NL CENTRAL STANDINGS

TeamW-LGBStrk
Cubs20-12-W3
Reds20-12-L1
Cardinals19-131.0W5
Brewers17-142.5W2
Pirates17-163.5W1

NL WEST STANDINGS

TeamW-LGBStrk
Dodgers20-12-L3
Padres19-120.5L3
D-backs16-153.5L2
Rockies14-196.5L2
Giants13-197.0L4

RECENT RESULTS (LAST 10)

DateOppH/AResult
May 1LADHomeW 7-2
Apr 30PITAwayW 10-5
Apr 29PITAwayW 5-4
Apr 28PITAwayW 11-7
Apr 27PITAwayW 4-2
Apr 26SEAHomeL 2-3
Apr 25SEAHomeL 9-11
Apr 24SEAHomeL 2-3
Apr 22MIAAwayL 1-4
Apr 21MIAAwayW 5-3

STARTING PITCHERS

Michael McGreevy (R) -- Cardinals

2026 to date: 1-2, 2.97 ERA, 33.1 IP, 21 K, 5 BB, 0.90 WHIP across 6 starts. 50.0% GB%, 16.5% K%, 3.9% BB%. Sharp command and ground-ball lean -- but the 2025 baseline carries a reverse-platoon tilt (.318/.368/.543 vs LHB) and a 5.22 home ERA vs 3.55 on the road.

Roki Sasaki (R) -- Dodgers

2026 to date: 1-2, 6.35 ERA, 22.2 IP, 22 K, 13 BB, 1.81 WHIP across 5 starts. 46.5% GB%, 20.4% K%, 12.0% BB%. Walks remain the defining variable -- 2025 baseline 13.7% BB%, 1.27 K/BB. 2025 home/away split: 2.70 ERA home, 4.00 away. Tonight he is on the road.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Cardinals (Projected from 2026-05-01)

#PlayerPosBats2026 RISP AVG2026 RISP OPS
1Wetherholt2BL.250.708
2HerreraDHR.250.805
3Burleson1BL.366.998
4WalkerRFR.256.798
5Gorman3BL.243.700
6WinnSSR.214.574
7ChurchLFL.250.597
8PagésCR.190.550
9ScottCFL.100.308

Handedness: 4 RHB (Herrera, Walker, Winn, Pagés), 5 LHB (Wetherholt, Burleson, Gorman, Church, Scott).

Dodgers (From active roster)

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

PlayerPosBats
CallLFR
Freeland2BS
PagesCFR
RushingCL
Freeman1BL
KimSSL
TuckerRFL
Muncy3BL
RojasSSR
Espinal3BR
HernándezLFR
SmithCR

Handedness: 6 RHB (Call, Pages, Rojas, Espinal, Hernández, Smith), 5 LHB (Rushing, Freeman, Kim, Tucker, Muncy).

INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES

Active rosters as listed (26 STL, 26 LAD). Series posture: Cardinals carry a five-game winning streak (W5) into Game 2 of 3, leading the series 1-0 after last night's 7-2 result; Dodgers enter on a three-game skid (L3).

2A: BVP -- CARDINALS BATTERS VS OPPONENT STARTER

No data available for this section.

No Cardinals batter carries a career BvP sample against Sasaki -- this is a first-look matchup for the lineup. The 2025 platoon and TTO splits below are the better signal tonight.

Bench note: No significant bench BvP history against Sasaki.

2B: BVP -- OPPONENT BATTERS VS CARDINALS STARTER

PlayerPAABHAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Kyle Tucker883.375.375.375000
Freddie Freeman330.000.000.000001
Will Smith332.667.6671.333000
Teoscar Hernandez330.000.000.000000
Hyeseong Kim221.500.5001.500001

Small sample: Kyle Tucker (8 PA), Freddie Freeman (3 PA), Will Smith (3 PA), Teoscar Hernandez (3 PA), Hyeseong Kim (2 PA).

Tucker (3-for-8, .375) and Smith (2-for-3, .667) hold the strongest career BvP marks, but every sample is 8 PA or smaller. Freeman (0-for-3, 1 K) and Hernandez (0-for-3) are hitless against McGreevy. Treat these as priors, not predictions.

Bench note: No significant bench BvP history against McGreevy beyond the rows above.

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
Nathan Church L51.114.216.1821314

The Cardinals lean lefty against Sasaki tonight: five of nine projected starters bat L. Burleson's 2025 vs-RHP line (.296/.353/.478) is the best baseline; Herrera's .268/.343/.399 anchors the right side. Gorman (.201) and Walker (.200) are the slumping spots in the L/R mix; Church's 51-PA 2025 sample is small but cold (.114).

2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- OPPONENT

PlayerPAAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Andy Pages R512.246.290.4452423109
Freddie Freeman L502.288.371.482175494
Teoscar Hernandez R474.245.285.4572325128
Kyle Tucker L423.261.380.453146762
Will Smith R375.305.403.505154976
Alex Call R209.247.374.33512935
Santiago Espinal R202.228.276.24501227
Miguel Rojas R195.244.292.32821131
Max Muncy R176.217.256.4048654
Hyeseong Kim L149.264.304.3572744
Dalton Rushing L115.213.261.3704744
Alex Freeland B81.200.300.3432927

McGreevy's reverse-platoon look (see 2D) flips the usual read. Freeman (.288/.371), Tucker (.261/.380), and Smith (.305/.403) are the names to budget for vs RHP in 2025; Andy Pages (.246, 24 HR vs RHP in 2025) is the power play; Hernandez (.245, 23 HR) is the second power threat. Freeland (.200) and Muncy (.217) are the soft spots.

2D: PITCHER PLATOON SPLITS

PitchervsPAAVGOBPSLGOPSHRK
Michael McGreevyvs LHB190.318.368.543.861927
Michael McGreevyvs RHB210.225.255.325.550331
Roki Sasakivs LHB103.212.350.400.612417
Roki Sasakivs RHB101.207.307.345.552217

McGreevy's reverse-platoon look is the headline. 2025 vs LHB: .318/.368/.543, .861 OPS, 9 HR. 2025 vs RHB: .225/.255/.325, .550 OPS, 3 HR. The Dodgers carry five LHB (Rushing, Freeman, Kim, Tucker, Muncy) -- the lineup is structured to attack his weakness.

Sasaki's 2025 splits run flat across handedness on AVG (.212 vs LHB, .207 vs RHB) but his BB rate climbs sharply against lefties (17 BB in 103 PA). Command is the swing factor, not handedness.

2D-HA: PITCHER HOME/AWAY SPLITS

PitcherSplitBFIPERAKBBHR
Michael McGreevyAway18845.23.552496
Michael McGreevyHome21250.05.2234116
Roki SasakiAway12127.04.0020174
Roki SasakiHome8320.02.7014102

Tonight's game is at Busch Stadium -- McGreevy pitching home. His 2025 home ERA is 5.22 vs 3.55 on the road, a meaningful split. Sasaki is on the road; his 2025 away ERA is 4.00, with 17 BB in 27.0 IP -- command sharper at home (2.70 ERA, 10 BB in 20.0 IP) but tonight he is in the harder context.

2E: TTO SPLITS (TIMES THROUGH ORDER)

PitcherTTOPAAVGSLGOPSHRKBB
Michael McGreevyTTO1154.282.465.7475228
Michael McGreevyTTO2152.271.417.6884146
Michael McGreevyTTO394.241.379.6203226
Roki SasakiTTO1123.224.430.65451914
Roki SasakiTTO261.204.327.53111411
Roki SasakiTTO320.125.125.250012

McGreevy's 2025 TTO line tightens later: AVG drops from .282 (first pass through the order, innings 1-3) to .271 (second pass, innings 4-6) to .241 (third pass, innings 7+). HR allowed (5/4/3) doesn't fall as fast as the AVG, so the third pass remains a danger window despite the lower hit rate.

Sasaki's 2025 TTO3 sample is only 20 PA -- .125 AVG, .250 OPS -- but he has rarely lasted that long. The realistic fork is whether his 2025 second pass through the order (.204 AVG, .531 OPS) holds long enough to bridge to the LAD bullpen.

2F: INHERITED RUNNERS PROFILE

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

Romero's 88.5% strand rate is the elite mark in the Cardinals pen (league average ~68-72%). Svanson at 50.0% (13 of 26 inherited runners scored) is the soft underbelly -- if the inning gets to a tight middle frame, the choice between those two arms could swing the game. Leahy's 62.1% strand on 21 entries is the heaviest workload in the group.

2G: BATTED BALL MATCHUP

Pitcher Batted Ball Profiles (Career)

PitcherBIPGB%FB%LD%
Michael McGreevy30749.2%25.7%24.4%
Roki Sasaki13341.4%33.1%25.6%

Hitter Batted Ball Results (Career) -- LAD

HitterGB AVGLD AVGFB AVG
Alex Call.235.684.141
Santiago Espinal.306.500.048
Alex Freeland.353.600.111
Freddie Freeman.279.667.119
Teoscar Hernandez.222.649.087
Hyeseong Kim.351.586.250
Max Muncy.190.586.143
Andy Pages.258.592.096
Miguel Rojas.239.597.069
Dalton Rushing.267.600.167
Will Smith.362.688.100
Kyle Tucker.185.628.122

McGreevy's career 49.2% GB% pairs against a Dodgers pool that runs lower than league on grounders -- Tucker (36.7%), Smith (35.6%), and Pages (38.8%) keep balls in the air in 2025. The 2025 GB-leaning bats in the LAD pool (Hernandez 50.0%, Kim 53.8%) are the best bets for McGreevy's profile to play to type.

Sasaki's 41.4% career GB% is closer to neutral. The Cardinals' 2025 GB-leaning bats (Herrera 52.6%, Walker 48.9%) line up; the high-FB hitters (Gorman 41.7% 2025 FB%, Burleson 33.4%) are the carry threats.

2H: BATTERY PAIRING

CatcherGIPERAAVGOBPSLG
Pedro Pagés1480.24.24.266----
Jimmy Crooks28.29.35.385----
Yohel Pozo15.20.00.056----

Tonight's catcher is Pedro Pagés (per the projected lineup -- batting 8th, position C). His 14 games and 80.2 IP with the staff is the only meaningful battery sample in the table -- 4.24 ERA paired. Crooks is not on the active roster tonight (Pagés and Iván Herrera are the rostered catchers); his 9.35 ERA in 8.2 IP is reference only. Pozo is on the active roster but his 5.2 IP sample is too small to weight.

2I: BASERUNNING MATCHUP

Kyle Tucker -- 25 SB, 3 CS in 2025 (89.3% success). The most efficient base-thief in either lineup tonight; Pagés behind the plate.

Andy Pages -- 14 SB, 7 CS in 2025 (66.7% success). Volume present, success rate average.

Hyeseong Kim -- 13 SB, 1 CS in 2025 (92.9% success). The other elite efficiency mark in the LAD pool.

Freddie Freeman -- 6 SB, 2 CS in 2025 (75.0% success). Picks his spots.

Miguel Rojas -- 5 SB, 0 CS in 2025 (100.0% success). Flawless on a small sample.

Teoscar Hernandez -- 5 SB, 2 CS in 2025 (71.4% success).

Santiago Espinal -- 2 SB, 1 CS in 2025 (66.7% success).

Alex Call -- 2 SB, 1 CS in 2025 (66.7% success).

Will Smith -- 2 SB, 3 CS in 2025 (40.0% success). Catcher won't run.

Max Muncy -- 1 SB, 1 CS in 2025 (50.0% success).

Alex Freeland -- 1 SB, 0 CS in 2025 (100.0% success).

2J: DEFENSIVE CONTEXT

PlayerPOSGDPEFld%
Victor ScottCF136360.982
Masyn WinnSS1296430.994
Pedro PagésC110650.994
Jordan WalkerRF108240.981
Nolan Gorman3B541160.950
Alec Burleson1B502740.990
Alec BurlesonLF41001.000
Alec BurlesonRF34110.983
Nolan Gorman2B28910.990
Nathan ChurchCF18001.000
Ivan HerreraC14010.989
Nolan Gorman1B7401.000
Nathan ChurchRF7010.833
Victor ScottRF7001.000
Nathan ChurchLF5001.000
Victor ScottLF4001.000
Ivan HerreraLF4001.000
Pedro Pagés1B2101.000
Pedro Pagés2B1001.000
Alec BurlesonP100--

Tonight's projected Cardinals alignment is anchored up the middle by Winn at SS (.994 fld%, 64 DPs across 129 G) and Pagés at C (.994). Walker in RF (.981 across 108 G) and Scott II in CF (.982 across 136 G) cover the outfield. Gorman is starting at 3B tonight (career-sample fld% .950 in 54 G at the position). Wetherholt is starting at 2B but has no 2025 fielding sample in the table. Burleson at 1B (.990 across 50 G) and Church in LF (career sample .833 in 7 RF games and 1.000 in 5 LF games) round out the alignment.

2K: BALLPARK CONTEXT & HEAD-TO-HEAD

Recent head-to-head: Cardinals 4-2 in 2025, 2-5 in 2024, 3-4 in 2023, 2-4 in 2022. Tonight's venue is Busch Stadium -- a venue that historically plays as roughly neutral on runs and slightly suppresses power.

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%
Pedro Pagés38910727.5%194.9%
Nathan Church651827.7%34.6%

Burleson's 2025 14.5% K% / 7.2% BB% is the cleanest contact mark in the Cardinals lineup. Gorman (33.8%), Walker (31.8%), Pagés (27.5%), and Church (27.7%) carry elevated 2025 K%; Pagés (4.9%) and Church (4.6%) also pair that with low 2025 BB%. League average reference: 22.1% K%, 9.6% BB%.

Dodgers

PlayerPAKK%BBBB%
Freddie Freeman62712820.4%609.6%
Andy Pages62413521.6%294.6%
Kyle Tucker5958814.8%8714.6%
Teoscar Hernandez54513424.6%264.8%
Will Smith4368920.4%6414.7%
Santiago Espinal3283811.6%216.4%
Alex Call3225517.1%3611.2%
Miguel Rojas3174614.5%247.6%
Max Muncy2206830.9%104.5%
Hyeseong Kim1705230.6%74.1%
Dalton Rushing1555837.4%106.5%
Alex Freeland973536.1%1111.3%

Tucker (14.8% K% / 14.6% BB%) and Smith (20.4% / 14.7%) are the strongest 2025 plate-discipline profiles in the LAD pool. Freeland (36.1%), Rushing (37.4%), Muncy (30.9%), and Kim (30.6%) all carry elevated 2025 K% -- the bottom of any Dodgers lineup tonight is vulnerable to McGreevy's command. Espinal's 11.6% 2025 K% is the cleanest contact mark in the pool.

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%
Pedro Pagés24344.9%30.9%24.3%
Jordan Walker23148.9%29.4%21.6%
Nolan Gorman19930.2%41.7%28.1%
Nathan Church3767.6%21.6%10.8%

Gorman's 2025 41.7% FB% is the lineup's loudest carry profile (paired with 30.2% GB%) -- his swing matches Sasaki's 41.4% career GB% pitcher mix on the air-ball side. Herrera (52.6% 2025 GB%) and Church (67.6%) lean the other way -- ground-ball outcomes more likely.

Dodgers

PlayerBIPGB%FB%LD%
Andy Pages45938.8%34.0%27.2%
Freddie Freeman45543.3%29.7%27.0%
Kyle Tucker41236.7%35.9%27.4%
Teoscar Hernandez39650.0%26.3%23.7%
Will Smith29535.6%37.3%27.1%
Santiago Espinal25942.9%32.4%24.7%
Miguel Rojas24745.7%29.1%25.1%
Alex Call21944.7%29.2%26.0%
Max Muncy12749.6%27.6%22.8%
Hyeseong Kim10653.8%18.9%27.4%
Dalton Rushing8037.5%37.5%25.0%
Alex Freeland4537.8%40.0%22.2%

Tucker (36.7%) and Smith (35.6%) carry the lowest 2025 GB% in the LAD pool -- ball-in-air hitters most likely to find McGreevy's mistakes. Hernandez (50.0%) and Kim (53.8%) lean ground-ball; Freeland's 40.0% 2025 FB% is the highest carry rate in the pool.

2N: PITCHER K%/BB% PROFILE

PitcherIPKK%BBBB%K/BB
Michael McGreevy95.25814.5%205.0%2.90
Roki Sasaki36.12817.4%2213.7%1.27

McGreevy's 2025 K/BB ratio is 2.90 (14.5% K%, 5.0% BB%) -- elite command, modest strikeout rate. Sasaki's 2025 K/BB ratio is 1.27 (17.4% K%, 13.7% BB%) -- the higher K rate is erased by the walks. League average reference: 22.1% K%, 9.6% BB%.

2026 to date: McGreevy 21 K, 5 BB in 33.1 IP (16.5% K%, 3.9% BB%) -- 2025 baseline holding. Sasaki 22 K, 13 BB in 22.2 IP (20.4% K%, 12.0% BB%) -- 2025 baseline also holding.

KEY MATCHUPS & WATCHLIST

Key Matchups

1. Kyle Tucker (LHB) vs Michael McGreevy. Tucker is 3-for-8 (.375) career against McGreevy with zero strikeouts. His 2025 vs-RHP line (.261/.380/.453) plus 14.6% 2025 BB% means he reaches even when he doesn't drive. McGreevy's reverse-platoon look (.318/.368/.543 vs LHB in 2025) gives Tucker the best at-bat conditions in the lineup.

2. Alec Burleson (LHB) vs Roki Sasaki. Burleson's 2025 vs-RHP line is .296/.353/.478 -- the lineup's strongest baseline. Sasaki's 2025 vs-LHB OBP is .350; walks are the seam. Hitting third, Burleson is the early-inning RBI thread.

3. Will Smith (RHB) vs Michael McGreevy. 2-for-3 career BvP (small sample). 2025 vs-RHP: .305/.403/.505 -- the best in the LAD pool against righties. McGreevy's 2025 vs-RHB line is .225/.255/.325 -- this is the highest-stakes RHB test on the night.

Watchlist

-- McGreevy at home. 5.22 home ERA vs 3.55 road ERA in 2025. Tonight's start is in the harder context.

-- McGreevy reverse platoon. .318/.368/.543 vs LHB in 2025. Dodgers carry five LHB in tonight's pool.

-- Sasaki TTO3 sample. Only 20 PA in 2025 (.125 AVG, .250 OPS). The cliff is real but the sample is fragile -- the more likely fork is whether Sasaki's second pass through the order (.204 AVG, .531 OPS) holds.

-- Bullpen fork. Romero 88.5% strand vs Svanson 50.0%. Which arm enters with runners on decides the middle innings.

-- Series posture. Cardinals lead 1-0 of 3 with a W5 streak; Dodgers enter L3.

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. How has Kyle Tucker performed against Michael McGreevy in their career?

2. How has Ivan Herrera fared against Roki Sasaki in their career?

3. How has Will Smith performed against JoJo Romero in their career?

4. What are Michael McGreevy's third-time-through-the-order splits in 2025?

5. What are Alec Burleson's splits vs RHP in 2025?

6. How often does JoJo Romero strand inherited runners in 2025?

7. What is the home run park factor at Busch Stadium in 2025?

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