Wetherholt hits solo HR, Winn has 3 RBIs to lead the Cardinals past the D-backs 5-4

DAVID BRANDT, AP Baseball Writer

Jul 18, 2026


PHOENIX (AP) — Rookie JJ Wetherholt hit a solo homer, Iván Herrera had the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 on Friday night.

Masyn Winn had a three-RBI night with a two-run single in the first and a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

In the decisive ninth, José Fermín led off with a single that deflected off the glove of closer Paul Sewald. Jimmy Crooks followed with a walk, Wetherholt lined a single to center to load the bases with no outs and Herrera lofted a fly ball to left that was deep enough to break the tie.

All-Star Riley O'Brien got his 25th save despite a eventful bottom of the ninth. The hard-throwing right-hander gave up a leadoff walk to Nolan Arenado before picking off pinch runner Jorge Barrosa. Tim Tawa followed with a two-out double but O'Brien caught Ketel Marte looking at strike three for the final out of the game.

Cardinals right-hander Michael McGreevy gave up two runs, including one earned, on six hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old struck out five, walked one and has a 1.46 ERA over his last four starts.

The Cardinals led 4-2 in the eighth inning, but the D-backs tied it on Corbin Carroll's two-run homer that barely cleared the fence and hit the foul pole in right. It was the All-Star's first homer since June 17.

Wetherholt — who recently signed a $112.5 million, eight-year deal with the Cardinals through 2034 — reached base three times and crushed a 402-foot homer to right field in the fifth inning to give St. Louis a 3-2 advantage. It was the second baseman's 14th long ball of the season.

D-backs right-hander Merrill Kelly gave up three runs, but only one earned, over five innings.

The D-backs will start RHP Brandon Pfaadt (3-1, 4.70 ERA) on Saturday while the Cardinals counter with RHP Dustin May (5-6, 4.55).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

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MLB 2026 Standings

NL EastWLPCTGB
73
49
.598
65
58
.528
8.5
62
61
.504
11.5
60
64
.484
14.0
54
69
.439
19.5
NL CentralWLPCTGB
75
48
.610
72
51
.585
3.0
61
61
.500
13.5
59
62
.488
15.0
60
64
.484
15.5
NL WestWLPCTGB
74
49
.602
66
57
.537
8.0
65
58
.528
9.0
50
72
.410
23.5
49
73
.402
24.5
AL EastWLPCTGB
74
47
.612
68
54
.557
6.5
65
57
.533
9.5
60
64
.484
15.5
59
63
.484
15.5
AL CentralWLPCTGB
63
58
.521
60
62
.492
3.5
60
63
.488
4.0
59
64
.480
5.0
50
73
.407
14.0
AL WestWLPCTGB
63
60
.512
60
63
.488
3.0
57
66
.463
6.0
48
74
.393
14.5
48
75
.390
15.0

MLB 2026 Scores & Schedule

Scores

DATEMATCHUPSCORE
Fri
7/31
@
2-0
Fri
7/31
@
4-6
Fri
7/31
@
6-1
Fri
7/31
@
4-1
Fri
7/31
@
5-2

Schedule

DATEMATCHUPTIME (ET)
Sat
8/15
@
1:10 PM
Sat
8/15
@
2:20 PM
Sat
8/15
@
3:07 PM
Sat
8/15
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4:05 PM
Sat
8/15
@
4:10 PM