McGreevy Pitches Shutout, Walker goes 3-4
The St. Louis Cardinals didn’t just beat the Chicago Cubs on Friday night — they shut them down, locked the door, and tossed the key into the Mississippi. Busch Stadium got a front-row seat to a classic mix of dominant pitching and clutch hitting as St. Louis rolled to a 5-0 win, their third victory in four games, led by rookie Michael McGreevy.
It all started with Michael McGreevy, the rookie right-hander who’s making it harder and harder for Oli Marmol to take the ball out of his hand. McGreevy (now 4-2) didn’t just pitch well — he carved. Six shutout innings, six hits, just one walk, and three strikeouts. Every time the Cubs thought they had something cooking, McGreevy slammed the door. And when he handed it off, Matt Svanson, JoJo Romero, and Riley O’Brien combined to lock down the final three innings, allowing only one more hit.
Not only did McGreevy pitch a gem, he also took a comebacker right in the middle of the chest, shook it off and continued to pitch:
The Cubs had their moments — 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position tells you exactly how those moments ended. A stranded pair in the second, a would-be run gunned down at the plate in the fourth, and another rally fizzled in the fifth. Each time, the Cardinals defense and pitching came up big.
Jordan Walker provided most of the offense
On the other side, Jordan Walker decided to take over the game. The young slugger went 3-for-4, launching his fourth home run of the season, driving in two runs, and sparking two separate scoring rallies. Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn, and Thomas Saggese all chipped in big hits to set the table, and Pedro Pages joined the party with an RBI single.
The breakthrough came in the second when Burleson singled, Winn doubled, and Walker legged out an infield hit to bring home the first run. In the fifth, it was small ball magic — Pages reached, Hampson bunted and forced an error, Donovan sacrificed, Herrera brought in a run with a sac fly, and Contreras ripped an RBI single. By the sixth, Walker’s no-doubt shot over the wall and Pages’ run-scoring knock had the game well in hand.
By the time the final out settled into a glove, the Cardinals had delivered a statement: the NL Central race isn’t leaving them behind. And with Walker heating up and McGreevy dealing, they’re looking more dangerous by the day.
