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O'Brien earned the save Tuesday against the Padres after tossing a scoreless ninth inning while allowing a walk.
O'Brien has converted his last five save opportunities and has gone 18-for-22 so far in 2026. One of the most reliable ninth-inning relievers in the National League this season, O'Brien owns a 3.73 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 31 appearances (31.1 innings) in 2026.
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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
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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: Bounces back with save
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O'Brien walked one and struck out none in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Athletics.
O'Brien blew a save Sunday versus the Padres, but he bounced back in this outing. The closer has been a little shaky lately, as all three of his blown saves on the year have come in his last nine outings, though he's picked up a save in each of his other six appearances in that span. O'Brien has maintained a 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 23:2 K:BB while converting 12 of 15 save chances through 20 innings this season, closing out half of the Cardinals' 24 wins. If he can limit mistakes, O'Brien should continue to see plenty of closing opportunities.
O'Brien blew the save in Sunday's 3-2 loss to San Diego. He allowed two runs on two hits and no walks while striking out three over one inning.
O'Brien had his club one strike away from securing a series win in San Diego before Nick Castellanos launched a game-tying two-run homer on the ninth pitch of the at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. Sunday marked the hard-throwing right-hander's third blown save of the campaign, snapping a streak of four consecutive saves. Despite the stumble, O'Brien has been effective in the closer role in 2026, posting a 2.84 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 11 saves and a stellar 23:1 K:BB across 19 innings.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Converts 11th save
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O'Brien struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Padres.
O'Brien got the job done on 10 pitches (eight strikes) to preserve a one-run lead. He's had some shaky moments lately, allowing four runs over his last 4.2 innings, but he's still converted four of his five save chances in that span. This is O'Brien's first full season closing, and he's done well in the role with 11 saves on 13 chances while maintaining a 2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 20:1 K:BB through 18 innings.
O'Brien picked up the save in Monday's 6-3 victory over Milwaukee. He allowed no hits or walks with no strikeouts over two-thirds of a perfect inning.
With Gordon Graceffo surrendering a two-run homer to Brice Turang in the ninth inning to make it a three-run game and allowing another batter to reach, O'Brien entered with one out and closed the frame without issue to secure a victory for St. Louis. The lanky right-hander has been reliable in the closer role in 2026, allowing an earned run in just two of 17 appearances while posting a 2.12 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with a 19:1 K:BB across 17 innings. His 10 saves rank second in MLB, trailing only Mason Miller (11).
Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Barely holds on for ninth save
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O'Brien notched the save Saturday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out two.
O'Brien needed every bit of the three-run cushion he was granted, giving up four straight hits and two runs with two outs before finally closing the door with a strikeout -- although three of those hits were inches away from becoming outs in the gloves of Masyn Winn or JJ Wetherholt. The 31-year-old right-hander has been a bit shaky lately, converting just three of his last five save chances while yielding four runs during that span. Overall, O'Brien still sports a 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 19:1 K:BB with nine saves across 16.1 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.
O'Brien (3-1) blew the save and took the loss Saturday as the Cardinals fell 11-9 to the Mariners, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk in an inning of work. He struck out one and also hit a batter with a pitch.
There weren't many St. Louis pitchers who had success Saturday, and O'Brien wasn't immune to the malaise. The right-hander entered the game in the eighth inning with one out and runners on second and third to protect a 9-7 lead, but a Connor Joe single tied things up and stuck O'Brien with his second blown save of the year in nine chances. He then came back out for the ninth and loaded the bases before a Leo Rivas single put Seattle in front for good. The earned runs on O'Brien's ledger were his first of 2026, and despite the stumble he still boasts a 1.26 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 14.1 innings.
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