JJ Wetherholt Takes Flight With 4th HR as Cardinals Lose vs. Mariners

The St. Louis Cardinals had a tough day in the standings on Saturday, but that doesn't mean it was all bad.

St. Louis faced off against the Seattle Mariners and ended up losing, 11-9. Riley O'Brien looked human for the first time this season. O'Brien entered the day without a run allowed in his first 13 outings of the season. Unfortunately, that trend ended on Saturday. O'Brien allowed two earned runs and suffered his first loss of the season.

It was a back-and-forth, high-scoring affair. In the third inning, the Cardinals took a 7-4 lead. The Mariners tied it up in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, St. Louis took the lead back thanks to a Nathan Church homer. The Mariners knotted the score at nine in the eighth inning and then won it in the ninth.

St. Louis has hit a wall over the last few days and now has lost three games in a row, including two against the Mariners. While this is the case, there is a reason for optimism right now for St. Louis fans and it was the performance of No. 1 prospect and starting second baseman JJ Wetherholt.

The Cardinals Infielder Had A Great Day

Apr 22, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) throws to first base to retire Miami Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards (not pictured) during the second inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The 23-year-old stepped up to the plate in the first inning and launched his fourth homer of the season.

LEADOFF BOMB FOR JJ WETHERHOLT! pic.twitter.com/LSvaonJzJp
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 25, 2026

Wetherholt entered the day sporting a .220/.360/.341 slash line with three homers and 11 RBIs. Wetherholt went 3-for-5 on Saturday afternoon and improved his season slash line to .240/.370/.385 with his fourth homer of the season and 12th RBI on the campaign as well.

On top of his offense, he continued his solid defensive run to kick off the campaign. Wetherholt entered the day in the 97th percentile in outs above average with four. He's also in the 98th percentile in fielding run value and 95th percentile in baserunning run value.

It's unfortunate that the Cardinals were unable to snap their losing streak, but Wetherholt was great and St. Louis will have another chance to do so on Sunday afternoon against Seattle. Saturday's contest was one of the best of the season for the rookie. If he can string together a few games like this, his season slash line is going to look very good, very quickly.

The 2026 season is about development. You never want to lose, but it was a productive day in general for the organization, at least.

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