Game Preview 5/9/25: Cardinals Vs Nationals

He’s baaaaaaack

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a 9-game road trip tonight in the nation’s capital. The Cardinals are riding a 5 game win streak that resulted in the first managerial firing of the season causing Pittsburgh Pirates now former Manager Derek Shelton to be made into a scapegoat for the lack of offensive talent acquired leading into the season that has resulted in their 12-26 record so far. The Cardinals have made it back to .500 at 19-19 and I bring up the Pirates only because of the last 2 seasons the Cardinals have had a similar record that they have now. The redbirds are starting to surprise some fans and evaluators alike who did not think the Cardinals were capable of performing at a .500 clip at any point of the season and there are some exciting pieces starting to develop into potential core pieces moving forward.

Tonight’s game features the return of one of the more exciting Cardinal bats in Ivan Herrera! After suffering a bone bruise in Boston the young backstop is back after a rehab stint that saw him get back to his heavy hitting ways. The Cardinals will send former Nationals pitcher Erick Fedde to the mound looking to find some level of consistency with his command as he’s walking a career high 13% of opposing batters and is almost double the rate he posted just last season. They’ll be opposed by a young lefty starter, 1 of 2 they’ll face in this series, Mitchell Parker. For Parker, the same has been true this season walking 11.2% of batters and only striking out 12%. His batting average against is .197 and his ERA is just 3.48, however, his FIP is 4.07 and his xFIP is 5.46. Theres a really good chance that the Cardinals who have been a really strong offensive group this season is able to turn Parker back into a pumpkin after doing a Jon Gant type high wire act.

How to watch: AppleTV+

How to listen: 1120 KMOX/104.1 FM

First pitch: 5:45 PM CST

Matchup:

STL: Erick Fedde (2-3 4.78 ERA 5.48 xERA 4.78 FIP 5.69 xFIP)

Vs

WAS: Mitchell Parker (3-2 3.48 ERA 3.86 xERA 4.07 FIP 5.46 xFIP)

Players to watch:

STL: Ivan Herrera – Coming back from a bone bruise, Herrera in his rehab stint, hit .391 with a 156 wRC+. It appears the injury is not affecting his offense in the least and he was one of the Cardinals most fierce offensive performers before the injury. Look for Herrera to have a good game in his return as the DH.

WSH: James Wood – In 38 games in 2025, Wood, is breaking out at the MLB level. Smashing 10 home runs, slugging .555, posting a 161 wRC+ and recording 1.5 fWAR already. Wood is a legit bat they recieved in return for Juan Soto and he along side CJ Abrams and Mackenzie Gore are making Mike Rizzo look very smart for making that deal.