Cardinals Notes: Gordon Graceffo Starts, Cade Winquest MLB Shot, Next Steps for Rotation

The St. Louis Cardinals have a big day ahead on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Jul 25, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo (44) throws against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis opened the three-game set with a 13-1 loss on Tuesday and followed up with a back-breaking 8-7 loss on Wednesday. St. Louis went down 7-0 and scratched and clawed its way back into the game and even knotted the score at seven, but the Orioles eventually came out on top thanks to a Christian Encarnacion-Strand double in the ninth inning.

The Cardinals will try to avoid the sweep with a bullpen day on the docket. With that being said, here are some notes around the team ahead of the finale.

Gordon Graceffo Gets The Start

Aug 16, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo (44) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Graceffo will open the revolving door coming out of the bullpen for the Cardinals on Thursday afternoon. Graceffo has been great for the Cardinals overall this season. The righty has a 3.13 ERA in 52 total appearances this season. When it comes to Graceffo, the biggest thing he needs to improve is his command. He has 30 walks on the season to 38 strikeouts. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is 1.27 right now. In comparison, it was 3.08 last year in 26 appearances.

The righty has one big league start under his belt back in 2024. That day, he went 3 1/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals and allowed three runs on July 10, 2024.

Today's starting lineup vs. Baltimore pic.twitter.com/IjeugUbJqE

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 27, 2026

Cade Winquest MLB Debut

Mar 16, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees player Cade Winquest pose for a portrait during media day at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: New York Yankees via Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On top of announcing Graceffo as the Cardinals' starter on Thursday, St. Louis announced that righty Peter Strzelecki has been placed on the Injured List and Cade Winquest has been promoted to the majors in his place.

Winquest was selected by the Cardinals in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft and spent the last few years working his way up to this point. There was a slight derailment to begin the 2026 season. Winquest was selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the New York Yankees, but he never pitched in a game in the Yankees' organization and was returned to St. Louis.

Now, he's very likely to get his first taste of big league action against Baltimore, or in the club's upcoming series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Welcome to the Show, Cade!

We have selected the contract of RHP Cade Winquest to the Major League roster. He will wear #63. pic.twitter.com/3KhHJ5RLPG

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 27, 2026

Rotation Beyond

Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Quinn Mathews (60) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's going to be a long day for St. Louis' bullpen on Thursday, but things should stabilize afterward. Quinn Mathews will take the hill on Friday against the Pirates and then Kyle Leahy is expected to take the hill on Saturday. Sunday's starter hasn't been announced yet, but Matthew Liberatore would seem to be the most likely option.