Takeaways from Cardinals’ Series Win to Start the Season

The 2026 MLB season is now in full swing. The St. Louis Cardinals squared off with the Tampa Bay Rays in their opening series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Cards took the series, two games to one, over Tampa. The Redbirds surprised many people with their offensive ability this series, putting up 22 runs in three games. However, the pitching staff had its lumps. The staff as a whole gave up 23 runs in the three games played this series. There were ups and downs for the Cardinals in their opening series. But what stood out, both good and bad, for the team from this weekend?

Takeaways from Cardinals’ Opening Series vs. Rays

The Good

Team Offense

Perhaps the brightest spot for the Cardinals this series was the offense. The team tallied 22 runs and 31 hits in the series. They also hit five home runs in the three games. Many believed that the Cardinals’ offense would be the weak spot on the team. However, the Cards came out of opening weekend with the follwing team splits: a .292 average, an OPS of .813, an OBP of .322, and a slugging percentage of .491. Another point of the offense was its ability not to quit. On Opening Day, the Cardinals posted an eight-run sixth inning after giving up six in the top half and ended up winning 9-7. Game 2 saw the Cards jump out to an early lead and then add on in the late innings. Ultimately, they won the game in extra innings 6-5. The Cards put up seven runs in Game 3, but fell short in an 11-7 loss.

Individuals

Although pitching wasn’t great in the Cardinals’ opening series, the starts from Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy in the first two games are appearances the staff can hang their hat on. Liberatore went five innings on Opening Day, striking out two, scattering seven hits, and only walking two batters. The left-hander did not get the win in his first appearance, but produced a quality start and pitched well enough to give the team a chance. McGreevy was dominant in Game 2. He went six innings, giving up no hits, walking two, and striking out five.

Individually, a handful of young players, other than Liberatore and McGreevy, put their stamp on this weekend set. Players like Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott II, and JJ Wetherholt all stood out in the Cardinals’ opening series. Walker comes out of the series with a .400 AVG, .500 OBP, and .687 OPS. Game 3 was a breakout game for Walker, as he went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI. Burleson had a slash line of .364/.429/.636. Burleson’s highlight moment was his go-ahead two-run homer on Opening Day.