Cardinals news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
St. Louis Cardinals beat Rockies 10-8, with Cooper Hjerpe throwing four perfect innings in his MLB.
The win caps series victories over Dodgers and Rockies, keeping a .500 team in.
Background
The St. Louis Cardinals are in the midst of a 2026 season that began with a reset, trading away stars like Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. Despite having the third-youngest roster in baseball (average age 26.6), they have remained competitive, recently taking two of three from both the Dodgers and Rockies. The team's recent success has sparked discussion about their playoff chances, even though they were expected to be rebuilding.
How it unfolded
- Sep 4, 2026Cardinals release 2027 Spring Training schedule; also lose 3-2 to Dodgers on Thursday.
- Sep 5, 2026Umpire Doug Eddings instructs Cardinals rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon to straighten his hat, leading to manager Oliver Marmol's ejection.
- Sep 6, 2026Players from both Cardinals and Rockies tilt caps in apparent protest; Cardinals beat Rockies 10-8, with Cooper Hjerpe throwing four perfect innings in his MLB debut.
- Sep 7, 2026Cardinals' playoff outlook discussed after series wins; Leo Bernal's strong start highlighted.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- The Cardinals are ahead of schedule in their rebuild, with a young roster that is still in playoff contention.
- Public
- Players' cap-tilting protest drew attention, with many Cardinals and some Rockies players participating.
Still unverified
The cap-tilting was described as an 'apparent protest' by ABC News, but no player or team official confirmed the motive.