Gordon Graceffo's Start is Just What Cardinals Needed

Gordon Graceffo did his job on Thursday.

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

The St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen has been stretched thin lately, thanks in large part to injuries in the starting rotation. Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins are both out, and after a rough start from Michael McGreevy on Wednesday, St. Louis was forced to throw a bullpen game on Thursday.

Gordon Graceffo, who was once a starter in the minor leagues, was called upon to make the start. He has been one of the Cardinals' most reliable relievers this year, posting a 2.98 ERA. But his outing on Thursday gave the Cardinals just what they needed. He threw three perfect innings and recorded four strikeouts.

Gordon Graceffo gave Cardinals what they needed

Aug 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo (44) throws against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Graceffo only went three innings, he still got the job done for St. Louis. That's three extra innings that the rest of the bullpen won't have to cover. Often times in bullpen games, teams have to burn through their entire bullpen.

Today though, Graceffo gave the Cardinals what they needed, which was length. They did not call up a starter to replace Hunter Dobbins and already have Quinn Mathews in the rotation to start in place Pallante. They also did not go out and sign a free agent.

But with Graceffo, the Cardinals needed a little bit of length, and he gave them just that. Fortunately, they will get some reinforcements soon. The rotation will go back on its regular schedule on Friday when Mathews starts against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Pallante was expected to not miss much time, so he could be back as early as next Wednesday when St. Louis faces the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The rotation too has been stretched thin, but as long as they can get some length from Mathews on Friday and at least five innings out of Kyle Leahy on Saturday, that should give the bullpen a bit of a rest. The relief corps has been worked quite hard this season, but especially as of late.

Graceffo's outing was a good starting point for the bullpen to turn things around a little. Though it was short, it was also effective. He left with a 3-0 lead after his three innings of work.

The Cardinals had lost five consecutive games coming into Thursday's series finale with Baltimore, one that included a dreadful walk-off loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday after St. Louis held a 4-0 lead with two outs in the ninth inning.