Central STL News

The St. Louis Cardinals relied on contributions from nearly every player in their 26-man roster to secure a 7-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in extra innings Friday at Great American Ball Park.

Two players, Jimmy Crooks and César Prieto, made their Major League debuts after arriving just before batting practice. Crooks, promoted to fill in for Yohel Pozo who was placed on the seven-day concussion list, caught the final two innings and helped Ryan Fernandez earn his first save of the season. The Cardinals opted not to use relievers Riley O’Brien and Kyle Leahy.

“I had some time down there in Triple-A, so [we] got pretty comfortable with each other,” Fernandez said after securing his first save of 2025 and third career save in seven chances. “The only thing that I had to kind of drill into him while I was out there … I wasn't really throwing my changeup at all [in Triple-A], so he didn't really know that we were calling it very much. So that's why I had to kind of shake a lot tonight. But once he figured it out, he kind of started to call it, and it's just fun to throw to him. We were comfortable with each other.”

Prieto pinch-hit for Garrett Hampson in the tenth inning but struck out during his debut appearance. Willson Contreras then reached base following an error by Elly De La Cruz, which allowed Nathan Church to score what became the go-ahead run.

Crooks described how quickly things can change for new arrivals: “The first thing when we got here was to be ready at all times,” said Crooks, who is ranked as the Cardinals’ No. 6 prospect. “And I kind of learned that from coming up at all levels. [It] was, ‘Always be ready, even if you're not on the lineup.’ So they kind of gave me a heads up, ‘If Pagés gets on, you’re probably going in.’ And then that happened. So I got a whole kind of half-inning just to get my mind right, get my legs loose and then get after it.”

Manager Oliver Marmol praised both rookies for handling high-pressure situations late in a close game: “Look at the situation that both were put in. That's not easy,” Marmol said. “And I talked to him right after the game, Crooksy. … Man, he didn't get sped up at all. He was under control. Did a really nice job. You put him in a tough spot in the game, and he landed just a couple hours ago. So to be able to stand in control and do what he did, [that] was fun to watch.”

Shortstop Masyn Winn contributed three hits including two RBI singles—one providing insurance runs during extra innings—as St. Louis defeated Cincinnati for the fifth time this season across eight meetings.

“He can do a little bit of everything because he shoots the low line drive, the double pull side, his two-strike approach; like he can beat you a lot of different ways,” Marmol said about Winn’s performance.

With this win—the result of using all 13 position players and five relievers—the Cardinals improved their record to 67-69 and closed within one-and-a-half games behind Cincinnati (68-67) for position in pursuit of an NL Wild Card berth.