MLB’s draft proposal is so absurd that it almost reads as something designed to be sacrificed in a “negotiation” down to a 50-50 cap.

Cardinals say Chris Roycroft DFA to make room on the 40-man for Rajcic.

Source with direct knowledge says the Cardinals are calling up Max Rajcic to make his MLB debut in KC, replacing Chris Roycroft on the active roster. 40-man machinations TBA, but Rajcic will have to be added and a spot opened.

When I approached Justin Bruihl at his locker last week, I told him I had numbers to ask about that he was going to hate hearing. He already knew why I was asking, and was ready to explain how chasing velo made him lose the zone, and how he got back in: words-about-birds.beehiiv.com/p/justin-bru...

MLB transactions log this morning says the Cardinals optioned Chris Roycroft, as expected. We’ll see what the corresponding move turns out to be.

The Cardinals have had four opportunities this season to move to ten games above .500, and they are 0-4 in those games. San Diego scored early and then poured it on in the ninth to salvage a game. They go to Texas, the Cardinals go to KC, and I'm going home.

Now is where it is worth noting that Memphis used five relievers today, including Max Rajcic and Scott Blewett, but not Luis Gastelum.

There is no one warming in the Cardinals bullpen as Roycroft walks Machado and throws his 30th pitch. All he can eat today.

Jackson Merrill, cherry on top. Hooks a homer around the foul pole in right, 6-1 Padres in the ninth.

Tatis bangs one off the wall and ends up hosed at second pending review, but Song comes around for a 4-1 Padres lead in the ninth.

Down two with one out in the sixth and Velázquez hitting for Crooks, Masyn Winn gets picked off first. Pretty high on the Can't Happen scale.

Leahy through six on 81 pitches. If he's done, it's his second quality start of the year. Also ties his career-long start after putting up six against the Royals in May.

Burleson drops an RBI single into right to cut the Padres lead to 3-1 and juice his hitting streak to 17 games.

Liner to center is right at Church and he over runs it. Sails over his head for a Tatis double and a 3-0 Padres lead in the fifth.

Bogaerts punches a single the other way and brings around Machado. 2-0 Padres in the fourth.

Machado sac fly gives the Padres their first lead of the series, 1-0. Offense got going before the fifth inning today.

It is going to be a hell of a day to play outfield and try to get guys out. Wind is absolutely howling at Busch in a way it basically never does on warm days.

Cardinals in the finale: Wetherholt 4 Herrera DH Burleson 3 Walker 9 Nootbaar 7 Winn 6 Crooks 2 Jordan 5 Church 8 Leahy 1

Bradgley Rodriguez is the opener for the Padres: Tatis 9 Taylor 7 Merrill 8 Machado 5 Sheets DH Bogaerts 6 France 3 Wagner 4 Durán 2 Rodriguez 1

Cardinals starters have held the Padres to an 0-for-24 in the first four innings across the two games of this series. Michael King threw one more pitch to record 13 outs than Andre Pallante did to record 21. Cardinals will attempt to sweep tomorrow afternoon.

Three hits for Wetherholt ties a season high. Fourth time he's done it, twice in the last week.

Pallante through seven on 92 pitches, thanks in large part to a well-timed ABS challenge by Herrera. Cardinals bullpen needed a breather, got 16 innings from the starters in two days.

Single by Tatis, double by Merrill with two out, and the Padres are back within one, 3-2 in the sixth.

Nootbaar sac fly, 3-1 in the fifth

Two-out single for France brings Taylor around for the first Padres run of the series, but he's nabbed on the back end trying to move up. 2-1 Cardinals after four and a half.

Taylor is going to be safe after review. First Padres baserunner tonight comes on a deflected grounder back to Pallante with two out in the fifth that was a little too slow for Winn to complete the back end.

Machado wanted to challenge the called strike three and home plate umpire Nic Lentz denied him, ruled he took too long. Long conversation into the inning break, but not animated. Padres haven't done anything animated at all anywhere near the plate.

The Padres have come to bat 12 times in this series, and have been sat down without anyone reaching safely in 11 of those half innings.

Two-out double by Blaze Jordan punishes the leadoff walk to Nootbaar. Cardinals lead 1-0 in the second.

Masyn Winn has changed his walk-up music to Dirty Diana.

The dudes standing in the front row of the tarps off area have "WALKER4MVP" painted on their bellies this evening, one character on each tummy.

Cardinals for game two: Wetherholt 4 Herrera 2 Burleson 3 Walker 9 Nootbaar 7 Winn 6 Crooks DH Jordan 5 Church 8 Pallante 1

Dustin May spins an absolute gem, tossing a one-hit shutout to neutralize the Padres in the first game of the series, facing one over the minimum. It's the first shutout of his career, and the first for the Cardinals since Sonny Gray's 28-hitter performance last June 27.

Dustin May is at 93 pitches and holding a one-hit shutout through eight. I would be pretty surprised if he didn't get a shot at the ninth, though the bullpen is stirring.

And a bouncing single between Jordan and Winn ends the no-hitter two batters later.

Tatis walks leading off the seventh, the first baserunner May has allowed.

Dustin May is through six on 67 pitches. Lots of buffer zone in front of him.

Two-out double by Burleson in the fifth brings in Herrera, 3-0 Cardinals

Two-out rally for the Cardinals culminates in Jimmy Crooks splitting the left-center gap and coming up with a two-run double for a 2-0 Cardinals lead in the fourth.

Jackson Merrill up and over the wall in center to take a homer away from Alec Burleson and keep the game scoreless.

Wandy Peralta, pitching as an opener tonight for the Padres, jogged in from the bullpen rather than entering from the dugout. Fun!

Ryan Fernandez says he’s feeling a lot better. Has thrown a successful bullpen and has one more scheduled for Wednesday. Assuming that goes well, he’s hoping to be in Memphis for a rehab assignment on Friday.

First home start for Blaze Jordan (and no pitching transactions today): Wetherholt 4 Herrera DH Burleson 3 Walker 9 Nootbaar 7 Winn 6 Crooks 2 Jordan 5 Church 8 May 1

Jordan Walker is about 5400 votes ahead of James Wood for the sixth and final spot among NL OF to advance to the second round of All-Star voting. He’s the only Cardinal close:

The World Cup remains an unmatched opportunity to learn precisely who didn’t do Model UN in high school.

Health and a compliant calendar conspired to give the Cardinals 54 games, a third of the season, to evaluate their talent. This is the story of how they decided to pull the right levers in the right order, act boldly, and reboot on the fly: words-about-birds.beehiiv.com/p/remaking-a...

Tired: this version of Jordan Walker is like spontaneously generating Aaron Judge Wired: this* version of Blaze Jordan is like spontaneously generating Vlad Jr. *the last 72 hours

If on January 1, I told you that a team in the Cardinals organization would have an infield on June 14 that went Fermín, Wetherholt, Torres, Jordan around the infield — and that the team they’re playing for was eight games above .500 — would you have assumed St. Louis or Memphis?

JJ Wetherholt making his first start — first appearance — at short in the big leagues today.

For the life of me I don’t know why Alec Burleson still sees fastballs upper third and higher, other than mistakes. But that was the designed location.