NL CENTRAL STANDINGS

TeamW-LGBStrk
Brewers41-23-W4
Cardinals35-285.5W4
Pirates34-328.0L3
Cubs34-328.0L1
Reds31-3410.5L5

NL EAST STANDINGS

TeamW-LGBStrk
Braves45-21-W3
Phillies36-309.0W2
Nationals34-3311.5W1
Marlins31-3514.0W2
Mets29-3615.5W1

RECENT RESULTS (LAST 10)

DateOppH/AResult
Jun 7CINHomeW 5-3
Jun 6CINHomeW 6-5
Jun 5CINHomeW 10-3
Jun 3TEXHomeW 5-3
Jun 2TEXHomeL 4-7
Jun 1TEXHomeL 1-2
May 31CHCHomeW 5-1
May 30CHCHomeL 1-6
May 29CHCHomeW 6-5
May 27MILAwayL 1-2

STARTING PITCHERS

Dustin May (R) -- 2026 to date

3-6, 4.59 ERA across 12 starts and 66.2 IP. 60 K against 19 BB (21.5% K%, 6.8% BB%), 1.29 WHIP, 48.0% GB%, 5 HR allowed. May is the Cardinals' road problem this year -- a 3.24 ERA in his career home work flips to 6.28 on the road, and tonight is a road start at Citi Field (see 2D-HA). The 21.5% K rate is league-typical; the leak is on contact when he's away from home.

Freddy Peralta (R) -- 2026 to date

4-4, 3.63 ERA across 13 starts and 72.0 IP. 74 K against 30 BB (23.9% K%, 9.7% BB%), 1.32 WHIP, 47.1% GB%, 9 HR allowed. Peralta carries a 2025 K% of 28.2% and a 3.09 K/BB ratio -- one of the strongest swing-and-miss starter profiles the Cardinals will see in this stretch. The HR rate is the one chink (11-15 HR allowed per home/road split in 2025), and the second pass through the order is where he is most dominant, not most vulnerable (see 2E).

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Cardinals (Projected from 2026-06-07)

#PlayerPosBats2026 RISP AVG2026 RISP OPS
1Wetherholt2BL.279.816
2HerreraDHR.192.651
3Burleson1BL.352.921
4WalkerRFR.311.996
5Gorman3BL.186.559
6WinnSSR.189.544
7ChurchCFL----
8SaggeseLFR----
9PagésCR.118.368

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

Mets (From active roster)

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

PlayerPosBats
EwingCFL
Bichette3BR
Baty3BL
BengeRFL
Wagaman1BR
SengerCR
Young1BL
SotoLFL
TorrensCR
MelendezDHL
Semien2BR
Vientos1BR
BrujánSSS

Handedness: 6 RHB (Bichette, Wagaman, Senger, Torrens, Semien, Vientos), 6 LHB (Ewing, Baty, Benge, Young, Soto, Melendez).

INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES

No injury or roster-move information is available for today's report. Roster gates filtered to active rosters only -- all players listed in lineups and tables are confirmed active.

2A: BVP -- CARDINALS BATTERS VS OPPONENT STARTER

PlayerPAABHAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Alec Burleson21184.222.300.333021
Masyn Winn16153.200.250.200012
Nolan Gorman14113.273.429.364032
Jordan Walker992.222.222.222003
Iván Herrera663.500.500.500002
Pedro Pagés442.500.5002.000202

Small sample: Jordan Walker (9 PA), Iván Herrera (6 PA), Pedro Pagés (4 PA).

Burleson (21 PA), Winn (16 PA), and Gorman (14 PA) are the only three with real career BvP samples against Peralta, and none of them is hitting him -- combined .234 (10-for-44) with 0 HR. The eye-catcher is Pagés: 2-for-4 with 2 HR -- a 4 PA sample, but every at-bat has ended in either a homer or a strikeout. Herrera's 3-for-6 is the other small-sample line that bends positive. The Cardinals have collected 70 PA worth of looks at Peralta as a group, which is more familiarity than they had against Lowder last week -- but the OPS line (Burleson .633, Winn .450, Walker .444) does not say the familiarity matters.

Bench note: No career BvP rows vs Peralta for Wetherholt (Phase 1 has a null retro ID), Church, Saggese, or the bench bats (Crooks, Nootbaar, Fermin, Velazquez, Torres). The 6 rows above are the entire Cardinals-vs-Peralta career sample.

2B: BVP -- OPPONENT BATTERS VS CARDINALS STARTER

PlayerPAABHAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Juan Soto15112.182.400.364042
Brett Baty552.400.400.400001
Marcus Semien330.000.000.000000
Jared Young330.000.000.000002
Luis Torrens220.000.000.000000
Eric Wagaman321.500.667.500010

Small sample: Brett Baty (5 PA), Marcus Semien (3 PA), Jared Young (3 PA), Luis Torrens (2 PA), Eric Wagaman (3 PA).

Soto's 15-PA career line is the only Mets row with any weight, and the headline is the walks: 4 BB in 15 PA against May, .182 AVG but a .400 OBP. Even when the BvP sample says May has gotten him out (2-for-11), the at-bats have been long -- May has not put Soto away cleanly. Baty's 2-for-5 is the loudest small-sample row in the table. The rest of the Mets group (Semien, Young, Torrens, Wagaman) is 1-for-10 with 2 K across four small samples. This is a profile matchup -- the BvP rows do not tell a story outside of Soto.

Bench note: No career BvP rows vs May for Ewing, Bichette, Benge, Senger, Melendez, Vientos, or Bruján. The 6 rows above are the entire Mets-vs-May career sample.

2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- CARDINALS

PlayerPAAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Alec Burleson L419.296.353.478153259
Masyn Winn R374.251.309.36872371
Iván Herrera R328.268.343.399102466
Nolan Gorman L309.201.294.349937111
Jordan Walker R289.200.263.29142194
Pedro Pagés R276.225.264.36491272

Peralta throws right-handed at a Cardinals group of 4 LHB and 5 RHB. Burleson (.296 / .353 / .478 vs RHP in 2025, 15 HR) is again the headliner -- the cleanest L bat against right-handed starters in the league. Gorman (.201 / .294 / .349 vs RHP in 2025, 111 K in 309 PA) is the soft spot of the L bats and walks into a Peralta profile (28.2% 2025 K%) that punishes contact-questionable hitters. Herrera (.268 / .343) is the cleanest right-handed profile; Walker (.200 / .263 vs RHP in 2025) is again the cleanup-spot red flag. Wetherholt, Church, and Saggese have no 2025 vs RHP sample on file.

2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- OPPONENT

PlayerPAAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Bo Bichette R508.314.364.468123680
Juan Soto L468.276.424.572329578
Marcus Semien R390.228.300.379123367
Brett Baty L349.256.316.449152989
Eric Wagaman R330.231.282.33042264
Mark Vientos R327.226.291.395122384
Luis Torrens R209.220.284.34051639
Vidal Bruján B78.250.295.3060514
Hayden Senger R60.196.237.2140314
MJ Melendez L54.077.111.1150220
Jared Young L45.171.222.4884216

May throws right-handed against a Mets roster pool that splits 6-6 between R and L bats (plus the switch-hitting Bruján). The top of the threat list is right-handed: Bichette (.314 / .364 / .468 vs RHP in 2025) is the cleanest profile against May's hand, and Semien (.228 / .300 / .379, 12 HR) adds slug. Soto's left-handed line vs RHP is the loud one -- .276 / .424 / .572 with 32 HR and 95 BB in 468 PA -- and it directly maps onto May's known LHB vulnerability (see 2D). Baty (.256 / .449 vs RHP in 2025, 15 HR) is the second L threat. The bottom of the table is where May can win at-bats: Melendez (.077 vs RHP in 2025) and Young (.171) are exploitable lefties; Senger (.196) is the right-handed soft spot. Ewing, Benge, and Bichette's deeper vs-RHP line at 3B are not all in the 2025 sample for this query -- Ewing and Benge have no row, Bichette's row is at his old position label.

2D: PITCHER PLATOON SPLITS

PitchervsPAAVGOBPSLGOPSHRK
Dustin Mayvs LHB334.261.357.495.8521582
Dustin Mayvs RHB250.256.325.386.711641
Freddy Peraltavs LHB399.206.299.346.6451297
Freddy Peraltavs RHB388.183.257.337.59414126

A mirrored collision. May's platoon line tilts hard against left-handed bats (.261 / .357 / .495 / .852 OPS, 15 HR in 334 PA) and is comfortably better vs RHB (.256 / .325 / .386 / .711, 6 HR in 250 PA). The Mets carry 6 LHB in their pool -- Soto, Baty, Benge, Young, Ewing, Melendez -- and Soto and Baty are the bats built to exploit it. Peralta meanwhile is the inverse profile: he punishes RHB hardest (.183 / .257 / .337 / .594, 126 K in 388 PA) and is only slightly more forgiving to LHB (.206 / .299 / .346 / .645, 97 K in 399 PA). The Cardinals' 5 RHB (Herrera, Walker, Winn, Saggese, Pagés) are walking into Peralta's strongest split -- the lineup's two L bats with vs-RHP profiles, Burleson and Gorman, are the path to runs.

2D-HA: PITCHER HOME/AWAY SPLITS

PitcherSplitBFIPERAKBBHR
Dustin MayAway25857.16.28502612
Dustin MayHome32675.03.2473309
Freddy PeraltaAway37489.03.341024015
Freddy PeraltaHome413103.02.011213211

Tonight's game is at Citi Field -- May pitching away, Peralta pitching at home. Both splits cut against the Cardinals. May's 6.28 away ERA against his 3.24 home mark is a nearly two-runs-of-separation gap, and the road sample carries 12 HR in 57.1 IP (vs 9 HR in 75.0 IP at home) -- the road version of May gives up the long ball. Peralta is even sharper at home (2.01 ERA / 121 K in 103.0 IP at Citi Field) than on the road. The K rate climbs and the BB rate falls when he's home -- the version the Cardinals see tonight is the dominant one.

2E: TTO SPLITS (TIMES THROUGH ORDER)

PitcherTTOPAAVGSLGOPSHRKBB
Dustin MayTTO1227.226.347.65255623
Dustin MayTTO2220.290.508.87894417
Dustin MayTTO3137.263.517.88272316
Freddy PeraltaTTO1325.201.359.6241210422
Freddy PeraltaTTO2314.172.326.597108833
Freddy PeraltaTTO3148.225.333.65743117

May's 2025 TTO curve has a real cliff. The first pass through the order is his strongest (.226 / .347 / .652 OPS in 227 PA) -- the early frames are where the Mets will struggle to do damage. The second pass through the order is where May falls off (.290 / .508 / .878 OPS in 220 PA, 9 HR), and the third pass through the order keeps the SLG at .517 with another 7 HR in 137 PA. Innings 4-6 are the May watch window -- the slug damage builds with every additional look. Peralta's curve runs the opposite way: the second pass through the order is his most dominant (.172 / .326 / .597 OPS, 88 K in 314 PA), and the third pass through the order opens up a touch (.225 AVG, .657 OPS) but not in a way the Cardinals' bottom of the order is built to attack.

2F: INHERITED RUNNERS PROFILE

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

League average strand rate: ~68-72%. Romero (88.5% across 26 IR) remains the elite call -- the obvious arm if May walks out of an inning with traffic, particularly with Soto on or coming up. Leahy (62.1%) sits below average. Svanson (50.0%) and Graceffo (54.5%) are again the danger entries -- a Mets lineup with Soto's 17.8% 2025 BB% and a deep platoon pool will turn inherited traffic into runs. O'Brien (70.0%) is closer to neutral. With May's TTO2 cliff staring at innings 4-6, the fork on the bullpen call could decide the middle innings.

2G: BATTED BALL MATCHUP

Pitcher Batted Ball Profiles (Career)

PitcherBIPGB%FB%LD%
Dustin May37244.1%28.2%26.6%
Freddy Peralta45538.7%36.5%24.0%

Hitter Batted Ball Results (Career) -- NYM

HitterGB AVGLD AVGFB AVG
Brett Baty.199.712.093
Bo Bichette.267.653.089
Vidal Bruján.267.611.176
MJ Melendez.083.200.105
Marcus Semien.241.621.049
Hayden Senger.143.571.000
Juan Soto.227.674.045
Luis Torrens.146.564.190
Mark Vientos.131.731.095
Eric Wagaman.214.680.078
Jared Young.250.333.000

May runs a 44.1% career GB profile -- modestly ground-ball leaning, not extreme. Against this Mets group, the GB AVG column is mostly favorable: Vientos (.131), Senger (.143), Torrens (.146), Baty (.199), Wagaman (.214), Soto (.227), Semien (.241) all sit in May's wheelhouse on the ground. Bichette (.267) is the exception. The fly-ball column is also a wash for May: every Mets bat except Bruján (.176) and Torrens (.190) is under .100 on fly contact. The danger column is line drives -- every Mets hitter except Melendez (.200) carries .550+ on liners, with Vientos (.731), Soto (.674), Bichette (.653), and Baty (.712) the loudest. May's 26.6% career LD% is the part of his profile that gives Mets bats access. Translation: if New York scores, expect it on barreled line-drive contact, not on the routine grounder.

2H: BATTERY PAIRING

CatcherGIPERAAVGOBPSLG
Will Smith1156.04.98.255----
Dalton Rushing634.23.89.227----
Carlos Narváez421.04.71.299----
Austin Barnes212.14.38.250----
Connor Wong25.16.75.348----

The catchers above reflect May's prior tenure -- Smith, Rushing, and Barnes are Dodgers catchers from his Los Angeles years; Narváez and Wong are from his Boston stop. None is on the Cardinals' active roster. Tonight's scheduled catcher is Pedro Pagés, who does not appear in May's career battery sample -- 0 IP of paired work in this data. That is a signal in itself: a fresh battery brings unfamiliar pop-time calibration and signal sequencing, particularly with Soto's running game in front of them. Watch the first pass through the order for any sign of cross-up.

2I: BASERUNNING MATCHUP

Soto -- 38 SB / 4 CS, 90.5% success rate. The headliner of the Mets' running game and the obvious threat with Pagés behind a fresh battery. Expect Soto to test the May / Pagés exchange.

Semien -- 11 SB / 1 CS, 91.7% success rate. High volume, elite efficiency. The other steady runner in this lineup.

Baty -- 8 SB / 0 CS, 100.0% success rate. Perfect on lower volume; picks his spots.

Bichette -- 4 SB / 3 CS, 57.1% success rate. The CS column says the threat is moderate -- not a runner to fear in isolation.

Wagaman -- 4 SB / 1 CS, 80.0% success rate. Selective threat.

Bruján -- 2 SB / 1 CS, 66.7% success rate. Limited volume.

Torrens -- 1 SB / 0 CS, 100.0% success rate. Volume bottom.

Vientos -- 1 SB / 0 CS, 100.0% success rate. Volume bottom.

2J: DEFENSIVE CONTEXT

PlayerPOSGDPEFld%
Masyn WinnSS1296430.994
Pedro PagésC110650.994
Jordan WalkerRF108240.981
Nolan Gorman3B541160.950
Alec Burleson1B502740.990
Alec BurlesonLF41001.000
Alec BurlesonRF34110.983
Nolan Gorman2B28910.990
Iván HerreraC14010.989
Nolan Gorman1B7401.000
Iván HerreraLF4001.000
Pedro Pagés1B2101.000
Pedro Pagés2B1001.000
Alec BurlesonP100--

Tonight's projected infield runs Winn (SS, .994 / 3 E across 129 G), Burleson (1B, .990 / 4 E across 50 G), Gorman (3B, .950 / 6 E across 54 G), and Wetherholt (2B, no fielding sample available). May is a 44.1% career GB pitcher -- the ground will see traffic, just not the extreme volume a heavier GB profile would generate. Gorman / 3B is again the watch point: 6 errors in 54 games is the loudest fielding number in the projected infield. Pagés behind the plate (.994 / 5 E across 110 G) brings the steady catching profile, but the first-time-paired wrinkle with May (see 2H) is the relevant story tonight -- particularly against Soto's 90.5% SB success rate.

2K: BALLPARK CONTEXT & HEAD-TO-HEAD

Citi Field plays as a pitcher-leaning venue historically -- the available 2K data does not carry a numeric park factor, so treat as a pitcher-tilting context until the head-to-head sample builds out tonight. The recent series record vs the Mets is the right reference: STL went 2-5 in 2025, 2-4 in 2024, 3-4 in 2023, and 2-5 in 2022. Four straight losing seasons head-to-head -- the Mets have been a difficult matchup for the Cardinals across the recent stretch, and this 3-game set opens against the Peralta side of the rotation.

2L: BATTER K%/BB% PROFILE

Cardinals

PlayerPAKK%BBBB%
Alec Burleson5447914.5%397.2%
Masyn Winn53710219.0%346.3%
Iván Herrera4508418.7%439.6%
Nolan Gorman40213633.8%4711.7%
Jordan Walker39612631.8%297.3%
Pedro Pagés38910727.5%194.9%

Two STL whiff-heavy 2025 profiles flag clearly against a 28.2% 2025 K% starter: Gorman (33.8% K%) and Walker (31.8% K%). Both bat in the heart of today's order (5 and 4) and are walking into a Peralta profile built to expose them. Pagés (4.9% BB%) is again the lone low-walk identity; Burleson (14.5% K%) is the contact anchor the lineup will lean on against Peralta's swing-and-miss stuff.

Mets

PlayerPAKK%BBBB%
Juan Soto71413719.2%12717.8%
Bo Bichette6289114.5%406.4%
Marcus Semien5349317.4%509.4%
Eric Wagaman51410019.5%326.2%
Mark Vientos46311524.8%306.5%
Brett Baty43110825.1%337.7%
Luis Torrens2835619.8%196.7%
Vidal Bruján952122.1%66.3%
Hayden Senger782228.2%33.8%
MJ Melendez652335.4%34.6%
Jared Young471634.0%24.3%

Soto's 17.8% 2025 BB% is the loudest single number in the Mets lineup -- elite zone discipline, and a walk that turns into a stolen base 90.5% of the time when it happens. May's 6.8% BB% as a starter in 2026 to date is sturdy, but he has walked Soto 4 times in 15 career PA already (see 2B). The rest of the Mets pool is more contact-typical: Bichette (14.5% K%), Semien (17.4%), Wagaman (19.5%). The whiff flags are the bottom of the depth chart -- Melendez (35.4% K%), Young (34.0%), Senger (28.2%) -- and they are also the players May should pitch into if they hit the lineup. Senger's 3.8% BB% is the lone low-walk profile besides Pagés on either side.

2M: BATTER BATTED BALL PROFILE

Cardinals

PlayerBIPGB%FB%LD%
Alec Burleson39842.0%33.4%24.6%
Masyn Winn37639.6%34.0%26.3%
Iván Herrera28552.6%21.8%25.6%
Pedro Pagés24344.9%30.9%24.3%
Jordan Walker23148.9%29.4%21.6%
Nolan Gorman19930.2%41.7%28.1%

Gorman's 2025 GB% (30.2%) and FB% (41.7%) make him the lineup's lift-and-pull profile -- the L bat best positioned to drive a Peralta mistake into the seats, even with the strikeout risk on the K side. Herrera (52.6% 2025 GB%) is the ground-ball anchor. Burleson, Winn, Pagés, and Walker all sit in the 39.6%-48.9% 2025 GB% range, which is league-typical.

Mets

PlayerBIPGB%FB%LD%
Bo Bichette49149.5%20.6%29.9%
Juan Soto39450.3%27.9%21.8%
Eric Wagaman36745.8%27.8%26.4%
Marcus Semien36236.7%39.2%24.0%
Mark Vientos29244.5%28.8%26.7%
Brett Baty26654.9%20.3%24.8%
Luis Torrens20051.5%21.0%27.5%
Vidal Bruján6546.2%26.2%27.7%
Hayden Senger4843.8%27.1%29.2%
MJ Melendez3633.3%52.8%13.9%
Jared Young2334.8%39.1%26.1%

Cross-reference: May runs a 44.1% career GB profile against a Mets group that is mostly ground-ball leaning -- Baty (54.9% 2025 GB%), Torrens (51.5%), Soto (50.3%), Bichette (49.5%), Bruján (46.2%), and Wagaman (45.8%) all feed straight into May's profile. Semien (39.2% 2025 FB%) and Melendez (52.8% 2025 FB%) are the lift bats -- and Melendez's 2025 K% (35.4%) plus his .115 SLG vs RHP in 2025 says the lift bat is hollow tonight. The line-drive column is where May is most exposed across this group; the 2G hitter results match the 2M profiles closely.

2N: PITCHER K%/BB% PROFILE

PitcherIPKK%BBBB%K/BB
Freddy Peralta176.220428.2%669.1%3.09
Dustin May132.112321.1%569.6%2.20

Peralta is the strikeout starter in this matchup -- 2026 to date: 23.9% K%, 9.7% BB%. 2025 baseline: 28.2% K%, 9.1% BB%, K/BB ratio 3.09. The 2025 K% sits well above the 22.1% league average, and the K/BB ratio is the cleanest in the matchup. May's profile is more typical -- 2026 to date: 21.5% K%, 6.8% BB%. 2025 baseline: 21.1% K%, 9.6% BB%, K/BB ratio 2.20. The Cardinals' Gorman (33.8%) and Walker (31.8%) walk into Peralta's strongest tool tonight, while May's 2026-to-date 6.8% BB% is the sturdiest part of his profile.

KEY MATCHUPS & WATCHLIST

Juan Soto vs Dustin May. Career BvP is 2-for-11 with 4 BB and 2 K in 15 PA -- Soto has already shown the discipline to draw walks off May. May's LHB platoon line (.261 / .357 / .495 / .852 OPS, 15 HR in 334 PA) is the structural vulnerability, and Soto's .276 / .424 / .572 vs RHP in 2025 with 32 HR and 95 BB is the bat built to exploit it. If Soto reaches base, his 90.5% SB success rate against a fresh May / Pagés battery is the second-act threat.

Alec Burleson vs Freddy Peralta. The Cardinals' best L bat (.296 / .353 / .478 vs RHP in 2025, 15 HR) against the matchup's best swing-and-miss starter (28.2% 2025 K%, 3.09 K/BB). Burleson's 21-PA career BvP line is unflattering (.222 / .300 / .333) but the platoon edge is the better lens. Peralta's vs-LHB line is his weaker split, and Burleson is the L profile most likely to cash it in.

Bo Bichette vs Dustin May. Bichette's .314 / .364 / .468 vs RHP in 2025 is the cleanest right-handed profile in the Mets pool -- a textbook contact-and-extra-base threat against a starter whose home/road gap collapses on the road (6.28 ERA away). No career BvP rows between the two; this is a profile bet on the right-handed slot of the lineup.

X-factor: May's TTO2 cliff into a Cardinals bullpen handoff. May's 2025 second pass through the order produces an .878 OPS allowed (.290 / .508 with 9 HR in 220 PA) and the third pass holds at .882. The Cardinals' fork is Romero (88.5% 2025 strand rate) vs Svanson (50.0%) and Graceffo (54.5%) on inherited traffic -- which arm follows May out of innings 4-6 decides whether a stat-sheet vulnerability turns into a number.

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. How has Juan Soto performed against Dustin May in their career?

2. How has Alec Burleson fared against Freddy Peralta in their career?

3. How has JoJo Romero performed against Juan Soto in their career?

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

5. What are Juan Soto'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 Citi Field in 2025?

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