John Bacon got eight calls overturned yesterday and ABS could have dinged him for *ten* more. It was a disasterclass in real time.

Marmol says Hunter Dobbins will indeed start for the Cardinals Thursday in Pittsburgh. May, Leahy, Pallante ahead of him.

For the first time in 2026, the Cardinals are swept. Michael McGreevy provided exactly the start they needed, but without another offensive outbreak, the bullpen again leaked just enough for a loss. They're off to Pittsburgh for four.

After Refsnyder secures the *eighth* ABS overturn of the day on a pitch not particularly close, he parks a solo homer in the Seattle bullpen for a 3-2 Mariners lead in the ninth.

John Bacon's seventh ABS overturn of the day is a pretty big one from Ryne Stanek, turning a leadoff walk ahead of Raleigh in the eighth into a punch out.

Two-out double by Joe and a floating single by Young on an 0-2 count conspire to tie the game at two in the seventh.

Turns out there is in fact Church on Sunday. Third homer in two days gives the Cardinals (and McGreevy) a 2-1 lead in the sixth.

Big strikeout of Arozarena with two on and two out sends Michael McGreevy away from the mound after the sixth on 98 pitches. Allowed a solo homer to Raleigh and that's all. Cardinals have Fernandez, Romero, Stanek and Svanson behind him to finish what is currently a tie game.

Urías is plugged in the arm and he walks to first cradling it, in conversation with Adam Olsen. It did not make a very fun sound. And now the Mariners are checking on Hancock's hand.

Been a little bit since I dropped in an obsequious reminder that monthly subscriptions to Words About Birds are still more than available. Today would be a good day to dive in, because the skipper showed up ready to rumble this morning and got to the heart of the clubhouse:

Cal Raleigh dumps one in the home bullpen. All square in the fourth.

Back-to-back games with a homer for JJ Wetherholt and a 1-0 Cardinals lead in the third.

"Those guys — and I mean this in the most positive way possible but I’m not sure how else to word it — give two shits about yesterday," Oli Marmol said, leaning on their ability to move on from a tough loss. Here's why he doesn't see imminent danger: words-about-birds.beehiiv.com/p/oli-marmol...

Cardinals are listing TBA starters for the second two games in Pittsburgh, following May and Leahy. Hunter Dobbins would be on regular rest Thursday, game four, after pitching for Memphis last night.

Pedro Pagés said his imaging came back clear yesterday, no damage to his hamstring. Took a foul ball off it in Miami that caused some swelling and the same area tightened up yesterday. He thinks he’ll be back in the lineup tomorrow.

There is a Cardinals lineup without any announced transactions. Huh: Wetherholt 4 Herrera 2 Burleson 3 Walker 9 Gorman DH Winn 6 Church 7 Urías 5 Scott II 8 McGreevy 1

Of note — Chris Roycroft pitched in the Memphis game this evening, as did Jared Shuster and Cade Winquest (and also Hancel Rincon). Unlikely they’d have been available for the Redbirds tonight if they were under consideration to go north.

One thing worth pointing out about today that slipped through postgame — Gordon Graceffo threw only six pitches, but it was his third appearance in four days and less than 18 hours after he threw 23 pitches over two innings.

I’m not looking it up, but there’s just no chance any other managers have ever been fired on a day they won 17-1.

Jimmy Crooks is not in tonight's Memphis lineup. Brody Moore is making his third career professional start at first base to allow Andy Yerzy to catch, with Bernal having caught last night. This one is not difficult to clock.

Nothing lingering for Walker, Marmol said. Hand wasn’t wrapped as he left, so that appears to be a bullet dodged. Imaging likely in the near future (recent past?) for Pagés.

This is a loss that could turn into a very bad snowball for the Cardinals. On day two of 17 in 17, the pitching runs the tank dry while getting pummeled, a regular leaves hurt, and they squander an offensive outburst they don't get often. They'll try to salvage one tomorrow.

Riley O'Brien hadn't thrown more than 20 pitches in any of his 13 prior outings this season. His 38th hits Cole Young to load the bases with one out, and he'll pitch to Rivas. His high last season was 39, and he went over 30 five times total. Career high, in '24, is 51.

Left hamstring tightness for Pagés, Cardinals say.

Jordan Walker is smoked on the left hand or wrist by a pitch and he is down on the ground being checked. Staying in, it appears.

O'Brien's first pitch goes for a two-run single to tie the game. It will take ten to win -- at minimum.

Riley O'Brien will enter to pitch to pinch hitter Connor Joe with runners on second and third, one out in the eighth, and a two-run lead.

Adam Olsen out to check on Pedro Pagés at first, who looked like he had something sore or grabbing in his lower half as he went through the bag at first. He's leaving.

Homer number eight: Nathan Church's second of the day. So, plus three for him. 9-7 Cardinals in the seventh. Record for one game at this ballpark is nine.

RBI single for Canzone and this game is again tied, 7-7, in the sixth.

Mitch Garver does *not* have homer number eight, because Nathan Church went up and snatched it. So he's plus two today.

Arozarena sac fly, 7-6 Cardinals in the fifth.

Here comes Marmol to get Liberatore with one out in the fourth. Gordon Graceffo is entering after getting six outs on 23 pitches last night.

Homer number seven: Cole Young 7-5 Cardinals in the fourth

Home run six: Pedro Pagés, maybe. Called a foul ball for now but it sure looked like it wrapped around the pole. If so, 7-4.

Little pop down the line for Winn lands in *fair* territory and ends up in the net. Walker scores to tie the game, Gorman jogged slow thinking it was out of play, so Winn ends up only on first.

Jordan Walker web gem alert. Full sprint into foul territory and sliding snag to get Liberatore out of a jam and secure his first zero of the day.

Fifth homer of the day: Nathan Church. And also my first successful yard call of the season. 4-3 Mariners

Fourth homer of the game belongs to Will Wilson, his first in the big leagues. 4-2 Mariners in the second.

First career leadoff homer for JJ Wetherholt gets one of the runs back for the Cardinals, cuts the lead to 2-1.

Julio Rodríguez cranked a moonshot to Big Mac Land and pimped it about as hard as I have ever seen anyone pimp a homer. 2-0 M's in the first.

Victor Scott returns to the lineup: Wetherholt 4 Herrera DH Burleson 3 Walker 9 Gorman 5 Winn 6 Church 7 Pagés 2 Scott II 8 Liberatore 1

The Cardinals offense couldn't quite get out of neutral against a tough starter and couldn't take advantage of a could-have-been rally in the eighth. They drop the first of the series despite a relatively strong start from Andre Pallante.

Cardinals got the first two on in the bottom of the eighth trailing by one. Burleson struck out, Walker 6-4-3. Feels important.

Pallante strikes out Arozarena to end his evening. With the beard comes swing and miss; he tallied eight, just one off his career high of nine, set September 16, 2024 against the Pirates. Also got eight last August 15 vs. the Yankees and July 31, 2022 in DC.

Josh Naylor to the back wall of the home bullpen. 3-2 Ms in the sixth.

Please enjoy the look on Oliver Marmol's face upon realizing that Andre Pallante got away with delivering a pitch more or less out of the windup with a runner on first:

Masyn Winn leans out and pokes one to right off the end of the bat to score two and tie the game in the fourth.

Second Mariners run is just about the same as the first. This time it's Canzone with the two-out hit. 2-0 in the fourth.

Doing well in the #BaseballSky department: