Jordan Walker simply refuses to cool off. A night after going 4-for-4 in the series opener, the Cardinals’ young slugger widened his stance on the advice of hitting coach Brant Brown and kept punishing National League pitching.
On Saturday night at Busch Stadium, Walker launched a 110-mph rocket to left field for a two-run homer that carried the Redbirds to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and extended their winning streak to six games.
The blast came in the third inning after Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson opened the frame with back-to-back doubles. Walker fell behind 0-2 against Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki before turning on a splitter and driving it into the left-field seats. It was the kind of authoritative swing that has defined St. Louis’ quiet surge, and it gave the Cardinals all the breathing room they would need.
That was plenty for right-hander Michael McGreevy, who delivered the kind of efficient, dominant outing the club has been waiting for from its young starters. McGreevy carved through the star-studded Dodgers lineup for six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while throwing strikes with purpose. He walked three and struck out three, but the real story was the defense behind him. The Cardinals turned three momentum-shifting double plays, and center fielder JJ Wetherholt provided the defensive highlight of the night with a Superman-style dive to rob Shohei Ohtani of a base hit before doubling Alex Freeland off first base.
The Dodgers, to their credit, never stopped grinding. They carried a shutout into the ninth before piecing together a two-out rally that trimmed the lead to 3-1 and put the tying run on second base. But Riley O’Brien, who has become a reliable late-inning option, slammed the door to preserve the victory.
For the Cardinals, it was another reminder of what has fueled this streak: relentless pressure at the plate, timely power, and pitching that keeps games close enough for the lineup to finish the job. They took the first two games of the series against the reigning World Series champions after a 7-2 win on Friday night.
Cardinal Nation has waited for nights like these — nights when the young core steps up against the best the league has to offer and Busch Stadium feels like the loudest place in baseball again. Six in a row and counting. The Redbirds are rolling, and the rest of the National League is taking notice.
