Cardinals May Have Discovered New Weapon Out of Bullpen

The Cardinals may have something special.

Apr 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; a detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) hat with a patch honoring Jackie Robinson during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Busch Stadium. Players and coaches are wearing number 42 in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals quickly picked themselves up off the mat after falling behind 3-0 against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night, scoring 10 unanswered runs to pull off their second straight victory.

After a short start from Kyle Leahy, the Cardinals turned things over to right-hander Hunter Dobbins, who was acquired in the Willson Contreras trade from the Boston Red Sox last December. Dobbins was electric in his second relief appearance, pitching five scoreless innings to close out the game and earning his first win as a member of the Cardinals.

The outing proved that the Cardinals may now have something special brewing in the bullpen.

Hunter Dobbins emerging as bullpen weapon

May 31, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) celebrates with catcher Pedro Pagés (43) after collecting his first career save in a victory over the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Dobbins made his Cardinals debut in April, pitching 4 2/3 innings and allowing three runs in his first start. He returned to the big leagues earlier this week and earned a save against the Chicago Cubs, pitching 3 1/3 innings and allowing just one run, but his performance against the Reds was certainly special.

When the Cardinals began their rebuild, Chaim Bloom knew that the team needed young, controllable starting pitching, and they finally got that when they acquired Dobbins from the Red Sox.

This is especially important, as they also picked up Richard Fitts for Sonny Gray. But Fitts is out for the season, so the Cardinals needed somebody to step up and be ready to fill a spot on the pitching staff if need be.

Fortunately for St. Louis, Dobbins appears to be that guy.

“He’s very confident, he's very prepared, he believes in his stuff, there's conviction behind every pitch,” Manager Oli Marmol said. “I like his overall demeanor and mentality that he brings to the table. He wants to help win, and you want as many of those guys as possible.”

The Cardinals will likely want to look into adding more of those pieces at the trade deadline if they decide to sell, but for now, Dobbins is exactly what the doctor ordered, and he has been one of St. Louis' biggest surprises this season.

It will be interesting to see what ultimately happens with Dobbins as the Cardinals assess their pitching needs, but so far, the trade to acquire him from Boston for Contreras is looking like a win for the Cardinals. He can also start if need be, so there are a lot of different things the Cardinals can do with him.