington at Busch Stadium.

鈥淗e鈥檚 left-handed. They鈥檝e just given us trouble. There鈥檚 no secret to it,鈥� Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of his lineup鈥檚 performance against Gore. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 done a nice job against (left-handers), but he鈥檚 a good pitcher.鈥�

While Pallante had trouble missing bats as the Nationals pushed across three runs in the first, three in the fourth and one in the fifth on a 434-foot homer from Amed Rosario, Gore鈥檚 ability to get whiffs against the Cardinals came with some timeliness.

Following a two-out single from Masyn Winn in the third, Gore held the young shortstop at first base to end the frame when he got Willson Contreras to swing and miss on a curveball. In the fourth, a walk to Yohel Pozo and a single from Lars Nootbaar gave the Cardinals multiple runners on base for the first time against Gore. The scoring chance was wiped away when the lefty got Pedro Pages to whiff on a curveball below the strike zone.

When Winn kept the fifth inning alive with a two-out double that dropped into shallow right field, Gore struck out Contreras for a second time by whizzing a 95.4 mph fastball by him for a swinging strikeout. The strikeout of Contreras in the fifth was Gore鈥檚 third of that frame.

The five hits Gore limited the Cardinals (49-44) to dropped the their team batting average against left-handers to .232 and on-base plus slugging percentage to .660. After the loss, those figures, respectively, ranked 20th and 21st across the majors.

鈥�(Gore) did a nice job,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淲e were able to punch back with one with the single through the six-hole, but other than that, we just couldn鈥檛 string a whole lot together. ... We put some good swings on (right-handed reliever Cole Henry) initially, but we couldn鈥檛 put enough across the board on the righty. We need to continue to hone in on how to get better against lefties. It鈥檚 real.鈥�

Riding a three-start stretch that included 18 innings and two runs allowed, the seven runs surrendered by Pallante were his most in an outing since he gave up seven June 3 against the Royals.

After the Lowe homer, Pallante kept the Nationals scoreless through the second and third innings as four ground balls and two fly balls found gloves. When he reached the fourth inning, their contact, both hard and soft, found holes.

Nationals hitters strung together four consecutive hits and five in total to score three runs in the fourth. The production included a 109.8 mph leadoff double by Josh Bell, a double from Alex Call on a 2-2 slider that required him to chase low and inside and singles from Brady House and Jacob Adams that had exit velocities below 67 mph.

鈥淚t鈥檚 frustrating when your game starts off with the three-run homer,鈥� Pallante said. 鈥淭hen it鈥檚 like I鈥檝e got to be perfect. When an inning like that in the fourth happens, those are the ones that are going to happen to you sometimes, and you can鈥檛 allow the other mistakes to happen before that inning.鈥�

In his start, Pallante allowed hard contact 鈥� that being balls in play with exit velocities at or above 95 mph 鈥� on seven of the 25 balls put in play against him. Five of the hard-hit balls had exit velocities faster than 106 mph, per Statcast.

Pallante had five swings and misses on 100 pitches. Four of the five whiffs came on his slider. One came on his knuckle curveball. The righty鈥檚 sinker and four-seam fastball were put in play a combined 17 times.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of his (Pallante鈥檚) game,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淭here are times you鈥檙e going to get it. There are times you鈥檙e not going to get it. He鈥檚 a high ball-in-play guy, and you鈥檙e hoping it鈥檚 at people. Hard contact wasn鈥檛, and some of the soft contact wasn鈥檛 either. You鈥檙e going to have to live with those games. You go into it knowing that that鈥檚 a possibility. It is ideal? No.

鈥淗is good games, the curveball works for him. The speed difference is there. He gets ahead of guys, and contact is at people. You live and die off of the ball in play with him. It鈥檚 just part of it.鈥�

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Top Cardinals prospect JJ Wetherholt started at shortstop and batted second for Memphis in his Class AAA debut on Wednesday at AutoZone Park.

He didn鈥檛 wait long to make his introduction at the new level.

Wetherholt had three extra-base hits, including his first Triple-A home run, in his first day at the highest level of the minors.

After flying out in his first at-bat, the 22-year-old infield prospect tripled on a line drive to right field in his second at-bat, and he hit a 424-foot homer to center field at AutoZone Park in his third trip to the plate as the Redbirds鈥� No. 2 hitter. The home run by Wetherholt had a 104-mph exit velocity, per Statcast.

The Class AAA debut for Wetherholt, who skipped Class Low-A, comes after he batted .300 and had an .891 on-base plus slugging percentage in 62 games for Class AA Springfield (Missouri) and less than a year after he was selected by the Cardinals with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.

Wetherholt's debut for the Cardinals' highest affiliate came as Charlotte swept the Redbirds. Memphis lost 10-4 in his debut, and then dropped the second half of the doubleheader, 9-4, to the White Sox affiliate.

Wetherholt, the seventh overall selection 12 months ago in the MLB Draft, doubled in the second game, which he started at designated hitter. He began his Triple-A tenure 3 for 8.

While Wetherholt will remain a priority at shortstop, the expectation is that he'll also see some time at second base and perhaps third as his time at Triple-A Memphis continues.聽

Coming off one of his strongest outings of the season after tossing seven scoreless innings in his previous start, Cardinals starter Andre Pallante matched a season-high in runs allowed when he took the mound vs. Washington on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium.

The offensive onslaught allowed by Pallante began with three runs in the first inning on a homer by Nathaniel Lowe. It continued with three runs allowed in the fourth inning and included a solo homer run in the fifth inning from Amed Rosario that left Pallante with seven runs allowed across six innings in the Cardinals鈥� 8-2 loss to the Nationals.

The last time Pallante gave up as many run as he did on Wednesday night was one June 3 against the Royals. Pallante had allowed two runs in his previous three starts, a stretch that included 18 innings of work in starts vs. the Reds, Cubs, and Pirates, but saw the Nationals surpass that total five batters into Wednesday鈥檚 game when Lowe yanked a homer to right field.

Of the 25 balls the Nationals put in play against Pallante, seven were hard hit balls with exit velocities at or above 95 mph, per Statcast. Of the seven hard hit balls, five had exit velocities above 106 mph.

With Pallante鈥檚 outing, Cardinals starters have combined to allow 22 runs through 23 1/3 innings in their last turn through the rotation. That stretch has raised the Cardinals team ERA by its starting staff to 4.30 through 93 games this season.

Relivers John King (1 1/3 innings) and Matt Svanson (1 2/3 innings) covered the remaining inning after Pallante鈥檚 exit.

A Cardinals offense that ranked 20th in batting average (.233) and tied for 19th in on-base plus slugging percentage (.662) when facing left-handed pitchers was limited to one run in six inning by Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore. The lone run the Cardinals scored against Gore came in the first inning on a single from Alec Burleson.

The only other run outside of Burleson鈥檚 RBI the Cardinals received in the loss came on a single from Masyn Winn in the seventh inning. The run by Winn came against right-handed reliever Cole Henry, who gave up two hits and walked a batter in his lone inning.

Homers hurt Cardinals

Having allowed one homer in his previous five starts heading into Wednesday, Pallante was hurt by two vs. the Nationals.

The first lifted Washington to a lead. The second added to that lead four frames later.

One out away from stranding runners at first and second base to end the first inning, Pallante left an elevated 1-1 knuckle curveball to Lowe that Lowe pulled over the right field wall for a home run that had a 106.9 mph exit velocity, per Statcast. Lowe鈥檚 homer left Pallante with one of his two three-run innings.

In the fifth inning, Rosario jumped on a 1-2 fastball from Pallante to give his team a 7-1 lead with a solo home run that traveled 434 feet to left center field.

Before taking the mound on Wednesday, the only home run Pallante had allowed in a stretch of five starts that spanned 28 1/3 innings was a solo homer to Cubs first baseman Michael Busch on June 26.

The Nationals received a third home run after Pallante鈥檚 exit.

James Wood, a first-time All-Star, belted a 433-foot solo home off lefty reliever John King with one out in the seventh inning. Wood鈥檚 homer had a 115.9 mph exit velocity making it the hardest hit ball in Wednesday鈥檚 game.

Washington widens lead

In between the first inning homer from Lowe and fifth inning blast from Rosario that combined for four of the seven runs off Pallante, the other three runs the Nationals scored on Pallante came in one frame.

Led off by a Josh Bell double that had a 109.8 mph exit velocity, Nationals hitters put together four consecutive hits to open the fourth inning and tallied a fifth hit with one out to help them to a three-run inning.

Two of the hits Pallante allowed in the fourth inning came on his fastball. Two, including a two-run single from Alex Call, came on his slider.

Gore gets into a rhythm

After the Cardinals pushed across their lone run in the first inning on a single from Burleson, they were held scoreless against Gore from the second inning through the sixth inning. Their only success against the left before his exit after six frames included three hits and a walk.

A walk from designated hitter Yohel Pozo, which marked Pozo鈥檚 second walk in 88 plate appearances, and a single from Lars Nootbaar put two runners on base with two outs. The scoring opportunity ended with a strikeout by Pedro Pages, who whiffed on a 1-2 curveball in the dirt.

Winn鈥檚 two-out double on a soft line drive that dropped into right field put a runner in scoring position for Willson Contreras after Victor Scott II and Brendan Donovan struck out to begin the inning. Contreras鈥檚 at-bat ended on four pitches with the last being a 95.4 mph fastball the got the Cardinals first baseman to whiff to end the inning.

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Photos: Cardinals look for two in second game of three against the Washington Nationals

Aside from the results he鈥檚 delivered when he鈥檚 taken the mound for the Cardinals through the first half of this season, the feeling reliever JoJo Romero described as the regular season nears the All-Star break goes beyond the box score.

The feeling is one he has to go back a few years to compare it to.

鈥淭his is the best I鈥檝e felt probably since before (Tommy John surgery) in (2021),鈥� Romero said.

鈥淛ust body-wise. Recovery. Everything has been really good,鈥� Romero added pregame Wednesday. 鈥�(I鈥檓) bouncing back really good. That鈥檚 kind of the one things I pride myself on is making sure I鈥檓 available every day. Being able to have that to where I鈥檓 ready every day, on top of, I鈥檓 going to tell myself mentally I鈥檓 ready every day but also feeling it. Feeling ready every day, I think that鈥檚 been the biggest thing.鈥�

Through 34 games in his third full season after the Cardinal acquired him via trade in 2022, the left-hander has posted a 2.60 ERA in 27 2/3 innings and secured 13 holds 鈥� that latter of which ranks second for Cardinals relievers behind Phil Maton鈥檚 18. Twelve of Romero鈥檚 13 holds have come in his previous 23 games 鈥� a stretch that includes a 0.47 ERA over 19 innings and an uptick in his velocity.

Romero continued his effective stretch that began near the end of April with a scoreless eighth inning on Tuesday against the Nationals. The 28-year-old lefty worked around a leadoff single by CJ Abrams and notched strikeouts of All-Star James Wood and Nathaniel Lowe to set up closer Ryan Helsley for a save and aid the Cardinals to a 4-2 win over Washington at Busch Stadium.

When pitching on back-to-back days, which he鈥檚 done on six occasions this year, Romero has a 1.93 ERA.

The sub-0.50 ERA since April 27 by Romero comes after he allowed eight runs (seven earned) in his first 8 2/3 innings to begin the season. During that stretch, Romero鈥檚 sinker, his primary pitch, averaged 92.8 mph and peaked at 94.5 mph, per Statcast. Work in the weight room and an adjustment in mechanics have played role in allowing Romero to get his sinker up to an average velocity of 94.3 mph and allowed him to rev it up to 96 mph in 23 games since his ERA reached a season-high 7.27 on April 23.

So too has a better feeling in his body after dealing with some knee pain in past seasons.

鈥淭he last couple of years, I鈥檝e had little flare-ups in my knee here and there, and I just kind of hadn鈥檛 really felt like I had my legs underneath me,鈥� Romero said. 鈥淚 got used to throwing with that for the last two seasons.鈥�

Entering spring training as a key late-inning piece to the Cardinals bullpen, Romero said he 鈥渆verything felt really good鈥� as he went built up this spring and did not allow a run in nine innings. But once the regular season began, Romero felt like he had to retrain his body, notably his lower half, 鈥渢o move as one again鈥� as he looked to regain the velocity that evaded him and the consistency he looked to provide in relief.

鈥淚 knew it was going to be there,鈥� Romero said. 鈥淚 think it was just a matter of finding out or figuring out what the little inefficiencies were and then addressing those, which we did.鈥�

Wetherholt makes loud Class AAA debut

Top Cardinals prospect JJ Wetherholt started at shortstop and batted second for Memphis in his Class AAA debut on Wednesday at AutoZone Park. He didn鈥檛 wait long to make his introduction at the new level.

After flying out in his first at-bat, the 22-year-old infield prospect tripled on a line drive to right field in his second at-bat and hit a 424-foot homer to center field in his third trip to the plate as the Redbirds鈥� No. 2 hitter. The home run by Wetherholt had a 104 mph exit velocity, per Statcast.

The Class AAA debut for Wetherholt, who skipped Class Low-A, comes after he batted .300 and had an .891 on-base plus slugging percentage in 62 games for Class AA Springfield (Missouri) and less than a year after he was selected by the Cardinals with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.

Extra bases

Nolan Arenado returned to the Cardinals lineup with a start at third base on Wednesday vs. the Nationals. While dealing with a right shoulder impingement, Arenado, who batted fifth Wednesday, was scratched late from a Saturday start in Chicago. He was absent for his club鈥檚 series finale vs. the Cubs on Sunday and in their series opener vs. the Nationals on Tuesday.

• The Cardinals have Matthew Liberatore listed as their probable starter for Friday鈥檚 series opener vs. the Braves. Marmol did not name a starter for Saturday, which would be Erick Fedde鈥檚 next turn in the rotation.
• Sonny Gray鈥檚 winning decision improved him to 9-3 on the year, tying him for second in the National League and marking the fourth time in his 13-year career he earned nine wins before the All-Star break. His nine wins make him the first Cardinals pitchers since Adam Wainwright (12 wins in 2014) and Lance Lynn (10 wins in 2014) to earn nine or more wins before the break.

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ST. LOUIS聽鈥� The Gateway Arch Park Foundation has closed on its acquisition of the long-shuttered Millennium Hotel, clearing one of the first hurdles toward the downtown property鈥檚 potential redevelopment.聽

The foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the Arch grounds, paid $7.5 million, real estate records show. The organization used its own funds to acquire it.聽

The hotel is one of a handful of prominent, vacant buildings in downtown鈥檚 central business district that civic and business leaders believe hinder the city鈥檚 progress.

It occupies prime real estate one block south of the Arch grounds near the riverfront, an area many consider to be the front door to the region. Officials are hoping to transform the site with new housing, office space, an amphitheater, a food hall and other amenities, and are working with the developer behind Ballpark Village on the $670 million project.

On Wednesday, officials praised the closing of the foundation鈥檚 purchase as a symbolic step toward a new future.聽聽

鈥淭oday is truly a day of hope for our downtown and for 最新杏吧原创,鈥� Mayor Cara Spencer said at a press conference at Ballpark Village.聽

It will be several years before the city鈥檚 new skyline is built: The Arch foundation and its development partner, The Cordish Cos., are waiting on the state of Missouri to approve its environmental remediation plan as well as their request for Brownfield tax credits to help fund it. Ryan McClure, the foundation鈥檚 executive director, said the remediation and demolition will take 18 months to two years to complete.聽

鈥淭his is an important moment for our city,鈥� McClure said.聽鈥淲e have to get it right.鈥�

Once 最新杏吧原创鈥� largest hotel with nearly 800 rooms, the Millennium was known for its cylindrical tower and rotating, top-floor restaurant. It opened in 1969 as Stouffer鈥檚 Riverfront and later carried the Clarion and Regal Riverfront names.

Its last owner, Singapore-based real estate corporation City Developments Ltd., shuttered the hotel in 2014 and briefly flirted with a possible renovation.聽

But 最新杏吧原创 officials became impatient with the company, which had no immediate plans to reopen the hotel and which reportedly stopped communicating with officials in recent years. Last year, Spencer, who was then the alderwoman for the neighborhood, urged the city鈥檚 economic development agency to use eminent domain against the owner to push for a redevelopment.聽

Instead, City Developments listed the property for sale. Wednesday鈥檚 announcement comes nearly a year after the Arch foundation publicly disclosed its interest in buying the hotel.聽

鈥淔or the first time in 26 years, this site is locally owned and 最新杏吧原创 will have a role in its future,鈥� McClure said.

Earlier this year, the foundation selected The Cordish Cos. to redevelop the hotel site in conjunction with city officials, the region鈥檚 business lobby and independent experts.聽

鈥淲ith this project we鈥檙e going to exemplify a new set of priorities for our region,鈥� Dustin Allison, the interim CEO of Greater 最新杏吧原创 Inc., said. 鈥淧riorities focused on growth, priorities聽on people, on our future and on reclaiming our place as the best damn city in America with the best damn downtown in America.鈥�

颁辞谤诲颈蝉丑鈥檚 plans call for a 41-story luxury apartment tower, 283,000 square feet of prime office space and retail shops, a parking garage, cultural and outdoor space.

Exactly how the project will be financed is still in the works, though Cordish said private money will be used in addition to the potential to receive聽a $72 million tax break聽from the city for the project.聽

The 最新杏吧原创 Board of Education, citing the expected aldermanic action, went on record Tuesday night to oppose the proposed incentives for the project. Board member Ben Conover said the forgone property tax revenues to 最新杏吧原创 Public Schools would total about $62 million over 20 years.

鈥淲e鈥檙e getting absolutely screwed by proposals like this,鈥� he said.

The school board鈥檚 vote was unanimous.

The president of the Board of Aldermen, Megan Green, said Wednesday that her and Alderman Rasheen Aldridge will work with school officials on finding a solution that 鈥渨orks for everyone.鈥� Aldridge is sponsoring the bill for the tax incentives.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a zero-sum game,鈥� Green said. 鈥淲e can do development and also support our kids and SLPS.鈥�

It has been more than a generation since the Cardinals picked in the top five for the MLB Draft, and in a week the Cardinals have a chance for a transformative selection that could come define their next era.

A confluence of events meet them at the MLB Draft in Atlanta on Sunday as they hold the No. 5 pick a year after taking J.J. Wetherholt at No. 7, they are deep into a transition year with a new front office leader poised to take over, and they are certain to have access to one of the top three college pitchers available in this draft.聽

To capture and explore this moment in Cardinals' draft history, Baseball America editor in chief J.J. Cooper joins the Best Podcast in Baseball. With 最新杏吧原创 Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold, Cooper discusses the scope of talent available in the 2025 draft, trends that suggest where the Cardinals will look, and the upside of the talent likely available to them at No. 5. Matt Holliday's son, Ethan, is not expected to get past the Colorado Rockies at No. 4. If he does get to No. 5, the Cardinals are poised to select him. If not, there will be a high-ceiling high school infielder available, an established college shortstop available, or at least one of the three top college lefties.

Cooper and Goold discuss how the choice could reveal the Cardinals' view of their ability to contend. Florida State lefty Jamie Arnold would be a pick that reaches the majors within 12 months as more and more early picks are doing. Oklahoma high schooler Eli Willits, Reggie's son, would be a longer-term pick who might impact the Cardinals most as they enter the 2030s.

Baseball America will flood the zone with coverage from the MLB Draft that begins in primetime Sunday night from Atlanta and concludes Monday. Follow Baseball America on YouTube for recent conversations about sleeper prospects in the minors, including Cardinals' Class AA starter Ixan Henderson.聽

The Post-Dispatch will be present at the draft to bring coverage of the Cardinals' first pick and then coverage throughout the week from the All-Star Game festivities at Atlanta's Truist Park.聽

In its 13th season as one of the go-to podcasts on Cardinals baseball, the Best Podcast in Baseball is sponsored by Closets by Design of 最新杏吧原创. It is a production of the 最新杏吧原创 Post-Dispatch, , and Derrick Goold.

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