NL CENTRAL STANDINGS

TeamW-LGBStrk
Reds18-10-L1
Cubs17-121.5L3
Pirates16-132.5L2
Cardinals15-133.0W1
Brewers14-133.5W1

RECENT RESULTS (LAST 10)

DateOppH/AResult
Apr 27PITAwayW 4-2
Apr 26SEAHomeL 2-3
Apr 25SEAHomeL 9-11
Apr 24SEAHomeL 2-3
Apr 22MIAAwayL 1-4
Apr 21MIAAwayW 5-3
Apr 20MIAAwayL 3-5
Apr 19HOUAwayW 7-5 (10)
Apr 18HOUAwayW 7-5
Apr 17HOUAwayW 9-4

STARTING PITCHERS

Cardinals: Kyle Leahy (R)

2026 to date: 2-3, 5.63 ERA over 24.0 IP across 5 starts. 15 K, 11 BB, 1.67 WHIP, 4 HR allowed. Current GB% 64.2%, K% 13.5%, BB% 9.9%. 2025 baseline: 88.0 IP, 22.0% K%, 7.7% BB%, 2.86 K/BB ratio. Career road ERA 2.68 over 43.2 IP versus 4.47 home ERA over 44.1 IP.

Pirates: TBD

Pittsburgh has not announced a starter at the time of report generation. BvP and matchup specifics for the opposing arm cannot be drawn until the Pirates name their starter.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Cardinals (From active roster)

13 players listed from active roster pool. Actual game lineup will be 9 from this group.

PlayerPosBats
Burleson1BL
HerreraCR
Wetherholt2BL
WalkerRFR
FermínLFR
WinnSSR
ChurchLFL
Gorman3BL
PagésCR
Urías3BR
SaggeseLFR
ScottCFL
PozoCR

Handedness: 8 RHB (Herrera, Walker, Fermín, Winn, Pagés, Urías, Saggese, Pozo), 5 LHB (Burleson, Wetherholt, Church, Gorman, Scott).

Pirates (From active roster)

13 players listed from active roster pool. Actual game lineup will be 9 from this group.

PlayerPosBats
CookRFR
Lowe2BL
ReynoldsLFS
DavisCR
MangumLFS
BartCR
GriffinSSR
OzunaDHR
Gonzales3BR
Yorke3BR
CruzCFL
O'HearnRFL
Horwitz1BL

Handedness: 7 RHB (Cook, Davis, Bart, Griffin, Ozuna, Gonzales, Yorke), 4 LHB (Lowe, Cruz, O'Hearn, Horwitz).

INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES

No injury or roster moves are present in today's data file. Check public injury reports and clubhouse notes before first pitch.

2A: BVP -- CARDINALS BATTERS VS OPPONENT STARTER

No data available for this section.

No BvP rows because the Pirates have not announced a starter. Phase 1 cannot query Cardinals batters vs an unnamed pitcher.

Bench note: Not applicable until the opposing starter is named.

2B: BVP -- OPPONENT BATTERS VS CARDINALS STARTER

PlayerPAABHAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Bryan Reynolds440.000.000.000003
Oneil Cruz431.333.500.333012
Marcell Ozuna330.000.000.000001
Joey Bart331.333.333.333001
Nick Gonzales321.500.333.500000
Jake Mangum1111.0001.0001.000000
Ryan O'Hearn2111.0001.0001.000010
Spencer Horwitz100--1.000--010

Small sample: Bryan Reynolds (4 PA), Oneil Cruz (4 PA), Marcell Ozuna (3 PA), Joey Bart (3 PA), Nick Gonzales (3 PA), Jake Mangum (1 PA), Ryan O'Hearn (2 PA), Spencer Horwitz (1 PA).

All eight rows are small samples (PA <= 4). Reynolds is 0-for-4 with 3 K -- the only meaningful contact-failure note. Cruz is 1-for-3 with 1 BB and 2 K, a snapshot of his swing-or-walk profile. Mangum (1-for-1) and O'Hearn (1-for-1 plus 1 BB) are 100% line-driven blips at 1-2 PA. No batter clears the danger threshold (10 PA, .400 AVG).

Bench note: Cook, Lowe, Davis, Griffin, and Yorke have no career BvP rows against Leahy -- the eight names above are the only Pirates regulars with prior at-bats. The lineup will face Leahy effectively blind on five of nine bats.

2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- CARDINALS

PlayerPAAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Alec Burleson L419.296.353.478153259
Masyn Winn R374.251.309.36872371
Victor Scott L332.221.310.31753175
Ivan Herrera R328.268.343.399102466
Nolan Gorman L309.201.294.349937111
Jordan Walker R289.200.263.29142194
Pedro Pagés R276.225.264.36491272
Ramon Urias R273.233.278.36771757
Thomas Saggese R227.254.305.34011563
Yohel Pozo R126.217.254.3584616
José Fermín R59.280.379.420178
Nathan Church L51.114.216.1821314

2025 vs RHP context for the lineup pool. Burleson (.296/.353/.478) is the platoon anchor. Gorman (.201) and Walker (.200) are the regulars at .200 or below versus right-handers -- the at-bats opposing managers exploit when the bullpen turns over to a RHP. Wetherholt has no 2025 row (rookie season). Pittsburgh's starter is undeclared, so this section reads as season-long context rather than a specific platoon read.

2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- OPPONENT

PlayerPAAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Bryan Reynolds B487.241.312.3901039124
Marcell Ozuna R451.235.347.4151864111
Ryan O'Hearn L438.282.370.427144983
Oneil Cruz L419.229.320.4381948130
Brandon Lowe L406.280.335.5382633104
Spencer Horwitz L360.283.358.455103760
Nick Gonzales R309.266.298.35531455
Jake Mangum B291.304.340.38021447
Joey Bart R246.230.333.29612667
Henry Davis R221.174.241.27241361
Nick Yorke R47.178.213.2671211
Billy Cook R2.000.000.000001

2025 vs RHP for the Pirates pool (Leahy throws right). The four LHB (Lowe, Cruz, O'Hearn, Horwitz) and two switch-hitters (Reynolds, Mangum) all turn around to bat lefty -- six effective LHB versus seven RHB, slightly tilted to the platoon-disadvantaged side for Leahy. Lowe (.280/.335/.538, 26 HR), O'Hearn (.282/.370/.427), and Horwitz (.283/.358/.455) all clear .280 AVG. Reynolds (.312 OBP) and Mangum (.304/.340) are the contact bats. Davis (.174), Yorke (.178), and Cook (2 PA) are the bottom of the platoon-disadvantaged sub-group.

2D: PITCHER PLATOON SPLITS

PitchervsPAAVGOBPSLGOPSHRK
Kyle Leahyvs LHB163.252.337.364.616337
Kyle Leahyvs RHB200.238.270.319.557243

Leahy is platoon-tilted toward RHB: .238/.270/.319 (.557 OPS) over 200 PA versus .252/.337/.364 (.616 OPS) over 163 PA against LHB. The gap is in walks -- 19 BB to LHB (11.7%) versus 9 BB to RHB (4.5%). Pittsburgh has six effective lefty bats (4 LHB plus 2 switch-hitters) against seven RHB. The matchup type to game-plan: LHB at-bats where Leahy's free-pass rate climbs.

2D-HA: PITCHER HOME/AWAY SPLITS

PitcherSplitBFIPERAKBBHR
Kyle LeahyAway17343.22.6846132
Kyle LeahyHome19044.14.4734153

Today's game is at PNC Park -- Leahy pitching away, where his 2025 career splits favor him by a wide margin: 2.68 ERA over 43.2 IP on the road versus 4.47 ERA over 44.1 IP at home. Strikeout differential follows the ERA: 46 K / 13 BB away versus 34 K / 15 BB at home. The road profile is the version the Cardinals are buying tonight.

2E: TTO SPLITS (TIMES THROUGH ORDER)

PitcherTTOPAAVGSLGOPSHRKBB
Kyle LeahyTTO1355.247.341.58857628
Kyle LeahyTTO28.125.250.375040

Leahy's 2025 TTO sample is heavily skewed: 355 PA at TTO1 (.247/.304/.341, .588 OPS) versus only 8 PA at TTO2 (.125 AVG, 4 K in tiny sample). That distribution reflects a career largely spent in relief / opener roles. As a 2026 starter (5 GS, 24.0 IP, 4.8 IP per start average), he is building his TTO2 profile in real time. The innings to watch: 4-5, where his historical sample thins and where the Pirates' contact bats (Mangum, Gonzales, Horwitz) get their second look.

2F: INHERITED RUNNERS PROFILE

RelieverIRScoredStrand%
Kyle Leahy291162.1%
JoJo Romero26388.5%
Matt Svanson261350.0%
Gordon Graceffo11554.5%
Riley O'Brien10370.0%
Ryan Fernandez8450.0%
Michael McGreevy30100.0%

League average IR strand rate: ~68-72%. Romero (88.5% over 26 IR) is the elite fireman. McGreevy (100% over 3 IR) is a small-sample green flag. O'Brien (70%) sits at league average. The danger group: Svanson (50.0% over 26 IR), Fernandez (50.0% over 8 IR), and Graceffo (54.5% over 11 IR) -- all well below league average and all candidates to inherit if Leahy departs mid-inning.

2G: BATTED BALL MATCHUP

Pitcher Batted Ball Profiles (Career)

PitcherBIPGB%FB%LD%
Kyle Leahy24944.2%26.9%27.7%

Hitter Batted Ball Results (Career) -- PIT

HitterGB AVGLD AVGFB AVG
Joey Bart.280.745.098
Billy Cook.000--.667
Oneil Cruz.240.590.043
Henry Davis.220.526.028
Nick Gonzales.283.584.099
Spencer Horwitz.241.671.109
Brandon Lowe.225.678.071
Jake Mangum.344.557.086
Ryan O'Hearn.294.611.134
Marcell Ozuna.184.658.152
Bryan Reynolds.213.600.198
Nick Yorke.276.600.071

Leahy 2025 GB profile: 44.2% GB%, 26.9% FB%, 27.7% LD% (249 BIP). Leahy 2026 to date: 64.2% GB% -- a 20-point spike across his 2026 starts, small sample but a clear directional move. The Pirates lineup leans ground-ball-heavy: Mangum 62.0% GB% with .344 GB AVG (Section 2M -- elite slap-and-run), Bart 53.2%, Cruz 52.7%, Reynolds 49.5%, Gonzales 47.9%, O'Hearn 47.6%. Six PIT regulars hit grounders 47%+ of the time. The collision favors Leahy's profile: routine grounders into the Cardinals infield, where Winn at SS (.994 / 64 DP in 2025) is the conversion engine.

2H: BATTERY PAIRING

CatcherGIPERAAVGOBPSLG
Pedro Pagés4362.03.05.225----
Yohel Pozo1316.02.25.259----
Jimmy Crooks46.18.53.346----
Ivan Herrera43.06.00.308----

Three of the four catchers above are on tonight's active roster (Pages, Pozo, Herrera). Jimmy Crooks is not on the current 26-man -- those 4 G / 6.1 IP / 8.53 ERA reflect a prior battery context that is no longer game-relevant. The active-roster reads: Pages-Leahy is the primary partner (43 G / 62.0 IP / 3.05 ERA / .225 OPP AVG) and the most likely starter behind the plate. Pozo-Leahy is the secondary option (13 G / 16.0 IP / 2.25 ERA / .259 AVG). Herrera-Leahy is effectively a fresh battery -- only 3.0 IP across 4 G, with a .308 OPP AVG in that micro-sample. If Herrera catches tonight, signal sequencing and pop-time calibration are unfamiliar -- a scouting angle in itself given Cruz and Mangum on the bases.

2I: BASERUNNING MATCHUP

Pirates SB profiles (2025):

- Oneil Cruz: 38 SB / 5 CS, 88.4% success -- elite tier, the primary running threat.

- Jake Mangum: 27 SB / 6 CS, 81.8% success -- complementary speed, especially relevant given his 62% GB rate.

- Ryan O'Hearn: 3 SB / 1 CS, 75% success -- low volume, situational.

- Henry Davis: 2 SB / 1 CS, 66.7% success -- catcher with some baserunning upside.

- Bryan Reynolds: 3 SB / 2 CS, 60% success.

- Brandon Lowe: 3 SB / 2 CS, 60% success.

- Nick Yorke: 1 SB / 0 CS, 100% (1-attempt sample).

- Joey Bart: 1 SB / 1 CS, 50% (catcher).

2J: DEFENSIVE CONTEXT

PlayerPOSGDPEFld%
Victor ScottCF136360.982
Masyn WinnSS1296430.994
Pedro PagésC110650.994
Jordan WalkerRF108240.981
Ramon Urias3B782040.979
Nolan Gorman3B541160.950
Alec Burleson1B502740.990
Yohel PozoC46050.982
Alec BurlesonLF41001.000
Thomas Saggese2B352440.973
Alec BurlesonRF34110.983
Thomas SaggeseSS33710.988
Nolan Gorman2B28910.990
Ramon Urias2B26701.000
Thomas Saggese3B18020.939
Nathan ChurchCF18001.000
José Fermín2B15501.000
Ivan HerreraC14010.989
Nathan ChurchRF7010.833
Victor ScottRF7001.000
Nolan Gorman1B7401.000
Yohel Pozo1B6201.000
Nathan ChurchLF5001.000
José Fermín3B5001.000
Victor ScottLF4001.000
José FermínLF4001.000
Ivan HerreraLF4001.000
Ramon Urias1B3001.000
Pedro Pagés1B2101.000
Alec BurlesonP100--
Pedro Pagés2B1001.000
José FermínRF1001.000

Cardinals defensive context for a heavy-grounder pitching plan: Winn at SS is the lineup's elite defender (.994 / 64 DP across 129 G in 2025). Pages at C carries .994 across 110 G. Burleson at 1B (.990 across 50 G with 27 DP) anchors the right side. The vulnerability: Gorman at 3B at .950 across 54 G with 6 errors -- the left-side hot corner is the lineup's defensive risk if Mangum or Cruz pull grounders. Walker in RF (.981 across 108 G) and Scott in CF (.982 across 136 G) round out the outfield defense.

2K: BALLPARK CONTEXT & HEAD-TO-HEAD

Recent head-to-head: 2025 Cardinals 6-7, 2024 Cardinals 8-5, 2023 Cardinals 4-9, 2022 Cardinals 13-6.

PNC Park plays as a pitcher-leaning venue, particularly against right-handed pull power. The deep right-center configuration and river-side air patterns work against fly-ball lift -- a setting that fits Leahy's 2025 batted-ball profile (44.2% GB%, 26.9% FB%) and his 2026 GB% spike.

2L: BATTER K%/BB% PROFILE

Cardinals

PlayerPAKK%BBBB%
Alec Burleson5447914.5%397.2%
Masyn Winn53710219.0%346.3%
Victor Scott46311124.0%429.1%
Ivan Herrera4508418.7%439.6%
Nolan Gorman40213633.8%4711.7%
Jordan Walker39612631.8%297.3%
Ramon Urias3918822.5%276.9%
Pedro Pagés38910727.5%194.9%
Thomas Saggese2958328.1%165.4%
Yohel Pozo1682213.1%74.2%
José Fermín701014.3%811.4%
Nathan Church651827.7%34.6%

Cardinals 2025 K%/BB% read: Gorman 33.8% K%, Walker 31.8%, Saggese 28.1%, Church 27.7%, Pages 27.5% -- five regulars north of 27%. Burleson 14.5% K% / 7.2% BB% is the contact anchor. Pages 4.9% BB% and Pozo 4.2% BB% are the lowest walk rates on the active roster. League average: 22.2% K%, 9.6% BB%.

Pirates

PlayerPAKK%BBBB%
Bryan Reynolds65417326.5%578.7%
Marcell Ozuna59114424.4%9415.9%
Brandon Lowe55314926.9%386.9%
Oneil Cruz54417432.0%6411.8%
Ryan O'Hearn54410920.0%5810.7%
Jake Mangum4286415.0%194.4%
Spencer Horwitz4117317.8%4410.7%
Nick Gonzales4087317.9%215.1%
Joey Bart3329328.0%4012.0%
Henry Davis2817627.0%186.4%
Nick Yorke721520.8%34.2%
Billy Cook6116.7%00.0%

Pirates 2025 K%/BB% read: Cruz 32.0% K% is the lineup extreme, paired with 11.8% BB% (high-K, high-BB profile). Bart (28.0% / 12.0%), Reynolds (26.5% / 8.7%), Lowe (26.9% / 6.9%), Davis (27.0% / 6.4%) round out the high-K core. Ozuna 15.9% BB% is elite plate discipline. Mangum 15.0% K% / 4.4% BB% is the polar opposite -- contact-heavy, swing-early. Five Pirates regulars sit at K% 26%+ -- against Leahy's 22.0% K% (Section 2N), the punchout volume is there if his command stays inside the strike zone.

2M: BATTER BATTED BALL PROFILE

Cardinals

PlayerBIPGB%FB%LD%
Alec Burleson39842.0%33.4%24.6%
Masyn Winn37639.6%34.0%26.3%
Ivan Herrera28552.6%21.8%25.6%
Victor Scott25940.2%32.0%27.8%
Ramon Urias25345.1%29.2%25.7%
Pedro Pagés24344.9%30.9%24.3%
Jordan Walker23148.9%29.4%21.6%
Nolan Gorman19930.2%41.7%28.1%
Thomas Saggese18941.8%29.6%28.6%
Yohel Pozo13340.6%33.1%26.3%
José Fermín4637.0%32.6%30.4%
Nathan Church3767.6%21.6%10.8%

Cardinals 2025 batted-ball notes: Gorman is the only roster regular tilted FB-heavy (30.2% GB / 41.7% FB) -- the bat that lifts. Herrera 52.6% GB% is the highest among regulars with 200+ BIP. Church 67.6% GB% in a 37-BIP sample is extreme. Burleson 42.0% / 33.4% is balanced.

Pirates

PlayerBIPGB%FB%LD%
Bryan Reynolds39849.5%21.6%28.9%
Ryan O'Hearn35747.6%27.2%25.2%
Jake Mangum33762.0%17.2%20.8%
Brandon Lowe32742.2%30.3%27.5%
Marcell Ozuna32243.8%32.6%23.6%
Nick Gonzales30347.9%26.7%25.4%
Spencer Horwitz28040.0%32.9%27.1%
Oneil Cruz27752.7%25.3%22.0%
Joey Bart18853.2%21.8%25.0%
Henry Davis16934.9%42.6%22.5%
Nick Yorke5354.7%26.4%18.9%
Billy Cook540.0%60.0%0.0%

Pirates 2025 batted-ball read: ground-ball-heavy lineup. Mangum 62.0% GB% (paired with .344 GB AVG -- elite slap-and-run), Bart 53.2%, Cruz 52.7%, Reynolds 49.5%, Gonzales 47.9%, O'Hearn 47.6%. Six regulars at 47%+ GB% versus Leahy (44.2% career GB%, 64.2% in 2026) -- a ground-ball collision. The exception: Davis 42.6% FB% with .028 FB AVG (Section 2G) -- a fly-ball profile that has not produced. Yorke 54.7% GB% in a 53-BIP sample is similarly tilted toward the dirt.

2N: PITCHER K%/BB% PROFILE

PitcherIPKK%BBBB%K/BB
Kyle Leahy88.08022.0%287.7%2.86

2026 to date: 13.5% K% / 9.9% BB% across 24.0 IP. 2025 baseline: 22.0% K% / 7.7% BB% / 2.86 K/BB ratio. The 2025 K% sits dead-on league average (22.2%) and the 2025 BB% is below league average (9.6%) -- a slight command edge. The 2026 trend is moving the wrong way on both ends: lower whiffs, more walks, and 4 HR allowed in 24.0 IP. The 2025 baseline is the more stable read; the 2026 starts are a small sample but a directional flag.

KEY MATCHUPS & WATCHLIST

Key Matchups

Cruz vs Leahy. 1-for-3 with 1 BB and 2 K in BvP (Section 2B). Cruz's 32.0% K% (Section 2L) intersects Leahy's 22.0% K% (Section 2N), and his 88.4% SB rate (38/5 in 2025, Section 2I) is the in-game variable once he reaches.

Lowe vs Leahy. Lowe is the LHB power risk: .280/.335/.538 vs RHP in 2025 with 26 HR (Section 2C). Leahy's vs-LHB OPS is .616 (Section 2D). Lowe's 42.2% GB / 30.3% FB profile (Section 2M) is balanced enough to hurt at any pitch height.

O'Hearn vs Leahy. 1-for-1 with 1 BB in BvP (Section 2B), .282/.370/.427 vs RHP in 2025 (Section 2C). Leahy's vs-LHB BB rate is 11.7% -- O'Hearn's 10.7% BB% (Section 2L) is a discipline match. Expect deep counts.

Mangum on the bases. 62.0% GB% (Section 2M) paired with 81.8% SB rate (27/6, Section 2I). Ground ball plus speed pressures Gorman at 3B (.950 fielding, 6 E in 54 G, Section 2J).

Watchlist

-- Leahy TTO1 ceiling (355 PA, .588 OPS). First time through the order is the strongest documented inning of his profile (Section 2E). Once the lineup turns over the second time, the data thins -- innings 4-5 are the bridge.

-- Battery uncertainty. Pages-Leahy 62.0 IP / 3.05 ERA. Pozo-Leahy 16.0 IP / 2.25 ERA. Herrera-Leahy 3.0 IP / 6.00 ERA (Section 2H). Tonight's catcher choice is its own scouting variable, especially with Cruz and Mangum running.

-- Bullpen middle innings. Romero (88.5% IR strand) and McGreevy (100% / 3 IR) are the green-flag arms. Svanson (50.0%), Fernandez (50.0%), Graceffo (54.5%) are the danger group with men on (Section 2F). Sequencing once Leahy exits decides the middle innings.

-- Pirates SP undeclared. No starter named in the data file. Cardinals BvP and matchup specifics for the opposing arm cannot be drawn until the Pirates announce.

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. /scouting Cruz vs Leahy

2. /scouting Brandon Lowe vs RHP 2025

3. /scouting Mangum ground ball rate

4. /scouting Leahy TTO2 splits

5. /scouting Cardinals bullpen inherited runners

6. /scouting PNC Park park factors

7. /scouting Pirates running game vs Cardinals catchers

700 CLARK -- POWERED BY BASES.CHAT | HISTORICAL DATA THROUGH 2025