Desperate Diamondbacks Host Cardinals at Chase Field

St. Louis is only 1.5 games out of the playoffs, while the D-backs are 5.5 games out. Moreover, the Cardinals only need to pass two teams, while the D-backs would need to pass four.

The D-backs are in a must-sweep situation if they want to have any chance to become buyers before the deadline. As of today, they are most likely to be light sellers.

When the two teams met May 23-25 in St. Louis, the Cardinals took three straight one-run games from Arizona.

St. Louis ended the series with a 30-23 record, while the D-backs were 26-27. Since that time both teams have posted identical 21-23 records, including 4-6 in their last 10.

Starting Pitching Matchups

Brandon Pfaadt and Andre Pallante appear pretty evenly matched when looking at their year-to-date numbers. Pfaadt is coming off the best game of his season so far however, going eight strong innings and allowing just two runs against the Padres July 9.

Pallante on the other hand was drilled for seven runs on eight hits in six innings against the Nationals that same day, taking a loss.

Ryne Nelson had one of his worst outings of 2025 just before the break, giving up four runs in four innings, including four walks to the Angels.

Sonny Gray continues his excellent career. The 35-year-old's velocity is down slightly from younger years, but he's still striking batters out (9.8/9) and not walking anybody (1.6/9).

Merrill Kelly picked up a win against the Angels on July 13, allowing one run in five innings despite an uncharacteristic four walks. He is a free agent at the end of 2025 and is one of the most desired pitchers on the trade market prior to the July 31 trade deadline.

Miles Mikolas bounced back from two horrific outings by throwing 5.2 scoreless innings July 10. He had given up 14 runs in his previous 10 innings. He has 13 starts in which he's allowed three runs or less, but 28 runs in his worst five starts.

Diamondbacks and Cardinals Offense

The Cardinals' 4.58 runs scored per game ranks tenth in MLB, while the D-backs rank fourth, scoring 5.08/G. The D-backs have the decided edge in OPS at .772, while the Cardinals have just a .715 OPS.

The D-backs also hit .255 with a .769 OPS in Late and Close situations (third best in MLB), while the Cardinals hit .249 with a .732 in Late and Close. The Diamondbacks' issues with one-run games are not due to the offense, as much as the bullpen.

The top three D-backs hitters remain Ketel Marte (.961 OPS), Eugenio Suarez (.889 OPS), and Corbin Carroll (.874 OPS).

The top three Cardinals starters are Alec Burlerson (.805 OPS), Brendan Donovan (.797 OPS) and Willson Contreras (.765 OPS). Platoon DH Ivan Herrera has a .924 OPS in 174 PA.

Diamondbacks and Cardinals Bullpens

The Cardinals' 3.81 reliever ERA ranks 13th in MLB while the D-backs' 4.94 ranks 27th. As a result the D-backs are 11-19 in one-run games while the Cardinals are 16-15.

Cardinals closer and 2026 free agent Ryan Helsley has 19 saves and a 3.27 ERA. Primary setup men Phil Maton and lefty JoJo Romero have 2.55 and 2.45 ERA respectively.

The Diamondbacks' bullpen has been decimated by injuries in 2025. Not one of the current relievers in the bullpen was on the opening day roster.

They lost A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez to season-ending surgery. Shelby Miller, Ryan Thompson, and Jalen Beeks are all on the injured list, although all three have begun throwing programs.

Kevin Ginkel (8.18 ERA) is the most likely to get save chances, while Kendall Graveman (7.84 ERA) and left-hand rookie Kyle Backhus (2.70 ERA) are the primary setup men manager Torey Lovullo must utilize.

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