NL CENTRAL STANDINGS
| Team | W-L | GB | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brewers | 43-26 | - | W1 |
| Cardinals | 39-31 | 4.5 | W1 |
| Cubs | 38-35 | 7.0 | W1 |
| Pirates | 36-37 | 9.0 | L2 |
| Reds | 34-37 | 10.0 | W1 |
NL WEST STANDINGS
| Team | W-L | GB | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 46-27 | - | W1 |
| Padres | 37-34 | 8.0 | L1 |
| D-backs | 37-35 | 8.5 | W2 |
| Giants | 29-43 | 16.5 | W1 |
| Rockies | 27-46 | 19.0 | L1 |
RECENT RESULTS (LAST 10)
| Date | Opp | H/A | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15 | SD | Home | W 3-0 |
| Jun 14 | MIN | Away | L 4-5 |
| Jun 13 | MIN | Away | W 9-6 |
| Jun 12 | MIN | Away | L 8-9 |
| Jun 11 | NYM | Away | L 4-5 |
| Jun 10 | NYM | Away | W 9-2 |
| Jun 9 | NYM | Away | W 7-0 |
| Jun 7 | CIN | Home | W 5-3 |
| Jun 6 | CIN | Home | W 6-5 |
| Jun 5 | CIN | Home | W 10-3 |
STARTING PITCHERS
Andre Pallante (R) -- Cardinals
2026 to date: 7-4, 3.88 ERA, 69.2 IP, 56 K, 25 BB, 1.26 WHIP across 13 starts. The 2026 line carries a 57.7% ground-ball rate and an 18.8% K rate -- the contact-management profile that has defined his recent work.
2025 baseline: 15.5% K, 8.7% BB, 1.79 K/BB across 162.2 IP and 715 batters faced. The 2025 batted-ball sample shows 61.2% GB -- a true ground-ball arm by every cut.
Michael King (R) -- Padres
2026 to date: 4-5, 3.46 ERA, 80.2 IP, 72 K, 32 BB, 1.15 WHIP across 14 starts. The 22.1% K rate and 9.8% BB rate are both more aggressive than Pallante's contact-first profile.
King has also held opponents to a .200 batting line yet allowed 10 HR -- a fly-ball lean within an otherwise stingy season-to-date package (53.5% GB by his own line).
EXPECTED LINEUPS
Cardinals (Projected from 2026-06-15)
| # | Player | Pos | Bats | 2026 RISP AVG | 2026 RISP OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wetherholt | 2B | L | .327 | .873 |
| 2 | Herrera | DH | R | .193 | .640 |
| 3 | Burleson | 1B | L | .338 | .902 |
| 4 | Walker | RF | R | .329 | 1.057 |
| 5 | Nootbaar | LF | L | .083 | .600 |
| 6 | Winn | SS | R | .167 | .484 |
| 7 | Crooks | C | L | .375 | 1.319 |
| 8 | Gorman | 3B | L | -- | -- |
| 9 | Church | CF | L | .233 | .552 |
Handedness: 3 RHB (Herrera, Walker, Winn), 6 LHB (Wetherholt, Burleson, Nootbaar, Crooks, Gorman, Church).
Padres (From active roster)
13 players listed from active roster pool. Actual game lineup will be 9 from this group.
| Player | Pos | Bats |
|---|---|---|
| Hunt | C | R |
| Tatis | RF | R |
| Sheets | 1B | L |
| Merrill | CF | L |
| Bowen | RF | R |
| Machado | 3B | R |
| Solak | 1B | R |
| Durán | C | R |
| Taylor | LF | R |
| Song | 2B | L |
| France | 1B | R |
| Wagner | 3B | L |
| Bogaerts | SS | R |
Handedness: 9 RHB (Hunt, Tatis, Bowen, Machado, Solak, Durán, Taylor, France, Bogaerts), 4 LHB (Sheets, Merrill, Song, Wagner).
INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES
No injury or roster-move data is available for today. The Cardinals lineup is projected from 2026-06-15; the Padres are listed from the active-roster pool with batting order not yet set.
2A: BVP -- CARDINALS BATTERS VS OPPONENT STARTER
No data available for this section.
No career BvP rows for the Cardinals lineup against King in the available sample. Tonight is a profile bet on King's right-handed delivery against a 6-LHB Cardinals card -- platoon and 2025 K%/BB% read carry the load instead.
Bench note: No significant bench BvP history against King.
2B: BVP -- OPPONENT BATTERS VS CARDINALS STARTER
| Player | PA | AB | H | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manny Machado | 11 | 11 | 3 | .273 | .273 | .364 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Xander Bogaerts | 10 | 9 | 2 | .222 | .300 | .222 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Ty France | 5 | 5 | 1 | .200 | .200 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jackson Merrill | 6 | 4 | 0 | .000 | .333 | .000 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Fernando Tatis | 6 | 2 | 0 | .000 | .667 | .000 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
Small sample: Ty France (5 PA), Jackson Merrill (6 PA), Fernando Tatis (6 PA).
Machado (11 PA, .273) is the only Padres bat with a career BvP sample over the 10-PA threshold -- he hits Pallante at roughly his overall RHP line, with no walks but no extra-base damage either. Bogaerts (10 PA, .222) sits just under. Tatis is the outlier: 0-for-2 with 4 BB in 6 PA -- the patience approach has worked, not the contact one. Merrill (.333 OBP on 6 PA) also leans walks-over-hits in the small sample.
Bench note: Hunt, Bowen, Solak, Duran, Taylor, Song, and Wagner have no career BvP rows against Pallante in the available sample. The matchup is profile-driven for two-thirds of the roster pool.
2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- CARDINALS
| Player | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alec Burleson L | 419 | .296 | .353 | .478 | 15 | 32 | 59 |
| Lars Nootbaar L | 403 | .249 | .340 | .394 | 10 | 47 | 72 |
| Masyn Winn R | 374 | .251 | .309 | .368 | 7 | 23 | 71 |
| Iván Herrera R | 328 | .268 | .343 | .399 | 10 | 24 | 66 |
| Jordan Walker R | 289 | .200 | .263 | .291 | 4 | 21 | 94 |
| Nathan Church L | 51 | .114 | .216 | .182 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| Jimmy Crooks L | 38 | .108 | .132 | .162 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Against King's right-handed delivery, the 6-LHB Cardinals card leans on Burleson (.296 / .353 / .478 vs RHP in 2025) as the cleanest left-handed look. Nootbaar's 2025 vs RHP line (.249 / .340 / .394) is on-base healthy but contact-modest. Walker is the danger spot on profile -- .200 AVG vs RHP in 2025 with a 94-K sample. Crooks and Church both carry sub-.115 marks in small 2025 vs RHP samples; the bottom third of the order is the soft underbelly tonight.
2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- OPPONENT
| Player | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernando Tatis R | 516 | .277 | .366 | .466 | 20 | 58 | 100 |
| Manny Machado R | 500 | .279 | .332 | .440 | 15 | 36 | 99 |
| Gavin Sheets L | 393 | .250 | .323 | .452 | 17 | 34 | 80 |
| Xander Bogaerts R | 389 | .246 | .317 | .368 | 8 | 34 | 70 |
| Ty France R | 351 | .263 | .330 | .349 | 4 | 16 | 60 |
| Jackson Merrill L | 321 | .279 | .336 | .514 | 15 | 24 | 76 |
| Will Wagner L | 129 | .234 | .341 | .288 | 0 | 16 | 24 |
| Nick Solak R | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Samad Taylor R | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Against Pallante (R), the Padres' 9-RHB-heavy active-roster pool runs into a pitcher whose 2025 vs RHB line (.275 / .345 / .429) is broadly indistinguishable from his vs LHB line (.266 / .329 / .434). Tatis (.277 vs RHP, 20 HR), Machado (.279, 15 HR), and Merrill (.279, 15 HR, .514 SLG) are the bats with both volume and damage in the 2025 sample. Sheets adds .452 SLG from the left side. The top of any plausible lineup card hits this profile.
2D: PITCHER PLATOON SPLITS
| Pitcher | vs | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Pallante | vs LHB | 347 | .266 | .329 | .434 | .763 | 10 | 60 |
| Andre Pallante | vs RHB | 368 | .275 | .345 | .429 | .774 | 11 | 51 |
Pallante's 2025 platoon split is essentially neutral -- .763 OPS vs LHB, .774 OPS vs RHB. The 9-RHB Padres roster pool does not exploit a meaningful handedness advantage on profile alone; the matchup will turn on TTO, batted-ball outcomes, and individual BvP edges rather than platoon arithmetic.
2D-HA: PITCHER HOME/AWAY SPLITS
| Pitcher | Split | BF | IP | ERA | K | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Pallante | Away | 375 | 84.2 | 4.89 | 67 | 35 | 11 |
| Andre Pallante | Home | 340 | 78.0 | 5.42 | 44 | 27 | 10 |
Tonight's game is at Busch -- Pallante's 2025 home ERA was 5.42, higher than his 4.89 away mark. The K total also dropped at home (44 in 78.0 IP vs 67 in 84.2 IP away). Busch is not a tailwind venue for him on this sample; the road has been his stronger context.
2E: TTO SPLITS (TIMES THROUGH ORDER)
| Pitcher | TTO | PA | AVG | SLG | OPS | HR | K | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Pallante | TTO1 | 279 | .266 | .393 | .720 | 6 | 35 | 21 |
| Andre Pallante | TTO2 | 270 | .309 | .487 | .868 | 8 | 46 | 27 |
| Andre Pallante | TTO3 | 166 | .217 | .408 | .691 | 7 | 30 | 14 |
Pallante's clearest weak spot is the second pass through the order. His 2025 line balloons from .266 / .393 (first pass) to .309 / .487 (second pass) before settling back to .217 / .408 on the third pass. The second-pass window -- typically innings 4-6 -- is where the lineup gets a second look and the damage rises. The third-pass dip suggests he survives turnover when he stays in, but the middle innings are where leverage piles up.
2F: INHERITED RUNNERS PROFILE
| Reliever | IR | Scored | Strand% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Leahy | 29 | 11 | 62.1% |
| JoJo Romero | 26 | 3 | 88.5% |
| Matt Svanson | 26 | 13 | 50.0% |
| Riley O'Brien | 10 | 3 | 70.0% |
| Gordon Graceffo | 11 | 5 | 54.5% |
| Chris Roycroft | 12 | 7 | 41.7% |
| Michael McGreevy | 3 | 0 | 100.0% |
Romero (88.5%) sits well above the league-average strand benchmark (~68-72%) and is the steady fireman in the group. Svanson (50.0%), Roycroft (41.7%), and Graceffo (54.5%) are all below benchmark on samples of 11-15 entries -- meaningful enough to matter. Which arm enters with traffic in the 6th or 7th is a real input on win expectancy.
2G: BATTED BALL MATCHUP
Pitcher Batted Ball Profiles (Career)
| Pitcher | BIP | GB% | FB% | LD% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Pallante | 515 | 61.2% | 18.3% | 19.6% |
Hitter Batted Ball Results (Career) -- SD
| Hitter | GB AVG | LD AVG | FB AVG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xander Bogaerts | .302 | .509 | .113 |
| Ty France | .192 | .660 | .143 |
| Manny Machado | .238 | .694 | .081 |
| Jackson Merrill | .323 | .552 | .098 |
| Gavin Sheets | .240 | .523 | .114 |
| Nick Solak | .167 | .000 | .000 |
| Fernando Tatis | .294 | .681 | .032 |
| Samad Taylor | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Will Wagner | .180 | .556 | .174 |
Pallante's 2025 GB% (61.2%) is the dominant feature of his profile. Against Padres bats, that channels contact into the at-bat type where most of the lineup is weakest -- Bogaerts (.302 on GB), Tatis (.294), Machado (.238), France (.192) all sit well below their line-drive marks. Machado's .694 LD average is the danger zone: any ball squared up is a damage event. The Cardinals need this game to be ground-ball heavy; if the Padres elevate, the LD numbers above explain why the inning gets away.
2H: BATTERY PAIRING
| Catcher | G | IP | ERA | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pedro Pagés | 15 | 76.1 | 4.60 | .257 | -- | -- |
| Yohel Pozo | 8 | 37.2 | 6.93 | .303 | -- | -- |
| Jimmy Crooks | 5 | 23.1 | 4.24 | .258 | -- | -- |
| Iván Herrera | 5 | 23.2 | 4.56 | .271 | -- | -- |
Tonight's starting catcher is Jimmy Crooks (per the projected lineup). The pairing carries 5 games and 23.1 IP with Pallante at a 4.24 ERA -- the cleanest number on this board, though on a small sample. Pagés (15 G, 76.1 IP, 4.60 ERA) is the larger reference. Pozo is no longer on the active roster -- his 8-game line is historical context, not a tonight option. Herrera is in tonight's lineup at DH, which removes the secondary catching option from in-game flexibility.
2I: BASERUNNING MATCHUP
The Padres bring real running game from the top of the order. Crooks behind the plate tonight will face:
-- Fernando Tatis: 32 SB, 7 CS in the available sample (82.1% success).
-- Xander Bogaerts: 20 SB, 2 CS (90.9% success) -- the highest-rate threat.
-- Manny Machado: 14 SB, 3 CS (82.4% success).
Three above-average runners reaching base is a leverage event with a developing-sample battery. Pallante's 2025 BB% (8.7) gives them potential entry points if he loses the zone.
2J: DEFENSIVE CONTEXT
| Player | POS | G | DP | E | Fld% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masyn Winn | SS | 129 | 64 | 3 | 0.994 |
| Jordan Walker | RF | 108 | 2 | 4 | 0.981 |
| Lars Nootbaar | LF | 107 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Alec Burleson | 1B | 50 | 27 | 4 | 0.990 |
| Alec Burleson | LF | 41 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Alec Burleson | RF | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0.983 |
| Lars Nootbaar | RF | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Nathan Church | CF | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Jimmy Crooks | C | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Iván Herrera | C | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0.989 |
| Lars Nootbaar | CF | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0.967 |
| Nathan Church | RF | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0.833 |
| Nathan Church | LF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Iván Herrera | LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Alec Burleson | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | -- |
Tonight's defensive alignment matches a ground-ball pitcher with a strong middle-infield anchor. Winn at SS (.994 Fld%, 64 DP on 129 games) is the sample's most reliable infield turner. Burleson is starting at 1B tonight (.990 Fld%, 27 DP). Walker in RF carries 4 errors on 108 games -- a position where Pallante's batted-ball profile rarely sends action, but worth noting. Church in CF tonight has the strongest fielding mark of his outfield positions on his 18-game CF sample.
2K: BALLPARK CONTEXT & HEAD-TO-HEAD
Busch Stadium has historically played as a pitcher-leaning venue; the available 2K data does not carry a numeric park factor. The series record between these teams since 2022 is close to even: 2025 (3-4), 2024 (4-3), 2023 (3-3), 2022 (4-2). The Cardinals have not been blown out by the Padres in any recent season, and they enter tonight up 1-0 in the current three-game set.
2L: BATTER K%/BB% PROFILE
Cardinals
| Player | PA | K | K% | BB | BB% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lars Nootbaar | 583 | 119 | 20.4% | 64 | 11.0% |
| Alec Burleson | 544 | 79 | 14.5% | 39 | 7.2% |
| Masyn Winn | 537 | 102 | 19.0% | 34 | 6.3% |
| Iván Herrera | 450 | 84 | 18.7% | 43 | 9.6% |
| Jordan Walker | 396 | 126 | 31.8% | 29 | 7.3% |
| Nathan Church | 65 | 18 | 27.7% | 3 | 4.6% |
| Jimmy Crooks | 46 | 17 | 37.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
Burleson's 2025 K rate (14.5%) is the controlled contact profile against King's 22.1% K rate. Walker (2025 K% 31.8%) and Crooks (37.0% on a 46-PA sample) are the strikeout-prone spots; King's K rate plays directly to those weaknesses. Nootbaar's 11.0% BB rate is the only above-league walk profile in the lineup.
Padres
| Player | PA | K | K% | BB | BB% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernando Tatis | 691 | 129 | 18.7% | 89 | 12.9% |
| Manny Machado | 678 | 131 | 19.3% | 55 | 8.1% |
| Xander Bogaerts | 552 | 94 | 17.0% | 48 | 8.7% |
| Gavin Sheets | 545 | 107 | 19.6% | 44 | 8.1% |
| Ty France | 490 | 83 | 16.9% | 22 | 4.5% |
| Jackson Merrill | 483 | 108 | 22.4% | 33 | 6.8% |
| Will Wagner | 149 | 28 | 18.8% | 17 | 11.4% |
| Nick Solak | 11 | 2 | 18.2% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Samad Taylor | 9 | 1 | 11.1% | 0 | 0.0% |
Tatis is the patience anchor -- 2025 BB% 12.9, well above league average. Wagner (11.4% BB%) adds another walk-friendly bat from the left side. Merrill's 2025 K% (22.4) is the strikeout-prone spot near the top; Pallante's 2025 K% (15.5) is below league average, so the path to outs is contact, not whiffs. France's 4.5% BB% is the only low-walk outlier in the regular pool.
2M: BATTER BATTED BALL PROFILE
Cardinals
| Player | BIP | GB% | FB% | LD% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alec Burleson | 398 | 42.0% | 33.4% | 24.6% |
| Masyn Winn | 376 | 39.6% | 34.0% | 26.3% |
| Lars Nootbaar | 376 | 39.1% | 35.4% | 25.5% |
| Iván Herrera | 285 | 52.6% | 21.8% | 25.6% |
| Jordan Walker | 231 | 48.9% | 29.4% | 21.6% |
| Nathan Church | 37 | 67.6% | 21.6% | 10.8% |
| Jimmy Crooks | 27 | 37.0% | 44.4% | 18.5% |
Against King's 53.5% GB rate this season, the Cardinals' middle (Burleson, Winn, Nootbaar) all carry balanced 2025 distributions -- the at-bats project as live. Herrera's 2025 GB% (52.6) and Walker's (48.9) are higher; the Padres' infield will get touches. Crooks' 2025 FB% (44.4) on a 27-BIP sample is the lone fly-ball-leaning bat, on a sample too small to lean on.
Padres
| Player | BIP | GB% | FB% | LD% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manny Machado | 463 | 41.7% | 32.2% | 26.1% |
| Fernando Tatis | 447 | 51.7% | 28.0% | 20.4% |
| Xander Bogaerts | 395 | 45.3% | 26.8% | 27.8% |
| Gavin Sheets | 371 | 39.4% | 30.7% | 29.9% |
| Ty France | 357 | 48.2% | 25.5% | 26.3% |
| Jackson Merrill | 319 | 40.8% | 32.0% | 27.3% |
| Will Wagner | 100 | 50.0% | 23.0% | 27.0% |
| Nick Solak | 9 | 66.7% | 22.2% | 11.1% |
| Samad Taylor | 6 | 50.0% | 16.7% | 33.3% |
Pallante's 2025 GB% (61.2) meets a Padres profile pool where Tatis (51.7%), France (48.2%), Wagner (50.0%), and Solak (66.7%) all skew ground-ball; the matchup channels contact into Winn's territory at short. The danger bats are the line-drive merchants -- Sheets (29.9% LD), Bogaerts (27.8%), Merrill (27.3%), Wagner (27.0%) -- because squared-up contact bypasses Pallante's GB advantage entirely.
2N: PITCHER K%/BB% PROFILE
| Pitcher | IP | K | K% | BB | BB% | K/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Pallante | 162.2 | 111 | 15.5% | 62 | 8.7% | 1.79 |
2026 to date: 56 K, 25 BB in 69.2 IP (18.8% K, 8.4% BB by statsapi). 2025 baseline: 15.5% K, 8.7% BB, 1.79 K/BB ratio. Pallante is not a swing-and-miss arm -- he is a contact manager whose value lives in the 2025 GB profile and the 0.612 ground-ball rate, not in the K column. Both the 2025 K% and BB% sit below league average; the path to outs is in play, by design.
KEY MATCHUPS & WATCHLIST
Machado vs Pallante. The only Padres bat with a career BvP sample over the 10-PA threshold against tonight's starter. 11 PA, 3 H, 0 BB, .273 AVG, .364 SLG. Profile reinforces it -- Machado is .279 vs RHP in 2025 with a .694 LD AVG. The Padres' best path to early scoring runs through this at-bat.
Burleson vs King. No career BvP rows for the Cardinals against King in the available sample. Burleson's 2025 vs RHP line (.296 / .353 / .478, 15 HR) is the cleanest left-handed profile bet in the lineup; he is the matchup advantage if the Cardinals get to King early.
Tatis on base. 4 BB in 6 career PA against Pallante for a .667 OBP -- the patience matchup, not the contact one. Pallante's 2025 BB% (8.7) is below league average, but if Tatis gets the count, the steal threat (32 SB, 82.1% success) follows.
X-factor: TTO2 window. Pallante's 2025 line jumps from .266 / .393 in the first pass to .309 / .487 in the second pass. Innings 4-6 are when the Padres' top of the order rolls back through against a pitcher whose collision zone is exactly that window. If the Cardinals are not ahead by then, this is when the game tilts.
QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES
1. How has Manny Machado performed against Andre Pallante in their career?
2. How has Alec Burleson fared against Michael King in their career?
3. How has JoJo Romero performed against Gavin Sheets in their career?
4. What are Andre Pallante'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