Cardinals take on Red Sox, chase fourth straight victory

Kyle Leahy will take the mound as the St. Louis Cardinals go for their second straight series win when they host the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night.

After Dustin May allowed just one earned run over six innings in St. Louis' series-opening, 3-2 win on Friday, Leahy will look to follow earning his first win as a full-time member of the Cardinals' rotation last Sunday against the Detroit Tigers.

He pitched five innings, giving up two runs with four strikeouts in a 5-3 victory.

Across his first three seasons as a Cardinal, the 28-year-old right-hander made 97 of his 98 career appearances as a reliever. He pitched in a career-high 62 games in 2025.

"He has enough pitches, but more importantly he has the aptitude and demeanor to learn from his outings and use the feedback given to him to incorporate it in the next time out," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Leahy moving into a regular starting role.

Friday's win was the season-high third in a row for St. Louis, which is off to a solid 8-5 start after finishing fourth in the National League Central last season.

It was another big game for outfielder Jordan Walker, whose 2-for-4 line with a run extended his hitting streak to six games. The 23-year-old had homered in his previous three games and four of five before Friday.

Three relievers followed May with scoreless innings, including Riley O'Brien, who tossed a 1-2-3 ninth on just eight pitches.

"It's so fun. This group of guys is incredible, man," St. Louis' Thomas Saggese said. "It helps that we're all a similar age and just go out there, have fun and play free."

Saggese had a hit and an RBI after coming in for Masyn Winn, who was hit by a pitch in the third inning and left with what the Cardinals called a lower leg contusion following the game.

On the flip side, Boston's sluggish start continued Friday with its fourth game of registering five or fewer hits.

Wilyer Abreu (2-for-4) led the Red Sox again, posting his seventh multi-hit effort in the first 13 games. Trevor Story's steal of home was another highlight of the night, which also included a 1-for-6 showing with runners in scoring position.

"We had our chances, but we've got to be better offensively," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

First baseman Willson Contreras had a tough night in his return to St. Louis, where he was a .261 hitter with 55 home runs across the last three seasons before being traded to Boston last December. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

"I think I did my best here for them, for the team and for the fans," Contreras said, reflecting on his time with the Cardinals. "I played, like somebody said, my (butt) off. Every day that I came here, I gave 100 percent. I did my best for them."

In the same way that May did on Friday, Ranger Suarez (0-1, 8.64 ERA) will look to better his first two outings with the Red Sox when he takes the mound in the Gateway City. The southpaw is coming off a Sunday no-decision in an 8-6 loss to the San Diego Padres in which he gave up four runs over four innings.

Suarez is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in two career starts against St. Louis.

--Field Level Media