It showed up in the 1st. Alec Burleson ripped a two-run double down the right-field line off Emanuel, scoring Joshua Báez and Iván Herrera, and that turned out to be all the offense St. Louis would need. Mathews worked around a Dane Myers homer in the 4th — his only blemish across 4 innings — before four Cardinals relievers took over and allowed just a single hit the rest of the way.
Neither offense did much after that. Emanuel, for a guy who hadn't pitched in the majors since 2024, didn't blink — he kept it a 1-run game deep enough that St. Louis never got the chance to pull away, even with Cincinnati's pen running on empty behind him.
The Reds didn't get here by accident. Hunter Greene is out 12-to-18 months after a second Tommy John surgery, Spencer Steer is still working back from a wrist injury, and Brandon Williamson and Blake Dunn remain a ways off — which is how a franchise with that much rotation depth on paper ends up trusting a first-time starter signed off the independent circuit.
St. Louis has the easier problem to have. The Cardinals are chasing a wild-card spot with a bullpen that's carrying its own weight, and Monday's nightcap gave Cincinnati even less time to regroup before doing this all over again.