O'Brien (illness) tossed a scoreless frame in Wednesday's extra-inning victory over the Cubs.
O'Brien had been unavailable for a few days while battling an illness, but he was able to pitch around a hit-by-pitch and an intentional walk in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday before the Cardinals won it in the 10th. The closer should be available Thursday if a save opportunity should present itself.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Unavailable Sunday due to illness
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O'Brien was unavailable to pitch in Sunday's 5-3 extra-inning loss to the Reds due to illness, John Denton of Roundtable.io reports.
The illness provides an explanation as to why O'Brien didn't appear in the ninth inning when the game was knotted up. The Cardinals closer should be considered day-to-day. If a save chance arises Monday versus the Cubs and O'Brien remains unavailable, George Soriano or Ryne Stanek could be used.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Collects 26th save
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O'Brien earned the save in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Angels, allowing no hits and two walks with three strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.
O'Brien was summoned to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning and didn't allow a ball in play, working around two walks by striking out the side. It was an encouraging rebound after the 31-year-old melted down Monday (allowing two runs in one-third of an inning during a blown save), and he's now held opponents scoreless in nine of his past 10 appearances. On the year, he's 26-for-31 in save chances to go along with a 3.67 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 44:17 K:BB across 41.2 innings.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: No command in blown save
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O'Brien (3-4) allowed two runs on two hits, one walk and two hit batsmen while striking out one over one-third of an inning to take the loss and a blown save in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Angels.
O'Brien simply didn't have it Monday, throwing just eight of 21 pitches for strikes. The second plunking ended the game, as he hit Jo Adell with the bases loaded after intentionally walking Josh Lowe. O'Brien is now 25-for-30 in save chances this season while pitching to a 3.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 41:15 K:BB through 40.2 innings. Prior to Monday, he had posted an eight-inning scoreless streak, and he hadn't blown a save since May 19 versus the Pirates.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Secures save No. 25
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O'Brien allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning to pick up the save Friday against the Diamondbacks.
The 31-year-old produced an eighth straight scoreless appearance and is once again tied with Mason Miller atop the National League with 25 saves. During that scoreless stretch, O'Brien has surrendered just three hits and three walks while recording seven saves, though he hasn't been particularly dominant with seven strikeouts.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Converts 24th save
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O'Brien walked one, hit a batter and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-1 win over Atlanta.
O'Brien wasn't quite at his best while pitching for the third time in four days, but he got the job done. He's on a seven-inning scoreless streak and has earned six saves with a 6:2 K:BB in that span. The All-Star reliever has converted 24 of 28 save chances this season while pitching to a 3.43 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB through 39.1 innings. O'Brien presumably won't be available if a save opportunity surfaces Sunday -- JoJo Romero or Ryne Stanek would be top options to step in for a save chance since George Soriano has also pitched consecutive days.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Secures 23rd save
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O'Brien retired all three batters he faced with two strikeouts to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win against Atlanta.
O'Brien needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order and convert his 10th consecutive save opportunity. That brings the right-hander up to 23 saves on the season, moving him back into a three-way tie with Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran for the National League lead. While he has not blown a save since mid-May, O'Brien surrendered six runs with a 7:7 K:BB across 10 appearances in June. He finished the month with three straight scoreless outings and has followed up with three more clean appearances to begin July.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Grabs 21st save
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O'Brien earned the save Tuesday against Atlanta, allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.
O'Brien entered the ninth with a two-run lead and worked around a Matt Olson double to lock down his 21st save of the season. The right-hander has now converted all seven of his save opportunities in June, though the results haven't always been clean, as he had allowed six runs over his previous nine innings entering Tuesday. His 21 saves are tied for the National League lead alongside Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran. O'Brien now owns a 3.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 34:11 K:BB across 35.1 innings this season.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Secures 19th save
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O'Brien picked up the save in Monday's 3-2 victory over the Diamondbacks. He did not record a strikeout during a perfect ninth inning.
O'Brien made quick work of the Diamondbacks, retiring the side to secure the victory. The right-hander has had an uneven June, allowing runs in three of eight appearances while recording more walks (seven) than strikeouts (six) across eight innings. Overall, the 31-year-old owns a 4.05 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 33:11 K:BB while converting 19 of 23 save opportunities. Among National League relievers, only Mason Miller (21) has more saves than O'Brien this season.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Holds on for 17th save
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O'Brien secured the save Sunday against the Reds, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.
O'Brien did let the possible tying run get to the plate, but he was able to hang on for the save courtesy of a Blake Dunn flyout. The 31-year-old right-hander has been shaky at times as St. Louis' closer, though he's now collected three saves in a row and ranks second in the National League behind only Mason Miller in saves. Through 29.1 frames, O'Brien has a 3.68 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 31:7 K:BB while converting 17 of his 21 save chances.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Nabs 15th save of season
Rotowire
O'Brien recorded his 15th save of the season in Wednesday's win over the Rangers. He tossed a scoreless ninth inning with one walk.
O'Brien walked Kyle Higashioka to start the ninth inning, but he retired Michael Helman, Joc Pederson and Josh Jung to close out the door on a potential Rangers comeback. O'Brien is now 15-for-19 in save chances in 2026 while posting a 3.95 ERA and 29:6 K:BB across 27.1 innings in 27 appearances. He should continue to operate as St. Louis' go-to option in the ninth inning until further notice.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Earns 14th save
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O'Brien earned the save in Friday's 6-5 win over the Cubs, allowing one run on one hit in the ninth inning. He did not record a walk or strikeout.
O'Brien was summoned to protect a two-run lead and was able to close things out despite allowing a run after a leadoff double. It was the 31-year-old's first save since May 14, and he's now yielded earned runs in four of 10 appearances during a shaky month. For the year, he's 14-for-18 in save chances with a 3.20 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 27:4 K:BB across 25.1 innings.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Blows save Tuesday
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O'Brien blew a save against the Pirates on Tuesday, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk over one inning.
O'Brien was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning. He couldn't get the job done, largely due to his own wildness -- in addition to giving up two singles, he also walked one and hit two Pirates batters. This was O'Brien's fourth blown save of the season, though he still is tied for the third in the league with 13 successful saves. He's held the opponent without an earned run in 19 of his 23 outings but has given up multiple runs in his other four appearances.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Locks down 13th save
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O'Brien earned the save Thursday against the Athletics, striking out two over a scoreless and hitless ninth inning.
O'Brien was called upon in the ninth inning and worked around plunking leadoff batter Nick Kurtz to lock down his 13th save of the season, tying him for the MLB lead. The right-hander has responded well after a rough stretch in which he blew three saves over eight appearances, bouncing back with hitless saves in his past two outings. O'Brien continues to dominate overall, sporting a 2.57 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and an outstanding 25:2 K:BB across 21 innings.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Hangs on for eighth save
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O'Brien secured the save Wednesday against the Pirates, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.
While O'Brien did allow the tying run to get aboard, he held on for his eighth save of the year courtesy of an amazing leaping catch at the wall by Nathan Church for the game's final out. The right-hander is solidifying his grip on St. Louis' closer role, posting a 1.17 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 17:1 K:BB over 15.1 frames. O'Brien trails only Mason Miller (10) in saves in the National League so far.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Notches seventh save
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O'Brien gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his seventh save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Marlins.
The right-hander topped 100 mph three times in 17 pitches (11 strikes) as he converted his seventh save in eight chances to begin the season. O'Brien also has three wins and two holds in his 13 appearances, but he's seized control of the closer job for the Cardinals with a dominant start to 2026, posting a 0.00 ERA, 0.45 WHIP and 15:0 K:BB over 13.1 innings.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Picks up fourth save
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O'Brien picked up his fourth save Friday against the Red Sox, striking out one in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning.
O'Brien entered in the ninth with a 3-2 lead and set the Red Sox down in order on eight pitches, six of which he threw for strikes. After Ryne Stanek opened the season as St. Louis' closer, O'Brien has recorded four straight saves for the Cardinals. He's yet to allow a run and owns a perfect 8:0 K:BB across 8.1 innings.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Sets Mets down in order for save
Rotowire
O'Brien picked up his first save of the season in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Mets. He didn't allow a hit or a walk with no strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.
It's notable that manager Oliver Marmol went to O'Brien for the ninth inning after the Cardinals' first two save chances of the season were given to Ryne Stanek in the opening series against the Rays. Stanek pitched the seventh inning against the Mets on Tuesday, walking one and striking out one in a scoreless frame. Stanek's save chances have been a rollercoaster, as he walked three on Opening Day and blew the save the following game, only to pick up the win later. O'Brien was effective in the role last season after Ryan Helsley was dealt at the trade deadline. The 31-year-old O'Brien turned in a 2.06 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 45:22 K:BB across 48 innings last regular season and picked up all six of his saves following Helsley's departure. The Cardinals figure to give O'Brien, Stanek and JoJo Romero save opportunities this season.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: On track for spring debut Friday
Rotowire
O'Brien (calf) is tentatively scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Orioles, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The right-hander has been slowed in Cardinals camp by a mild right calf strain. O'Brien got through a live batting practice session Monday with no issues, and as long as he bounces back well, he'll get into game action Friday. The hard-throwing O'Brien is competing to open the season as St. Louis' closer.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Secures fourth save
Rotowire
O'Brien picked up the save in Sunday's 3-1 win at Milwaukee, allowing one walk and no hits over a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
The 30-year-old worked around a two-out walk to collect his second save of the month. O'Brien, who fired 10 of his 16 total pitches for strikes, got the ninth after JoJo Romero pitched a scoreless frame in the eighth against the heart of the Brewers lineup. Although Romero is likely to draw the majority of save opportunities, St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol has shown no hesitation in employing O'Brien when the situation arises. The righty reliever now sports a 2.13 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 40:20 K:BB in 42.1 total innings.
