The return of slugger Jordan Walker might provide a boost for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Colorado Rockies, who could use some aid in their precarious position in the National League wild-card race.
Walker, an All-Star and Home Run Derby champ having a breakthrough season, has missed the past two games because of a sore right knee. He remains questionable for Friday’s opener of a three-game home series against Colorado as part of a continuing six-game homestand.
Walker jammed his knee on a base earlier this week at Yankee Stadium. The Cardinals originally planned to give him a day off. He’s missed two games and three days; Walker was a late scratch for the series finale against the New York Yankees on Wednesday. The Cardinals did not play Thursday.
Walker worked out in the outfield and worked on his swing during pregame but was too sore to be available for pinch-hitting duty. The Cardinals hope the downtime already served is enough to restore their slugger.
“Let’s see when we get back after the day off,” Walker told reporters in New York.
Walker is batting .285 with a .343 on-base percentage and a .491 slugging to go with 22 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He has been slumping in recent weeks, especially with power, going back to before his Derby exploits around the All-Star Game. Walker has zero homers in his past 22 games.
Right-hander Kyle Leahy (7-4, 3.44 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Cardinals, who have played better this month. However, their record is 10-19 since July 5.
A game under .500 for the season, the Cards were four games back of the third wild-card spot as of Thursday afternoon. St. Louis is among group of six teams in striking distance of the playoff field, but the Cards organization already started to play for the future by trading outfielder Lars Nootbaar and right-hander Dustin May in separate deals before the deadline Monday. The Philadelphia Phillies, who currently hold a spot, come to St. Louis on Monday.
Leahy has been dealing since late June, going 2-0 over seven starts, posting a 1.21 ERA with 32 strikeouts, 24 hits allowed and nine walks in his past 37 1/3 innings. He has a short track record against the Rockies, compiling a 4.32 ERA over five relief appearances. Current Rockies are a combined 2-for-17 with seven strikeouts against Leahy. Kyle Karros and Ezequiel Tovar have the hits.
Right-hander Ryan Feltner (4-5, 5.75) goes for the Rockies, who are starting a nine-game road trip. Colorado comes in 45-70, the worst record in MLB. They also are 18-38 on the road.
Feltner has an 8.75 ERA in five starts since July 1. He has not faced the Cardinals since 2024, but that season he posted a 1.59 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 11 1/3 total innings over two starts.
Warren Schaeffer comes in with a career mark of 81-156 as Rockies manager, but said he can see signs of improvement, even amid a recent sweep by the Rays in Colorado.
“We have a good thing going here,” Schaeffer said. “We’re getting better, we’re playing the game the way that we want to play, we’re preparing the way we want to prepare. And we think that’s gonna be the answer.”
This is the first of six games between the Rockies and Cardinals. The teams will also meet for a three-game set Sept. 4-6 in Denver.
–Field Level Media
