Cardinals kick off the post-All Star stretch in Arizona, lining up Michael McGreevy vs Merrill Kelly

The St. Louis Cardinals return to the regular season rhythm Friday night with their first post-All Star Game matchup in Arizona, opening a new chapter of their schedule after the mid-summer break. The game centers on a marquee pitching duel for the Cardinals, with Michael McGreevy expected to take the ball for St. Louis, while Arizona counters with Merrill Kelly.

According to, McGreevy will start for the Cardinals. On the Diamondbacks’ side, Arizona is scheduled to hand the ball to Kelly, giving both clubs a familiar framework of starting-pitcher responsibilities after the league’s two-week pause for the All-Star Game. For teams, that first series back often sets the tone, particularly as bullpens adjust to how long starters can go and how quickly lineups settle into their everyday rhythm.

The timing also matters for how each club manages its late-inning planning. First pitch is listed for 8:40 p.m. Central, with the game available. That broadcast availability is part of how the Cardinals’ local and traveling fanbase is likely to track the reset after the All-Star break, when managers typically fine-tune who gets high-leverage work based on recent bullpen usage patterns.

From Arizona’s perspective, the matchup provides a straightforward path: lean on Kelly to set innings and allow the Diamondbacks’ defensive group to play behind a starting pitcher who can influence both tempo and run-prevention. For St. Louis, the approach is similar, but with an emphasis on building early momentum with McGreevy’s command and pitch sequencing, then transitioning to relief matchups as the game develops.

There are also intangible stakes that come with the opening game after the break, even when the calendar doesn’t yet define the postseason picture. Teams are still measuring form after the long pause, gauging whether hitters have maintained timing and whether pitchers have resumed their workload without feeling out of sync. The first series back can show the day-to-day differences between “sharp from spring” and “sharp after the break,” especially in how quickly pitchers locate against familiar opponents and how aggressively hitters take at-bats into certain counts.

For fans watching Friday’s game, the most important questions will be practical rather than theoretical: can McGreevy get through the middle innings with consistent effectiveness, and can Kelly keep St. Louis from turning early contact into sustained offense? If one starter stretches deeper than expected, it could reduce the number of bullpen arms both teams must deploy, which can be crucial for a club’s second or third game of a series.

What to watch next is straightforward. If the Cardinals can convert early opportunities into sustained scoring against Kelly, they may establish a template for how they want their lineup to attack in Arizona. If the Diamondbacks control the run environment with Kelly and match up well in relief, the Cardinals will likely lean more heavily on late-inning bats and timely plate appearances in the sequence of games that follows this opening start.