St. Louis Cardinals fall 8-1 to Texas Rangers on June 2, 2025, as Josh Smith stars for Texas. Cardinals' prospect Leonardo Bernal shines with two homers. Recap.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a challenging Monday for the St. Louis Cardinals, folks. The bats went quiet in Arlington as the team fell 8-1 to a strong Texas Rangers squad. While the big league club struggled to find its rhythm, there was a silver lining down on the farm as one of our top catching prospects put on a show.
Leonardo Bernal absolutely crushed it for Springfield, launching two two-run homers in their victory!
The Cardinals simply couldn't get much going against the Rangers. Jacob deGrom was his usual formidable self, tossing six solid innings for Texas. Offensively, it was a night of frustration, epitomized by a key at-bat where Willson Contreras lined out sharply to third, a missed opportunity in a game where chances were scarce. Steven Matz battled on the mound for St. Louis, but the game unraveled in the 8th inning. Roddery Munoz came on in relief and faced a relentless Rangers rally. A sacrifice fly from Jonah Heim, a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Sam Haggerty, and the big blow – a two-run homer from Josh Smith – were all part of a five-run inning that put the game well out of reach. Smith was a thorn in the Cardinals' side all night, finishing with 4 RBIs.
Amidst the gloom of the MLB loss, there was reason to cheer in the minor leagues. Springfield Cardinals catcher Leonardo Bernal earned The Cardinal Nation's Player of the Day honors, and for good reason! Bernal was on fire, blasting a two-run homer in the first inning and then adding another two-run shot in the third – his eighth long ball of the season. His heroics powered Springfield to a 5-4 victory. It wasn't just Bernal, though; Noah Mendlinger contributed a crucial sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, which proved to be the game-winner. Perhaps most impressively, the Springfield bullpen was lights out, delivering four perfect, no-hit innings to slam the door and secure the win. It's always great to see that kind of dominance from our future arms.
While Monday brought a tough loss at the major league level, Leonardo Bernal's power surge in Springfield offers a welcome reminder of the talent brewing in the system. The Cardinals will need to regroup quickly, shake off this offensive slump, and find a way to get back in the win column. Here's hoping for a better outing next time, Redbird Nation!
