Hicks struck out the side in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Mets. He also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.
Giovanny Gallegos was expected to step into the closer role for the Cardinals while Ryan Helsley (forearm) was on the shelf, but instead Gallegos worked the eighth inning Saturday against the middle of the Mets' order while Hicks handled the ninth. The save was his first since 2019, as injuries and a failed conversion to starting took him out of the team's high-leverage mix, but it seems the flamethrowing right-hander will get another chance to help lock up wins for St. Louis. After a bumpy first month of the season, Hicks has a 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 28:11 K:BB through 18 innings since the beginning of May.