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Viva El Birdos

A St. Louis Cardinals Fan Community

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St. Louis Cardinals Pitching: The good, the bad and the ugly

Authors note: The data in this article is from early this past week. The theme was written before yesterday’s come-from-ahead, then come-from-behind win, but you will see many of characteristics I laid out here played out in the series ending game against the A’s. To start with a high-level summary, the 2026 edition of the […]

Cardinals Bullpen Again Loses Lead but the Cardinals Rally For Huge Win

Game Summary Today’s game featured stingy starting pitching from both the A’s starter Lopez and the Cardinals Michael McGreevy. McGreevy lowers his ERA to 2.10. Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II hit homeruns, leading the Cardinals to a late 3-1 lead. However, the Cardinals bullpen was unable to hold the lead against the powerful A’s […]

Checking in on St. Louis Cardinals hitting prospects – Lower Minors

On Monday, I covered the hitters on the Memphis Redbirds (AAA) and Springfield Cardinals (AA). I was trying to fit the Peoria Chiefs (A+) and Palm Beach Cardinals (A) on there, but realized there were a few names that would have been cut that I didn’t necessarily want cut. And I knew I could include […]

How much does run differential mean to the St Louis Cardinals?

It might come as a surprise, but negative run differential teams sometimes make the postseason. I am not saying that the 2026 Cardinals will finish with a minus in runs, but I’m not saying they are going to make the playoffs, either. Anyhow, I thought I might go all the way back to 1981, let’s […]

Game Discussion for St. Louis Cardinals vs Athletics Tuesday Night

The St. Louis Cardinals will continue their west coast swing as they’ll take on the city-less Athletics in Sacramento Tuesday night. Andre Pallante (3-3, 4.34 ERA, 29 SO) will start for the Cardinals while the first-place Athletics will start Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 3.89 ERA, 39 SO). First pitch scheduled for 8:40pm central time in Sutter Health Park.

St. Louis Cardinals Quarter Season Hold or Sell?

The 2026 season is already 25% completed, and the seeming haves and have-nots are starting to separate themselves in the standings. The obvious Elephant in the room is that the Cardinals were typecast and predestined to be a member of the “have-nots” group. Someone must’ve forgotten to send the Cardinals their script because, as of […]

Are the St. Louis Cardinals Real Contenders or Just Happy Pretenders?

I made myself wait 24 hours to write this so I’m not sharing something that’s a result of the disappointment of Sunday’s heartbreaking loss in San Diego. I’m satisfied that it’s the perfect time to get myself mentally prepared for what the rest of this St. Louis Cardinals season will likely become. Is this team […]

The Viva El Birdos Podcast – Episode 64: Interview With Nate Schwartz

This week, it is all about pitching, pitching, pitching! As we are joined by Pitcherlist.com, Nate Schwartz! We cover just about every pitcher on the roster and some in AAA, as well. We also talk some about the offense, so don’t fret if you like talking hitters! I know we promoted a visit with Lance […]

Checking in on St. Louis Cardinals hitting prospects – Upper Minors

I think now is a very good time to check on the minor leagues. A month has been played at all levels (except the rookie leagues, but they haven’t started their seasons yet) and while a month of playing time isn’t necessarily a good sample, it can tell us things. Players can have such strong […]

Game Discussion for St. Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres Sunday

The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up their 4-game series versus the San Diego Padres Sunday at Petco Park. Kyle Leahy will start for St. Louis while Walker Buehler takes the mound for San Diego. First pitch is scheduled for 3:15pm central time. Will the Cardinals win or split the series vs the Padres? Let’s find […]

Who is the Next Man Up for the St. Louis Cardinals’ Lineup?

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to those in your lives! By almost all accounts, the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals have surpassed expectations so far this year and are well on pace to blow past preseason win projections, which has made my wallet happy. It has been a full team effort so far, with the lineup coming with […]

Dustin May’s Great Start, Bad Ending as Padres Beat Cardinals 4-2

Dustin May had a great start to the game not allowing a hit to the San Diego Padres until the bottom of the 5th inning, but that’s when the wheels came off the no-hit wagon. The Padres would eventually outslug the Cardinals 4-2 Saturday night. The bats of both the St. Louis Cardinals and San […]

Late-Round Gold: The Best Cardinals Draft Steals This Century

Few things are more fun than an unheralded draft pick forcing his way into the Cardinals’ plans. Any draft pick has the odds stacked against them, but players picked outside the top few rounds have a vanishingly small chance of putting together a major league career. This week I found myself pondering whether or not […]

Game Discussion for St. Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres Friday Night

It’s game 2 for the St. Louis Cardinals in San Diego as they’ll ask Michael McGreevy (2-2, 2.52 ERA, 24SO) to lead them to a victory Friday night. Griffin Canning (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 7 SO) will make the start for the Padres. Friday night’s broadcast will be handled by Apple TV, so that 7-day trial is your friend. First […]

The Brians | A strange coincidence in St. Louis Cardinal history

Baseball is full of statistical oddities, but the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008 and 2009 had one of the strangest name coincidences in franchise history. Enter Brian Barden and Brian Barton. Both were born in California. Both were born in April. Both were trying to find their footing in the big leagues at the exact […]

St. Louis Cardinals Closer Riley O’Brien

Authors Note: I wrote this article before last night’s nail biter at San Diego. Think of the ninth inning last night as confirmation of what I wrote. It was poetic justice that it occurred in San Diego. You’ll know why if you finish the article. I continue to resist the urge to parse into various […]