The St. Louis Cardinals dropped a 5-4 decision to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in a division game that turned painful late. Cincinnati overcame a two-run deficit to walk off with the win, dealing the Cardinals a one-run loss in nine innings. Sal Stewart did the bulk of the damage for the Reds, going 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Matthew Liberatore gave the Cardinals a quality outing but could not hold onto the result, taking the loss despite striking out nine over six innings.

Matthew Liberatore Deals, But Cardinals Bullpen Unravels

Liberatore was the best pitcher on the mound Wednesday night. He worked six full innings, struck out nine Reds batters, allowed just four hits, and did not walk a single hitter. He gave up three earned runs, but the stuff was sharp and the zero walks tell you he was locked in. That is the kind of start that should win a ballgame.

It didn't, because the bullpen couldn't close it out. Luis Gastelum bridged the seventh with a clean inning — two strikeouts, no hits, no walks. Justin Bruihl got the eighth and that's where things fell apart. Bruihl allowed three hits and two walks in his inning of work, surrendering two earned runs. Cincinnati used that eighth-inning frame to erase the Cardinals' lead and pull ahead. The Cardinals mounted a threat against Pagán in the ninth — cutting it to 5-4 — but could not complete the comeback.

Reds Pitching Staff Holds When It Had To

On the Cincinnati side, Chase Burns went five innings and struck out eight, allowing two earned runs on six hits. The Reds bullpen handled the rest. Sam Moll worked the sixth inning, Brock Burke navigated the seventh with two walks but no damage, and Luis Mey was dominant in the eighth — three strikeouts, no hits, one walk. Emilio Pagán came on to close in the ninth and earned the save, but it was not without drama: he allowed two hits and two earned runs, meaning the Cardinals made it a 5-4 game before Pagán recorded the final out. That late St. Louis push explains how Cincinnati won by one despite Pagán's shaky frame — the Reds had built enough of a cushion from the Bruihl inning to survive it.

Key Performances: Stewart and Walker Headline the Box Score

  • Sal Stewart (CIN): 1-for-3, one home run, three RBI — the centerpiece of Cincinnati's comeback.
  • Matt McLain (CIN): 3-for-3, providing consistent table-setting throughout the night.
  • Jordan Walker (STL): 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, the Cardinals' best offensive threat on the night.
  • JJ Wetherholt (STL): 2-for-4, one of the few Cardinals hitters to do consistent damage against Cincinnati's pitching.
  • Matthew Liberatore (STL): 6.0 IP, 9 K, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB — the Cardinals' best performer despite the loss.
  • Emilio Pagán (CIN): 1.0 IP, 0 K, 2 ER, 2 H, 0 BB — earned the save despite a rocky ninth that let St. Louis close to within one.

Turning Point: Bruihl's Eighth Inning Unravels the Lead

The Cardinals had the lead heading into the late innings. Liberatore had done his job. But Bruihl's eighth inning — three hits, two walks, two earned runs — erased whatever cushion St. Louis had built and handed the Reds their game-winning margin. The Cardinals did push back in the ninth against Pagán, pulling within 5-4 on two hits, but Pagán stranded the threat and closed it out for the save. That sequence — a lead lost in the eighth, a rally snuffed in the ninth — captures how St. Louis lost this one, and how Cincinnati's bullpen held just enough when it mattered.

Walker's home run was a bright spot, and Wetherholt's two-hit night shows there are pieces producing in this lineup. But four runs was not enough, and Liberatore deserved better than a loss.

What's Next for the Cardinals

The Cardinals remain in Cincinnati for the continuation of this division series. After absorbing this one-run gut-punch on Wednesday, St. Louis will need its bullpen to regroup and its offense to generate more than four runs against a Reds staff that showed it can piece together late-game outs. Liberatore did everything asked of him — the next step is making sure the bullpen backs up performances like that.