Talking About Birds: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

The autopsy continues, this time sorting the 2026 Cardinals into who got lucky and who got robbed. JJ Wetherholt was the unluckiest man on the roster and is primed to break out; Kyle Leahy and Michael McGreevy had “zombie” seasons the regression ghouls will come for; and Nate and Ben map out the bullpen, the Jimmy Crooks catching puzzle, and two (three?) very deserving Gold Glove finalists.

Plus an $8.99 gourd, a zucchini canoe, a cursed week for Chicago, a full playoff check-in, and the triumphant return of the best game they’ve ever made: Pope or Nope.

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Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

The autopsy continues. Nate and Ben go player by player through the 2026 Cardinals, and the central mystery is brutal: the offense dropped 62% in value from the first half to the second, while — somehow — the pitching staff doubled, even after trading Dustin May and JoJo Romero. They dig into Victor Scott's fading experiment, Ivan Herrera's concerning collapse, why they've both gone Burley-pilled, and whether Matthew Liberatore is still a starter.

Plus the $10 gourd lords, a disastrous bet on Renaissance Faire jousting, a full playoff check-in, and the end-of-season edition of Who Charted?

Have a question or comment for the show? Text or leave us a voicemail at: (848) 48-BIRDS (848-482-4737)

Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

The season's over, so Nate and Ben grab the scalpel and perform the 2026 autopsy. They walk the final rankings — a middle-of-the-pack offense, a rotation that punched above its weight, a bullpen that gave it all back, and a top-ten defense that held the whole thing together — and ask why a team that won fewer games than last year somehow feels like a success.

Plus the 2027 holes and a Jazz Chisholm pitch, favorite moments from Josh Baez's debut to Jordan Walker's Home Run Derby, playoff picks, and the season finale of Draft Day: Heroes & Hatchlings.

Have a question or comment for the show? Text or leave us a voicemail at: (848) 48-BIRDS (848-482-4737)

Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

The Cardinals are officially eliminated, so Nate and Ben start making peace with a season that — against every expectation — still counts as a success. They dig into the bullpen that sank it, the Michael McGreevy puzzle (no strikeouts, sub-4 ERA), Jordan Walker's career-best breakout and the defensive metrics that somehow hate him, and the home/road splits that make Busch look haunted.

Plus an incredible Costco piano story, Nolan Arenado catching fire in the desert, Quinn Mathews pitching his way into 2027, Justin Verlander's last dance, and a new game — What Year Is It?

Have a question or comment for the show? Text or leave us a voicemail at: (848) 48-BIRDS (848-482-4737)

Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina went into the Cardinals Hall of Fame together, and Nate and Ben get appropriately misty about a pairing we'll probably never see again. Then they celebrate the young core carrying September — Thomas Saggese's breakout, Leo Bernal's Yadi vibes, and another Josh Baez feat of strength — plus Mason Miller's absurd reliever season and why relievers deserve their own award.

Also: a deeply important debate about eating horse, Ben's 24-hour LARP-themed endurance race, Elly De La Cruz spurning the Reds, the Mets getting mad at their own fans, and a round of Who Is This Guy?

Have a question or comment for the show? Text or leave us a voicemail at: (848) 48-BIRDS (848-482-4737)

Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

Umpire Doug Eddings picked the wrong night to make it about himself. Nate and Ben break down his meltdown against a rookie, Oli Marmol's now-legendary response, and what it all says about accountability and robot umps. Then, with the Cardinals down to a 0.2% playoff shot, they look at the bright side: Leo Bernal raking, Cooper Hjerpe's dazzling debut, and Gordon Graceffo turning into the bullpen's best arm with one new pitch.

Plus White Sox and Giants previews, a genuinely bad American League, and the Dodgers being mid for at least a moment.

Have a question or comment for the show? Text or leave us a voicemail at: (848) 48-BIRDS (848-482-4737)

Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

The curse rolls on: the podcast is haunted, the Cardinals keep losing players, and JJ Wetherholt is the latest to hit the IL. Nate and Ben map out the team's slim 2.5% path to October, make the full-throated case that JJ is getting robbed in the Rookie of the Year race, and marvel at Josh Baez's absurd swing metrics. Plus a wave of call-ups led by Leo Bernal taking over behind the plate.

In league news, Arte Moreno sells the Angels for a record sum, the Rays' stadium saga inches forward, and expansion looms. 

Have a question or comment for the show? Text or leave us a voicemail at: (848) 48-BIRDS (848-482-4737)

Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

The show is cursed. Last week's audio came out haunted, three Cardinals hit the IL in a matter of days, and Nate and Ben have made peace with the grudge ghost now living in the podcast. Between hauntings they cover a tired, banged-up team still hanging around the wild card: Masyn Winn's season-ending thumb, Josh Baez's wildly unlucky start, and a Kyle Leahy who's quietly pitched like an ace for two months.

Down on the farm, Rainiel Rodriguez keeps mashing, and the Cardinals now have baseball's second-best farm system. Plus Pirates and Dodgers previews, the Astros' bizarre firing of Dana Brown, and a new game about ballpark calories.

Have a question or comment for the show? Text or leave us a voicemail at: (848) 48-BIRDS (848-482-4737)

Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

Joshua Baez made maybe the greatest MLB debuts of all time — three home runs, three different pitches, three different parts of the ballpark. Nate and Ben soak it in, then dig into a Cardinals team that's back above .500 and squarely in the wild card hunt: Jordan Walker solving the slider, Alec Burleson leading baseball in a brand-new defensive stat, and a rotation that keeps winning while defying every metric.

Down on the farm, Rainiel Rodriguez is climbing toward the top of prospect boards. Plus Phillies and Orioles previews, a very strange batch of league news, and the return of an old friend.

Have a question or comment for the show? Text or leave us a voicemail at: (848) 48-BIRDS (848-482-4737)

Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

The Cardinals are hovering around .500 and mostly out of the race — but the offense is waking up at the perfect time. Alec Burleson is launching bombs, Ivan Herrera is crushing everything again, and José Fermín looks like the next guy about to break out. Nate and Ben dig into all of it, plus why Kyle Leahy is quietly the ace of this staff and what's gone wrong with Matthew Liberatore.

Down on the farm, Nolan Gorman is destroying Triple-A with a new swing. Plus Cubs and Reds previews, Tim Anderson's retirement, and our Draft Day check-in at the three-quarter mark.

Have a question or comment for the show? Text or leave us a voicemail at: (848) 48-BIRDS (848-482-4737)

Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. Support the show and join our private discord server at: www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds