It is time to identify the St. Louis Cardinals ' standouts of the week. The Cardinals played their final 2026 homestand, going 4-5 over nine games, including 2-4 this past week. It was a rough final homestand, but it did end with a win on Sunday. Which Cardinals made their presence known this past week?
The All-Star had a quiet start to the week, going hitless in the series against the San Francisco Giants . However, he found his groove again over the weekend against the Washington Nationals . He recorded a hit on Friday, then had three more on Saturday.
He saved his best for the last home game. Herrera went 2-for-4 with two home runs, including a game-tying blast in the bottom of the eighth. The Panama native let Cardinal Nation enjoy the Busch Stadium fireworks a few more times in 2026.
Manager Oliver Marmol offered praise for his player following the game:
"He's a good hitter. He doesn't have to try to hit homers to hit homers. He has to take a good at-bat, and those come. … He's capable of being a 20, 25-homer guy and using the whole field and hitting for more average — that's more than possible for him."
Cardinal pitching struggled this week. Andre Pallante got lit up on Tuesday. Kyle Leahy met the same fate on Friday. Michael McGreevy fell behind early on Saturday. The team's bullpen was busy, making the times a starter went deep into the game even more meaningful. Mathews did just that.
On Monday, Mathews pitched 6.2 innings against the Giants, giving up four hits and one run while striking out eight. Mathews made another start on Sunday, pitching seven innings and allowing just three runs. He kept the Cardinals in the game, setting the stage for some late heroics.
Sep 20, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Quinn Mathews (60) delivers against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images
With the Cardinals out of playoff contention, the team wants to reach the offseason healthy. It is why Leahy has been on a pitch count the last few weeks. Mathews has given Marmol needed innings. For a pitcher with just 44.1 MLB innings pitched, he looks like someone who can eat innings when needed and still pitch effectively . Of course, the Cardinals hope he will be more than an innings eater, but for now, it is something they definitely need and appreciate. For that reason alone, he is one of the Cardinals' standouts.
The St. Louis Blues' preseason started on Saturday. It may be fitting that we have a hat trick on our Cardinals' standout installments, as Bernal tops this list for the third straight week. This would be a natural hat trick in hockey terms.
Like Mathews, Bernal has not been fazed by the moment and has stepped up for the Cardinals. This week, the catcher recorded nine hits and drove in four runs. His biggest swing came Sunday, when he hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the team's comeback win. Bernal got a curtain call from the Busch faithful by giving them one last memorable moment at home.
It is fitting that this Cardinals' standouts installment includes a rookie getting a big hit at home, because that is exactly how the season started. JJ Wetherholt started the Busch season with a bang , and Bernal ended it with one. For a team defined by breakout stars and the youth movement , this is more than fitting.
This is a bittersweet time of the season. The thrill of the postseason is right around the corner, but most MLB teams are saying farewell to their fans for the season. Normally, we could say "see you in March/April," but that is not the case this year.
Few will question that a lockout will happen. What we do not know is how long it will last. Will we lose some baseball in 2027? For Cardinal Nation, when will they next set foot inside Busch Stadium for a Cardinals game?
The Cardinals wrap up 2026 with a six-game road trip against divisional opponents. They will face the Pittsburgh Pirates before playing the division-winning Milwaukee Brewers this weekend. The Cardinals need to go 6-0 to have a winning season and 5-1 to at least finish .500.
Join us next Sunday for our final Cardinals' standouts installment of 2026. What memories will the team leave in the season's final days?
Main Photo: Jeff Le- Imagn Images
