NL CENTRAL STANDINGS

Team	W-L	GB	Strk
Brewers	28-18	-	W2
Cardinals	28-19	0.5	W1
Cubs	29-20	0.5	L4
Reds	25-24	4.5	W1
Pirates	24-24	5.0	L4

RECENT RESULTS (LAST 10)

Date	Opp	H/A	Result
May 19	PIT	Home	W 9-6 (10)
May 17	KC	Home	L 0-2
May 16	KC	Home	W 4-2
May 15	KC	Home	W 5-4 (11)
May 14	OAK	Away	W 5-4
May 13	OAK	Away	L 2-6
May 12	OAK	Away	W 6-4
May 10	SD	Away	L 2-3 (10)
May 9	SD	Away	L 2-4
May 8	SD	Away	W 6-0

STARTING PITCHERS

Michael McGreevy (R) -- STL

2026 to date: 3-2, 2.10 ERA across 9 starts and 51.1 IP. 36 K, 11 BB, 0.88 WHIP. 18.8% K-rate, 5.8% BB-rate, 50.9% ground-ball rate. 34 hits and 6 HR allowed -- the staff's cleanest top-of-rotation profile.

Carmen Mlodzinski (R) -- PIT

2026 to date: 3-3, 4.40 ERA across 7 starts and 45.0 IP. 43 K, 16 BB, 1.44 WHIP. 21.8% K-rate, 8.1% BB-rate, 52.3% ground-ball rate. 49 hits allowed against 45.0 IP signals contact damage despite the ground-ball lean.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Cardinals (Projected from 2026-05-17)

#	Player	Pos	Bats	2026 RISP AVG	2026 RISP OPS
1	Wetherholt	2B	L	.333	.952
2	Herrera	DH	R	.257	.858
3	Burleson	1B	L	.339	.889
4	Walker	RF	R	.283	.938
5	Gorman	3B	L	.229	.664
6	Winn	SS	R	.200	.575
7	Church	CF	L	.222	.540
8	Saggese	LF	R	.158	.411
9	Pagés	C	R	.138	.429

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

Pirates (From active roster)

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

Player	Pos	Bats
Cook	RF	R
Lowe	2B	L
Reynolds	LF	S
Rodríguez	C	S
Davis	C	R
Mangum	LF	S
Triolo	3B	R
Garcia	CF	R
Griffin	SS	R
Ozuna	DH	R
Gonzales	3B	R
Cruz	CF	L
Horwitz	1B	L

Handedness: 7 RHB (Cook, Davis, Triolo, Garcia, Griffin, Ozuna, Gonzales), 3 LHB (Lowe, Cruz, Horwitz).

INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES

No injury or roster-move data is available for today. Cardinals lineup is a projection from 2026-05-17 (tonight's order has not been posted). Pirates lineup is a 13-player active-roster pool; batting order will resolve closer to first pitch.

KEY MATCHUPS & WATCHLIST

Wetherholt vs Mlodzinski. Wetherholt opened the series with a 2-run HR and 2 reaches and carries a .333 AVG / .952 OPS in 2026 RISP situations from the leadoff spot. Mlodzinski's 1.44 WHIP keeps giving the leadoff bat new at-bats with runners on -- a recipe for early-inning damage.

Reynolds vs McGreevy. Reynolds is the only Pirate in the active-roster pool with a .900+ RISP OPS (.320 / .964 in 63 PA). The McGreevy counter is the 0.88 WHIP and 5.8% walk rate -- keep the bases ahead of Reynolds clean and the threat shrinks to a solo shot at worst.

Burleson vs Pirates bullpen. .339 AVG / .889 OPS in 62 RISP PA, plus a 3-run, 2-hit, HR night yesterday. If the game stays close late, the spot the Pirates bullpen most wants to skip is Burleson.

X-factor: bullpen back-to-back. STL emptied six relievers in last night's 10-inning win (Liberatore 4.2, Graceffo 1.1, Stanek 0.2, Romero 1.1, O'Brien 1.0, Soriano 1.0). McGreevy's 0.88 WHIP profiles for length, but if he doesn't deliver it, every late-inning option is on one day's rest.

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. How has Bryan Reynolds performed against Michael McGreevy in their career?

2. How has JJ Wetherholt fared against Carmen Mlodzinski in their career?

3. How has Alec Burleson performed against Dennis Santana in their career?

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

5. What are Bryan Reynolds'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?