Cardinals' Michael McGreevy Accomplishes Big First in Win Over Padres

The Cardinals may have a new ace on their roster.

May 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are still riding high. They won 6-0 over the San Diego Padres on Friday night and moved to eight games above the .500 mark.

The story of the game was JJ Wetherholt's little league grand slam, but what gets lost in that action is the way that Michael McGreevy pitched. The young right-hander gave the Cardinals six scoreless innings against a powerful Padres lineup.

The 25-year-old is now 3-2 in eight starts with a 2.18 ERA. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that with Friday night's dominant performance, McGreevy accomplished a major first in helping lead the Cardinals to a win.

"Michael McGreevy has a career-high nine strikeouts tonight, surpassing his previous high of seven," Goold posted on X. "Carry on with your evening."

Michael McGreevy Accomplishes Major First

May 8, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

When the Cardinals traded Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox, it appeared as though they would not have an ace for the 2026 season. That was the first trade Chaim Bloom made to kick off the rebuild.

However, while the pitching staff has its flaws, pitchers like McGreevy have not skipped a beat. In fact, according to FanDuel sportsbook, the young right-hander has +10,000 odds to win the National League Cy Young award, which is fourth best behind New York Mets starter Clay Holmes, Atlanta Braves starter Bryce Elder, and Washington Nationals ace Foster Griffin.

McGreevy burst onto the scene in 2024, posting a 1.96 ERA as a rookie. He took a few steps back in 2025, but has made the necessary adjustments to become the unlikely ace of the Cardinals' staff.

The pitching staff is the one area of the club that might ultimately be their weakness. However, as long as McGreevy continues his hot stretch, the rotation should be in good shape.

McGreevy isn't known for striking hitters out, but he certainly looked the part on Friday night as the Cardinals beat the Padres and secured at least a series split.

There is a lot to look forward to with the Cardinals' young core, which McGreevy is a key part of. It will be interesting to see how he fares the rest of the season and if he can continue his dominance.

The Cardinals would certainly benefit from finally having somebody from within the organization emerge as a true ace and not have to go out and spend a lot of money to find one.