Yankees hang on for much-needed win over Cardinals to get some breathing space in wild-card race - lulu

ST. LOUIS — Roughly two hours before first pitch Friday, Brian Cashman laid out a simple task for his scuffling club over the final quarter of the season. 

“We just need to win,” the general manager said. “We’ve got to win tonight’s game and keep it simple, one game at a time, but then string together win after win after win to get to where we want to go.”

For one night at least, that was accomplished, though the Yankees did not make it easy on themselves.

The stringing together part is what has largely escaped the Yankees over the past two-plus months, but they have to start somewhere, and they gave themselves another chance Friday.

The Yankees raced out to an early lead, and Luis Gil and the bullpen made sure it just barely stood up in a 4-3 win over the Cardinals at a steamy Busch Stadium.

“We’re going to keep on going,” said Jazz Chisholm Jr., who clubbed a two-run homer in the first inning and scored another run in the third. “We got to keep the tempo up. We got to keep on stepping on them. We can’t let up. We can’t play down to nobody. We got to keep going because we got to make the playoffs and win the World Series.”

Coming off a series in which they took two of three from their perennial punching bag, the Twins, the Yankees (65-57) won for the third time in four games and fourth time in six games as they try to scrape some momentum together for an extended run.

For now, they kept pace in the division race, remaining 6 ¹/₂ games behind the Blue Jays, while gaining some breathing room for the final AL wild-card spot, now 1 ¹/₂ games ahead of the Guardians.

Luis Gil celebrates after getting Pedro Pages to ground out to end the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the Cardinals on Aug. 15, 2025.AP

The Yankees led 4-0 by the third inning and hung on late to fend off the middling Cardinals (61-62) as Luke Weaver and David Bednar combined for the final seven outs in a one-run game.

Bednar picked up his second save in four chances since coming over to the Yankees at the trade deadline.

A 3-for-17 showing with runners in scoring position kept the Yankees from giving their pitchers some more breathing room in the late innings, but their early strike proved to be enough.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. celebrates after belting a two-run homer in the first inning of the Yankees’ win over the Cardinals.IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gil, who gave up just one run across 5 ¹/₃ innings, was the beneficiary of three inning-ending double plays through the first three frames, helping him avoid any real trouble while also keeping his pitch count in check.

Two of them were started by first baseman Cody Bellinger before he moved to left field in the ninth inning and ended the game with a shoestring catch on a sinking liner.

“No. 1 tonight was our defense,” Gil, who also received a sliding catch from José Caballero in right field, said through an interpreter. “That’s what really helped me out tonight and allowed me to get to the sixth inning.”

Aaron Judge is congratulated by teammates after driving in a run on a ground out in the first inning of the Yankees’ win over the Cardinals.Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

In the fifth inning, Gil flirted with trouble by putting runners on second and third with no outs.

But he escaped without any runs scoring, in part thanks to reaching back for a 99 mph fastball that got Thomas Saggese looking at strike three for the second out.

The Cardinals finally got to Gil in the sixth as he gave up back-to-back doubles that made it a 4-1 game, at which point Aaron Boone called on Mark Leiter Jr.

The reliever walked the first batter he faced on a full count before taking a page out of Gil’s book and generating an inning-ending double play.

“I feel like [Gil] was still kind of finding his way a little bit — kind of a testament to what a good pitcher he is and how difficult he is still to navigate,” Boone said. “He made some big pitches in some three-ball counts.”

Camilo Doval entered for the seventh and got a pair of three-pitch strikeouts around a four-pitch walk.

Ben Rice doubles during the first inning of the Yankees’ victory over the Cardinals.AP

But he followed by hitting Pedro Pagés on a 1-2 pitch, and Victor Scott made it hurt with an RBI double that made it 4-2.

Boone then went to Luke Weaver, who got ahead 0-2 on Lars Nootbaar before spiking a changeup that got past Ben Rice and allowed Pagés to score from third to cut the lead to 4-3.

But the Yankees locked it down from there, winning their second straight series opener after dropping seven straight coming out of the All-Star break.

Austin Wells and David Bednar celebrate after the Yankees’ victory over the Cardinals.AP

That gives them a chance to win a second straight series this weekend for what would be the first time since late May.

“I feel like we’re starting to click as a team,” Chisholm said. “I feel like the energy is starting to come back. Everybody’s up on the top step of the dugout every at-bat. I feel like that’s what we really needed.”