A busy month of May wraps up for the St. Louis Cardinals. They went 2-4 on the week. After a rough sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers, the team bounced back at home and won two of three from the rival Chicago Cubs. As we turn the page to a new week (and month), it is time to take a look at the Cardinals’ standouts of the last week.
Cardinals’ Standouts of the Week
Standout #3- Dustin May
May flirted with history in his only start of the week. May pitched seven innings of no-hit baseball against the Brewers before things unraveled in the eighth inning. May struck out nine batters in his seven no-hit innings. It was easily his best game of the season, even if he ended up being the hard-luck loser.
May has been serviceable this season, but he did carry an ERA of 5.00 heading into the game. For the Cardinals to continue their success, May is someone they need to see more of. Perhaps Wednesday is the first step to May improving.
The last Cardinal to pitch a no-hitter was Bud Smith in 2001. Since then, many pitchers have come close. Michael Wacha came close twice in 2013. Miles Mikolas came close in 2022. You can bet the next no-no will earn a place on this Cardinals’ standouts installment.
Standout #2- Nelson Velázquez
The Cardinals called up Velazquez on Friday. After a strong Spring Training, many were surprised Velazquez did not make the Opening Day roster. However, he did get his opportunity this weekend and made a fast impact. He hit a three-run home run in the first inning, tying the game after the Cubs got out to a fast start. He did not play on Saturday, but did record a hit on Sunday. His Friday performance cannot be overlooked.
The first pitch Nelson Velázquez sees in MLB since June 23, 2024:
A 3-run homer against his former team! pic.twitter.com/NKfwcvW7mv
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) May 29, 2026
Velazquez earns a spot on this Cardinals’ standouts list simply because of his story. He has not played in the MLB since 2024. Yet, he persevered and found his way back. Furthermore, he was able to have this special weekend against the team that originally drafted him.
Velázquez seems to have a spot and a role on the roster for now. The Cardinals appear set to start him in the cleanup spot against left-handed pitchers. With Lars Nootbaar‘s return looming, the Cardinals will need to make a roster move. However, it does seem unlikely Velázquez will be sent back down.
Standout #1- The Bullpen
The bullpen had a busy week for the Redbirds. On Monday, Brycen Mautz pitched three innings of two-run ball, helping the Cardinals reset their pitching following a doubleheader the previous weekend. On Tuesday, they pitched four innings, giving up just one run. Then on Wednesday, JoJo Romero was unable to clean up May’s mess, allowing his inherited runners to score in the devastating loss. Overall, the bullpen did a decent job in the Brewers’ series, especially considering all the innings they pitched.
In the Cubs’ series, the bullpen started strong on Friday, pitching six innings and allowing only one run. After Andre Pallante struggled and only pitched three innings, the bullpen came through in a big way. On Saturday, however, the bullpen struggled, giving up five runs. On Sunday, Hunter Dobbins stole the show out of the bullpen, recording an 11-out save in the Cardinals’ series-clinching win. It was tempting to give Dobbins the top spot in this Cardinals’ standouts piece, but the bullpen as a whole was deserving.
The bullpen was not perfect this week. However, they were effective more times than not. The Cardinals’ starting rotation is full of mostly young pitchers looking to find their groove. It is not shocking to see a stretch where the bullpen needs to step up. Is it a key to success? No. But in the short term, it can keep the team afloat. This 2-4 week for the Cardinals could have easily been 1-5. That extra win may not make a difference in late May, but it may during the final push of a playoff race in September. For that reason, the bullpen takes the top spot on this week’s Cardinals’ standouts list.
The Week Ahead
The Cardinals remain at home to start June. They will host the Texas Rangers this week and the Cincinnati Reds this weekend.
Be sure to check back with Last Word On Baseball this week for more Cardinals-related content. Be sure to check back next Sunday as well to see who the next Cardinals’ standouts are.
Main Photo: Jeff Curry- Imagn Images
