NL CENTRAL STANDINGS

Team	W-L	GB	Strk
Brewers	29-18	-	W3
Cardinals	28-20	1.5	L1
Cubs	29-21	1.5	L5
Reds	26-24	4.5	W2
Pirates	25-24	5.0	W1

RECENT RESULTS (LAST 10)

Date	Opp	H/A	Result
May 20	PIT	Home	L 0-7
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

STARTING PITCHERS

Dustin May (R) -- STL

2026 to date: 3-4, 4.81 ERA over 48.2 IP across 9 starts. 35 K against 15 BB, 1.42 WHIP, 4 HR allowed. K% sits at 17.1 -- below the 22.1 league average -- and BB% at 7.3. May survives on the ground (44.9 GB%) rather than the swing-and-miss. Against today's Pittsburgh group, the path is sequencing grounders past a defense that has to keep Reynolds, Cruz, Gonzales, and Horwitz from extending innings.

Braxton Ashcraft (R) -- PIT

2026 to date: 2-2, 3.09 ERA over 55.1 IP across 9 starts. 56 K against 14 BB, 1.05 WHIP, 5 HR allowed. K% of 25.6 is comfortably above the 22.1 league baseline and BB% of 6.4 is sharp. Ashcraft also runs a 54.9 GB% -- elite contact suppression paired with elite ground-ball rate. He is the higher-quality starter in the matchup on the season-to-date profile.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Cardinals (Projected from 2026-05-20)

#	Player	Pos	Bats	2026 RISP AVG	2026 RISP OPS
1	Wetherholt	2B	L	.324	.928
2	Herrera	DH	R	.257	.858
3	Burleson	1B	L	.339	.899
4	Walker	RF	R	.278	.922
5	Gorman	3B	L	.224	.664
6	Winn	SS	R	.195	.562
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	RF	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 information is available for today's report. Series is tied 1-1 entering the rubber match.

KEY MATCHUPS & WATCHLIST

JJ Wetherholt vs Ashcraft. Leadoff LHB and the highest RISP OPS in the Cardinals lineup (.324 / .928 in 46 PA). Ashcraft is a 6.4 BB% righty -- little margin, but Wetherholt's .457 OBP with runners on says he forces the count instead of chasing. If Wetherholt is reaching in the first turn, the 2-3-4 inherits leverage.

Bryan Reynolds vs May. Reynolds carries a .984 RISP OPS in 65 PA, the top mark in tonight's Pittsburgh group. May's 17.1 K% is well below the 22.1 league baseline; he lacks the whiff to put a switch-hitter away on a mistake. Expect fastballs over the plate to find barrel.

Jordan Walker vs Ashcraft. Walker's .922 RISP OPS in 65 PA is the cleanup leverage value. Ashcraft pairs a 25.6 K% with a 54.9 GB% -- elite stuff over a heavy worm-burner profile. The test is whether Walker can elevate Ashcraft's pitch instead of pounding it into the dirt.

X-factor: bottom of the order. Saggese (.411 RISP OPS in 20 PA) and Pages (.429 in 35 PA) are well under the .741 league RISP OPS benchmark. If the 8-9 spots cannot extend innings on their own, every leadoff turn for Wetherholt becomes a no-runner-on situation -- and the Cardinals' RISP edge gets neutralized before it can fire.

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. How has JJ Wetherholt performed against Braxton Ashcraft in their career?

2. How has Dustin May fared against Bryan Reynolds in their career?

3. How has Jordan Walker performed against Braxton Ashcraft in their career?

4. What are Braxton Ashcraft'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?