Thursday night in Queens left a bitter taste. The six-game winning streak died in a 5-4 loss to the Mets, but the Cardinals refused to go quietly. Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar, and Jimmy Crooks each left the yard, a reminder that the offense still carries real thump even when the result goes the wrong way. Now the club packs up and heads to Target Field, where a Minnesota Twins team is still trying to shake off its own nightmare — an 11-0 shutdown at the hands of the Tigers.
St. Louis arrives at 37-29, second in the NL Central and very much in the conversation. Minnesota sits at 31-39, third in the AL Central and searching for answers. The pitching matchups this weekend tilt in the Cardinals’ favor on paper and in recent form.
Friday night at 8:10 PM ET, Kyle Leahy (5-3, 4.42 ERA) gets the call against Joe Ryan (4-3, 3.07 ERA).
Ryan has been one of the more dependable arms in the American League, posting a 1.73 ERA across five May starts and quality starts in five of his last six outings. The market respects him for good reason. But the Cardinals’ middle of the order has solved him before. Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar, and Alec Burleson are a combined 8-for-12 with three home runs and six RBIs against Ryan in their careers.
Leahy, the big 6-foot-5 right-hander, has quietly been rounding into form. He is 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA over his last seven starts, striking out 40 batters in 35 innings. If the Cardinals’ offense keeps Ryan in the stretch, Leahy’s ability to miss bats could turn this into a long night for Minnesota.
Saturday brings Matthew Liberatore (3-3, 4.48 ERA) against right-hander Prielipp (2-4, 5.15 ERA).
Liberatore has not been dominant, but he has been steady enough to keep his club in games. The matchup favors the lefty, especially against a Twins lineup still searching for consistent contact after that ugly shutout. Liberatore’s recent stretch — including better command in his last seven outings — gives St. Louis a real chance to steal a game in the middle of the series.
Sunday’s finale features the most intriguing arm on the staff: Michael McGreevy (3-5, 2.99 ERA).
The 25-year-old right-hander owns a sparkling 1.08 WHIP across 72.1 innings. He keeps the ball in the yard and limits hard contact, the exact profile that travels well. Opposite him is Bradley (5-3, 4.02 ERA). McGreevy’s ability to work deep into games and keep the bullpen fresh could be the difference if the series reaches Sunday tied or with momentum on the line.
The Cardinals are not the same club that stumbled out of the gate. They have absorbed injuries, integrated prospects like Crooks, and watched Nootbaar return to form. That resilience shows up in the standings and in the way they battle even when the streak ends. The Twins, meanwhile, are playing from behind in almost every sense — in the division, in recent results, and in the confidence their rotation inspires right now.
This is not a must-win weekend, but it is a chance to prove the recent surge is sustainable. Leahy, Liberatore, and especially McGreevy give St. Louis three starters who can keep games close and give the offense a chance to decide things late. The power that showed up against the Mets will travel. The question is whether the rotation can match that energy and keep the Cardinals in the thick of the NL Central race.