SAN FRANCISCO – The Cardinals’ stretch of 15 games without the services of shortstop Masyn Winn came to an end on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough to even the series in San Francisco.
Prior to their 2-1 loss at Oracle Park, St. Louis activated Winn from the 10-day injured list, where he’d been since Aug. 25 (retroactive to Aug. 22) with a left thumb fracture that he sustained sliding into second base on Aug. 21. The Cardinals went 6-9 in those 15 games.
In a corresponding move, infielder César Prieto was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.
Entering Tuesday, Winn slashed .238/.314/.326 with 19 doubles and 51 RBIs. But while his offense has been a bit of a downturn from his previous two seasons as a full-time player, Winn’s 2025 Gold Glove-winning defense has continued to shine: His 15 outs above average entering play ranked fourth best in the Majors.
Winn went 0-for-4 hitting eighth in manager Oliver Marmol’s lineup, which had issues mounting much offense against Landen Roupp and the Giants’ bullpen – only managing one run on Bryan Torres’ two-out RBI single in the ninth.
“We had our shots and just didn't capitalize tonight,” said Marmol. “But we put ourselves in a position to come back in that game and at times make a little noise, but we just weren't able to come up with a couple big hits.”
St. Louis went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10, with that inability to get the big hit rendering its No. 8 prospect Quinn Mathews a tough-luck loss, despite a career-high six innings – and his first Major League quality start.
Pregame, Marmol spoke of hoping to see Mathews take charge and get ahead in the count. And sure enough, the 25-year-old southpaw fired first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 25 batters he faced.
Notably, he cooled the red-hot Rafael Devers with three infield groundouts, though Bryce Eldridge’s first-inning homer on a 2-2 fastball was the first extra-base hit surrendered by Mathews to a lefty in the bigs.
“He pitched really well,” said Marmol. “Was on the attack. Gave up a couple homers, but outside of that I like the way the ball is coming out of his hand. I like the way he fielded his position. I like the way he handled just about everything.”
Mathews – a standout at nearby Stanford University in his collegiate career – was frustrated by the homers he allowed to Eldridge and Christian Koss, but he came away with some positives from his sixth Major League start.
“I got better as the game went on, got stronger,” Mathews said. “Came out a little slow. Again, that’s just what it is at times with me where, like I said, I wasn't sharp early. The old-school starters, the guys that always built up throughout outings, [they’re at their] best in the later innings. That's kind of what I felt like a little bit tonight.”
Prior to Winn’s return as an infield anchor with his slick defense, Thomas Saggese played nine games at short (with eight starts) and was a spark for the offense, hitting .517/.543/.931 (15-for-29) with six extra-base hits and three homers (with two coming in one burst of a game at Dodger Stadium).
Needless to say, Saggese made the most of that opportunity, with Marmol suggesting the Cardinals could “rotate him through” since he can take reps at short as well as second base. And with second baseman JJ Wetherholt reportedly aiming at the Cardinals’ next homestand for his return off the injured list (per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch), Saggese could also see time at third and/or left field.
“It's what you want when you give somebody an opportunity, whether it's based on just straight-up opportunity or because of an injury, that they open up your eyes to what's possible, and he did that,” said Marmol. “This is a guy that hit a decent amount in the Minor Leagues, coming all the way through, and we started to see some of that at the big league level. Sometimes that takes time, but he seemed more settled. He took very good at-bats. He was taking at-bats, not chasing hits, but doing what the game was calling for.
“Like yesterday, trying to go backside, runner on second [when Saggese hit a deep fly ball to right field in the 11th, advancing Joshua Báez to third]. Those are the things that once you start seeing the game and reacting to it that way, it's awesome.”