Cardinals hope to boost playoff hopes against struggling Giants

The playoff-hopeful St. Louis Cardinals get an opportunity to take advantage of six head-to-heads in 10 days against the non-contending San Francisco Giants when the clubs open a three-game series in California on Monday night.

The Cardinals (72-72) began a timely soft spot in their schedule by taking two of three in Colorado against the Rockies, capped by a 10-8 victory in the series finale Sunday.

The win allowed them to remain four games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks (76-68) in the race for the final wild-card playoff spot in the National League with 18 games left.

The Colorado series kicked off a stretch of 15 of 18 games against teams currently under .500 for the Cardinals, who then finish the regular season with a three-game series at Milwaukee.

Michael McGreevy (6-9, 3.97) is scheduled to start the opener in San Francisco on Monday against fellow right-hander Logan Webb (8-8, 4.21) of the Giants.

Each pitcher will have to deal with one of the hottest hitters in the game.

Cardinals catcher/DH Ivan Herrera contributed three hits and two RBIs to Sunday's win, capping a three-game series against the Rockies in which he went 7-for-15 with a double, two home runs, eight RBIs and four runs.

The rampage improved his batting average to .251, the highest it's been at the start of a game since he sat at .252 on Aug. 10.

"When he's good, we're good," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol noted to reporters of Herrera during the Colorado series. "He's been battling quite a bit to get right again."

Herrera enters the series with two or more hits in six of his last seven games. He's only faced Webb three times in his career but managed to get on base twice in that 2025 game with a single and a walk.

Webb has struggled of late, having failed to see the fourth inning in two of his last three starts. He's been roughed up to the tune of 16 runs and 20 hits in 10 2/3 innings over that stretch.

He's gone just 3-3 with a 5.19 ERA in eight career starts against St. Louis.

The Giants (59-85), meanwhile, return home following a week-long power display by Rafael Devers, who launched six homers in seven games, during which the team went 3-4.

The barrage raised Devers' season total to 35 as he attempts to become the first Giant to have a 40-homer season since Barry Bonds hit 45 in 2004.

Bryce Eldridge, who often has found himself greeting Devers at home plate after a home run, admits he's astonished by the slugger's recent display.

"It's unbelievable," he told reporters in New York, where the Giants were beaten 4-2 by the Mets on Sunday. "It's been really fun to watch all year. I was telling someone in the dugout: I don't think I've ever seen a hitter more locked in than Rafi has been the last few weeks."

Devers has owned McGreevy in six career head-to-heads, having smacked two homers and just missing a third on a deep fly to right field. Mix in a single and a walk and he's gone 3-for-5 with three RBIs.

A Southern California native, McGreevy has gone 2-1 with a 6.35 ERA in three career starts against the Giants. He has won both career starts at San Francisco's Oracle Park.