St. Louis Cardinals at Athletics: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 0 |
| ATH | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
The Story
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Athletics 6-4 on May 12, 2026, at Sutter Health Park, overcoming an early four-run deficit to hand Oakland its fourth loss while moving the Cardinals into the win column. St. Louis erupted for four runs in the top of the first inning, then watched the Athletics answer with three in the bottom of the second, keeping the DiamondIQ model's estimate of a Cardinals victory relatively tight before the Cardinals reasserted control in the sixth. Oakland finished with an error and managed only six hits, while St. Louis collected eleven and made no defensive mistakes.
The decisive swing came in the top of the sixth inning, when JJ Wetherholt launched a home run off Joel Kuhnel that shifted the DiamondIQ model's win probability by plus 20.3 percentage points in the Cardinals' favor, the single largest play of the game. The Athletics had narrowed the gap with Shea Langeliers providing both of Oakland's biggest offensive moments, a double off Andre Pallante in the second inning worth plus 12.4 percentage points and a home run off George Soriano in the eighth worth plus 12.0 percentage points. Oakland's final rally died in the ninth when Jonah Heim grounded into a double play against Riley O'Brien, a swing of minus 14.9 percentage points, and Jeff McNeil's groundout to close the frame locked the Cardinals' advantage for good at plus 14.4 percentage points.
Among individual performers, Langeliers led all batters with a plus 21.5 percent WPA and a RE24 of plus 2.3 despite being on the losing side, while Wetherholt finished at plus 19.4 percent WPA and plus 2.0 RE24 as the Cardinals' most impactful offensive force. McNeil contributed plus 11.7 percent WPA, largely through his role in the ninth-inning sequence. On the pitching side, Andre Pallante paced the Cardinals' staff at plus 12.9 percent WPA, supported by JoJo Romero at plus 6.3 and Ryne Stanek at plus 6.0, as the Cardinals bullpen ultimately secured the two-run victory. The DiamondIQ model opened with a 47 percent home win probability for Oakland and closed at zero.