YESTERDAY

STL  0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 3 -- 8
LAD  3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 -- 6

The Cardinals rallied from a 3-0 hole to beat the Dodgers 8-6 in 10 innings last night, with Thomas Saggese going 2-for-4 with a homer and 3 RBI and Joshua Baez delivering a two-run double in the 10th to seal it.

NL CENTRAL STANDINGS

TeamW-LGBStrk
Brewers87-53-W2
Cubs78-629.0L2
Cardinals70-7017.0W2
Pirates68-7219.0L1
Reds67-7320.0W2

NL WEST STANDINGS

TeamW-LGBStrk
Dodgers82-57-L2
D-backs74-679.0W1
Padres73-679.5L2
Giants58-8224.5W1
Rockies54-8628.5W2

RECENT RESULTS (LAST 10)

DateOppH/AResult
Sep 2LADAwayW 8-6 (10)
Sep 1LADAwayW 13-8
Aug 30PITHomeL 4-5
Aug 29PITHomeL 2-6
Aug 28PITHomeW 4-1
Aug 27BALHomeW 7-5
Aug 26BALHomeL 7-8
Aug 25BALHomeL 1-13
Aug 23PHIAwayL 4-6
Aug 22PHIAwayL 3-12

STARTING PITCHERS

Quinn Mathews (LHP, Cardinals): Mathews is 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA across 4 starts and 19.2 innings this season, striking out 20 and walking 8 (WHIP 1.58). The surface numbers reflect a pitcher still finding his footing in a small sample -- 89 batters faced through four outings.

Tarik Skubal (LHP, Dodgers): Skubal is 8-7 with a 2.84 ERA across 21 starts and 126.2 innings, with 153 strikeouts against just 21 walks (WHIP 0.94). He ranks 19th of 106 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings in ERA, 6th in WHIP, 6th in K% (30.9%), and 2nd in BB% (4.2%) -- putting him among the most efficient strike-throwers in the National League this season.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Cardinals (Yesterday's lineup from 2026-09-02)

#PlayerPosBats2026 RISP AVG2026 RISP OPS2026 Slash
1TorresLFL.273.691.258/.317/.391
2HerreraCR.228.681.243/.359/.374
3Burleson1BL.350.920.283/.347/.468
4WalkerRFR.3121.017.288/.344/.504
5BernalDHS1.0003.500SSS
6Gorman3BL.180.553.183/.265/.313
7Fermín2BR.239.617.241/.307/.355
8ChurchCFL.275.723.242/.285/.367
9SaggeseSSR.227.614SSS

Handedness: 4 RHB (Herrera, Walker, Fermín, Saggese), 4 LHB (Torres, Burleson, Gorman, Church), 1 SHB (Bernal).

Dodgers (Yesterday's lineup from 2026-09-02)

#PlayerPosBats2026 RISP AVG2026 RISP OPS2026 Slash
1OhtaniDHL.279.961.279/.381/.525
2EdmanCFS.291.914.266/.346/.397
3BettsSSR.230.674.244/.304/.420
4Freeman1BL.322.918.306/.383/.467
5Rojas2BR.220.518.280/.322/.403
6TuckerRFL.232.716.227/.325/.354
7HernándezLFR.258.782.253/.314/.398
8Muncy3BL.250.811.247/.344/.487
9FeducciaCL.227.581.239/.314/.346

Handedness: 3 RHB (Betts, Rojas, Hernández), 5 LHB (Ohtani, Freeman, Tucker, Muncy, Feduccia), 1 SHB (Edman).

INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES

Cardinals

Andre Pallante -- 2026-08-18: St. Louis Cardinals placed RHP Andre Pallante on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 18, 2026. Right elbow inflammation.

Hunter Dobbins -- 2026-08-22: St. Louis Cardinals placed RHP Hunter Dobbins on the 15-day injured list. Right forearm tightness.

Ramón Urías -- 2026-08-23: St. Louis Cardinals activated 3B Ramón Urías from the 60-day injured list.

Everson Pereira -- 2026-08-23: St. Louis Cardinals placed RF Everson Pereira on the 10-day injured list. Left hand contusion.

Peter Strzelecki -- 2026-08-26: St. Louis Cardinals placed RHP Peter Strzelecki on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 26, 2026. Right forearm extensor inflammation.

Blaze Jordan -- 2026-08-28: St. Louis Cardinals placed 3B Blaze Jordan on the 10-day injured list. Left ankle sprain.

JJ Wetherholt -- 2026-08-30: St. Louis Cardinals placed 2B JJ Wetherholt on the 10-day injured list. Right wrist tendinitis.

Dodgers

Andy Pages -- 2026-08-22: Los Angeles Dodgers placed CF Andy Pages on the 10-day injured list. Left hand fracture.

Tyler Glasnow -- 2026-08-25: Los Angeles Dodgers activated RHP Tyler Glasnow from the 60-day injured list.

Roki Sasaki -- 2026-08-27: Los Angeles Dodgers placed RHP Roki Sasaki on the 15-day injured list. Right middle finger blister.

Dalton Rushing -- 2026-09-01: Los Angeles Dodgers activated C Dalton Rushing from the 10-day injured list.

Justin Wrobleski -- 2026-09-01: Los Angeles Dodgers activated LHP Justin Wrobleski from the 15-day injured list.

Will Smith -- 2026-09-01: Los Angeles Dodgers activated C Will Smith from the 60-day injured list.

Blake Treinen -- 2026-09-02: Los Angeles Dodgers activated RHP Blake Treinen from the 60-day injured list.

Will Klein -- 2026-09-02: Los Angeles Dodgers transferred RHP Will Klein from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Right elbow discomfort.

Eric Lauer -- 2026-09-02: Los Angeles Dodgers placed LHP Eric Lauer on the 15-day injured list. Left elbow inflammation.

The Cardinals enter tonight with their bullpen thinned by three right-handed arms on the injured list: Andre Pallante (right elbow inflammation), Hunter Dobbins (right forearm tightness), and Peter Strzelecki (right forearm extensor inflammation). The infield picture is also unsettled -- Blaze Jordan (left ankle sprain) and JJ Wetherholt (right wrist tendinitis) are both sidelined, while Ramón Urías returned from the 60-day injured list last month. Everson Pereira's left hand contusion keeps him out of the outfield mix as well.

Los Angeles has been restocking in recent days. Will Smith returned from the 60-day injured list on September 1, joined by Dalton Rushing and Justin Wrobleski. Blake Treinen was activated from the 60-day list yesterday, adding a right-handed late-inning option. Offsetting those additions: Roki Sasaki remains on the injured list with a right middle finger blister, Eric Lauer was placed on the 15-day injured list yesterday with left elbow inflammation, and Will Klein was transferred to the 60-day list with right elbow discomfort.

2A: BVP -- CARDINALS BATTERS VS OPPONENT STARTER

PlayerPAABHAVGOBPSLGHRBBK
Iván Herrera332.667.667.667000
Jordan Walker220.000.000.000002

Small sample: Iván Herrera (3 PA), Jordan Walker (2 PA).

Only two Cardinals carry any career BvP history against Tarik Skubal, and both samples are too small to read as signal. Iván Herrera is 2-for-3 (career BvP: .667/.667/.667) and Jordan Walker is 0-for-2 with two strikeouts -- each well below the 10-AB threshold where a line carries weight.

No batter meets both danger thresholds (career AVG above .400 and 10 or more PA): Herrera's .667 clears the average bar but his 3 PA do not clear the plate-appearance floor.

The seven other Cardinals starters -- Bryan Torres, Alec Burleson, Leo Bernal, Nolan Gorman, José Fermín, Nathan Church, and Thomas Saggese -- have no recorded career plate appearances against Skubal. For those matchups, his 2026 platoon work is the available reference: right-handed batters have posted a .549 OPS against him, left-handed batters .758 OPS.

No significant bench BvP history.

2B: BVP -- OPPONENT BATTERS VS CARDINALS STARTER

No data available for this section.

No Dodgers batter carries career plate appearances against Quinn Mathews in the record.

2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- CARDINALS

PlayerPAAVGOBPSLGHRBBK2026 PA2026 AVG2026 OPS
Alec Burleson L127.271.310.3983720184.215.552
Iván Herrera R124.330.455.66091918197.244.779
Jordan Walker R107.255.318.3472832159.293.920
Nolan Gorman L93.220.301.4395102541SSSSSS
Thomas Saggese R68.273.279.348112033SSSSSS
Nathan Church L14.417.417.50000482.216.583
José Fermín R11.300.364.400012142.274.792

2026 companion columns: sample floor is 60 PA vs LHP (below floor renders SSS in the table above). Above that floor the 2026 vs-hand figure leads the read, with 2025 as the historical anchor; below it, 2025 leads.

Tarik Skubal allows a .758 OPS against left-handed batters this season, compared with .549 against right-handed batters -- so the four left-handed Cardinals (Bryan Torres, Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Nathan Church) face his weaker platoon side. The four right-handed Cardinals (Iván Herrera, Jordan Walker, José Fermín, Thomas Saggese) face his stronger side at .549 OPS allowed.

Among the left-handed bats, results against left-handed pitching diverge sharply. Burleson's 2026 line vs. left-handers reads .215 AVG and .552 OPS across 184 PA -- well below his overall production. Church's 2026 mark against lefties is .216 AVG and .583 OPS across 82 PA. Gorman's 2026 sample vs. lefties covers only 41 PA (below the table floor); his 2025 line was .220/.301/.439 across 93 PA. Bryan Torres's 2026 sample against left- and right-handed pitching is too small to compare.

On the right-handed side, Jordan Walker's 2026 line vs. left-handers is .293 AVG and .920 OPS across 159 PA. Iván Herrera is at .244 AVG and .779 OPS across 197 PA. José Fermín is at .274 AVG and .792 OPS across 142 PA. Thomas Saggese's 2026 sample vs. lefties covers 33 PA (below the table floor); his 2025 line was .273/.279/.348 across 68 PA. Leo Bernal hits from both sides and is not represented in the vs.-LHP table.

2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- OPPONENT

PlayerPAAVGOBPSLGHRBBK2026 PA2026 AVG2026 OPS
Shohei Ohtani L244.279.344.554152267196.272.882
Kyle Tucker L193.269.365.46182331159.248.734
Mookie Betts R187.261.326.42471719137.226.663
Freddie Freeman L175.285.349.50681442187.280.759
Miguel Rojas R135.295.363.51661317135.320.855
Teoscar Hernández R126.250.286.4676522115.277.822
Tommy Edman B122.216.254.440742276.222.752
Max Muncy L80.157.250.3143722108.240.803
Hunter Feduccia L21.048.048.095001135SSSSSS

2026 companion columns: sample floor is 60 PA vs LHP (below floor renders SSS in the table above). Above that floor the 2026 vs-hand figure leads the read, with 2025 as the historical anchor; below it, 2025 leads.

Five left-handed bats and one switch-hitter (Tommy Edman, batting right against a left-hander) face Quinn Mathews tonight. The three right-handed hitters -- Mookie Betts (SS), Miguel Rojas (2B), and Teoscar Hernandez (LF) -- sit on the platoon-advantaged side.

Among the left-handed bats, Shohei Ohtani carries a 2026 vs-LHP OPS of .882 across 196 PA, down from .898 last season. Freddie Freeman's 2026 vs-LHP line is .280 AVG / .759 OPS across 187 PA. Kyle Tucker checks in at .248 / .734 across 159 PA. Max Muncy posts a .803 OPS in 108 PA vs left-handed pitching in 2026. Hunter Feduccia's 2026 sample against left-handers is below the 60-PA floor (35 PA); his 2025 line reads .048/.048/.095 across 21 PA.

On the right-handed side, Rojas holds a 2026 vs-LHP OPS of .855 across 135 PA. Hernandez posts .822 across 115 PA. Betts shows .663 across 137 PA -- his stronger side this season is against right-handed pitching (.752 OPS). Edman, batting right, carries a .752 OPS across 76 PA vs left-handed pitching this season, up from .694 last season.

2D: PITCHER PLATOON SPLITS

PitchervsPAAVGOBPSLGOPSHRK2026 BF2026 AVG2026 OPS
Tarik Skubalvs RHB599.196.241.332.57317196377.189.549
Tarik Skubalvs LHB149.214.235.269.504145118.278.758

Tarik Skubal faces a Cardinals lineup that is evenly split: four left-handed bats (Torres, Burleson, Gorman, Church), four right-handed bats (Herrera, Walker, Fermin, Saggese), and one switch-hitter (Bernal). His 2026 figures show the split plainly: .549 OPS allowed against right-handed batters across 377 BF, and .758 OPS allowed against left-handed batters across 118 BF. The four left-handed bats face the side of the lineup where hitters have posted .758 OPS against him this season; the four right-handed bats face the .549 side. Last season's figures point the same direction -- .573 OPS allowed against right-handers across 599 PA and .504 against left-handers across 149 PA -- though the current season's larger samples carry the weight of tonight's read.

Quinn Mathews is a left-handed starter facing a Dodgers lineup that leans left: five left-handed bats (Ohtani, Freeman, Tucker, Muncy, Feduccia), three right-handed bats (Betts, Rojas, Hernandez), and one switch-hitter (Edman). His 2026 sample against left-handed batters stands at 15 BF and against right-handed batters at 74 BF -- too small across both sides to draw a directional platoon read this season.

2D-HA: PITCHER HOME/AWAY SPLITS

PitcherSplitBFIPERAKBBHR2026 IP2026 ERA
Tarik SkubalAway35894.02.11108141160.12.09
Tarik SkubalHome390101.11.9513319766.13.53

Tarik Skubal takes the mound at home tonight. His 2026 ERA at home stands at 3.53 across 66.1 innings, compared with 2.09 on the road across 60.1 innings -- the road side has been his stronger split this season (.566 OPS allowed away, .631 at home). His 2025 historical splits reinforce the same pattern in aggregate: 1.95 ERA at home across 101.1 innings, 2.11 away across 94.0 innings, though the 2026 ERA gap runs the other direction, with the home mark elevated relative to his road work this year.

Quinn Mathews starts away tonight. His 2026 away sample of 66 batters faced is the side with meaningful volume; his home sample of 23 batters faced is too limited for a directional read on the split. In 14.0 away innings he carries a 6.43 ERA; in 5.2 home innings, 1.59 -- but the home figure rests on too small a base to draw a comparison.

2E: TTO SPLITS (TIMES THROUGH ORDER)

PitcherTTOPAAVGSLGOPSHRKBB2026 BF2026 AVG2026 OPS
Tarik SkubalTTO1281.175.297.51889014191.202.605
Tarik SkubalTTO2275.195.290.52349210189.184.502
Tarik SkubalTTO3192.243.392.6696599115.272.756

Tarik Skubal has pitched into a third pass in 21 of 21 starts. In the 21 starts he pitched into a third pass, hitters posted a .503 OPS on the second pass -- 189 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts: .757 OPS -- 115 PA. Pooled within-game delta, third pass and beyond minus second pass, survival starts only: +.254 OPS. Early hooks: 0 starts, 0 PA. Per-pass rate stats resting on fewer than 50 PA render as their PA count, never as a decimal; 2026 companion columns carry their own 60 BF floor (below floor renders SSS).

Tarik Skubal has pitched into a third pass in 21 of 21 starts this season. Because every third-pass start is also a survival start, the conditional read equals the full-season read: hitters posted a .502 OPS in the second pass across 189 PA in those starts, then .756 OPS across 115 PA from the third pass on -- a within-game swing of +.254 OPS. The 2025 pattern runs parallel: TTO1 .518, TTO2 .523, TTO3 .669, with the third pass meaningfully softer in both seasons.

Quinn Mathews has pitched into a third pass in 3 of 4 starts. His per-pass samples are below the 50-PA rate floor across all three passes (37, 35, and 17 BF respectively), so no per-pass rate is cited.

2F: INHERITED RUNNERS PROFILE

RelieverIRScoredStrand%2026 IP2026 ERA2026 WHIP
Kyle Leahy291162.1%129.13.131.31
Gordon Graceffo11554.5%71.12.781.07
Riley O'Brien10370.0%55.23.881.20
Ryan Fernandez8450.0%23.03.521.30
Michael McGreevy30100.0%147.13.971.26

Kyle Leahy leads the group with 29 inherited runners faced; his 2025 strand rate of 62.1% sits below the historical baseline -- 2025's league average strand rate was 68.8%. In 2026 he has logged 129.1 IP with a 3.13 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Gordon Graceffo (54.5% strand rate, 11 IR) and Ryan Fernandez (50.0%, 8 IR) are the two relievers the table flags below that baseline as well; Graceffo's 2026 line is 71.1 IP, 2.78 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, while Fernandez has thrown 23.0 innings at a 3.52 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Riley O'Brien's 2025 strand rate of 70.0% across 10 inherited runners clears the baseline; he carries a 3.88 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 55.2 innings in 2026. Michael McGreevy stranded all three inherited runners he faced in 2025 (100.0%) and has been the most stretched of the group in 2026, posting 147.1 IP, a 3.97 ERA, and a 1.26 WHIP.

2G: BATTED BALL MATCHUP

Pitcher Batted Ball Profiles (2025)

PitcherBIPGB%FB%LD%
Tarik Skubal45142.8%32.6%23.9%

Hitter Batted Ball Results (2025) -- LAD

HitterGB AVGLD AVGFB AVG
Mookie Betts.218.543.096
Tommy Edman.176.551.056
Hunter Feduccia.250.286.118
Freddie Freeman.289.679.122
Teoscar Hernández.214.640.097
Max Muncy.176.642.119
Shohei Ohtani.290.655.097
Miguel Rojas.248.603.058
Kyle Tucker.193.617.126

Tarik Skubal's 2025 contact profile tilted toward ground balls at 42.8% and fly balls at 32.6%, with line drives at 23.9% across 451 balls in play. The Dodgers' lineup is built to punish line drives: Freddie Freeman (.679 LD AVG), Max Muncy (.642), Shohei Ohtani (.655), Teoscar Hernández (.640), and Kyle Tucker (.617) all converted line drives at a high rate in 2025. On ground balls, most of these hitters are modest — Freeman (.289) and Ohtani (.290) are the exceptions who can do damage on balls kept low. Fly balls are a near-universal out for this group: every hitter in the lineup posted a FB AVG below .130 in 2025, with Tommy Edman (.056) and Miguel Rojas (.058) at the bottom.

The contact shape that most benefits St. Louis is the one Skubal produces least: his 23.9% line-drive rate means the Dodgers will see fewer of the ball type they convert best. Where he does allow line drives, the lineup's middle — Freeman, Ohtani, Muncy, Hernández — is well-equipped to make them count. Ground balls are less dangerous against most of this group, and fly balls are largely harmless across the board. The matchup favors Skubal keeping contact on the ground or in the air and away from the line-drive band where the Dodgers' best hitters do their most damage.

2H: BATTERY PAIRING

No data available for this section.

Iván Herrera is tonight's scheduled catcher behind Quinn Mathews, and the pairing table carries no 2025 data -- this is a fresh battery with no tracked starts together at that level. There is nothing in the historical record to game-plan from; tonight's start opens the book on this combination.

2I: BASERUNNING MATCHUP

Dodgers baserunning (2026): Shohei Ohtani leads the lineup at 11 SB, 3 CS (78.6%). Freddie Freeman has 6 SB, 0 CS (100.0%). Tommy Edman has 5 SB, 2 CS (71.4%). Teoscar Hernández has 3 SB, 1 CS (75.0%). Max Muncy has 2 SB, 0 CS (100.0%). Mookie Betts has 1 SB, 2 CS (33.3%). Kyle Tucker has 10 SB, 0 CS (100.0%) in 2026.

Cardinals catcher — Pedro Pagés: 17 CS on 55 attempts (30.9% CS rate) in 2026. Leo Bernal, who appears in tonight's lineup at DH, has 0 SB allowed, 0 CS on 0 attempts — sample is too small for a rate; Pedro Pagés holds the published mark at 30.9%.

Dodgers catchers — throwing: Hunter Feduccia (tonight's starter at C) has allowed 52 SB against 13 CS on 65 attempts (20.0% CS rate) in 2026. Dalton Rushing: 30 SB allowed, 10 CS on 40 attempts (25.0%). Will Smith: 25 SB allowed, 5 CS on 30 attempts (16.7%).

2J: DEFENSIVE CONTEXT

PlayerPOSGDPEFld%
Jordan WalkerRF108240.981
Nolan Gorman3B541160.950
Alec Burleson1B502740.990
Alec BurlesonLF41001.000
Thomas Saggese2B352440.973
Alec BurlesonRF34110.983
Thomas SaggeseSS33710.988
Nolan Gorman2B28910.990
Thomas Saggese3B18020.939
Nathan ChurchCF18001.000
José Fermín2B15501.000
Iván HerreraC14010.989
Nathan ChurchRF7010.833
Nolan Gorman1B7401.000
Nathan ChurchLF5001.000
José Fermín3B5001.000
Iván HerreraLF4001.000
José FermínLF4001.000
José FermínRF1001.000
Alec BurlesonP100--

The Cardinals' 2025 fielding sample surfaces a few positional notes worth flagging against tonight's lineup projection. Jordan Walker in right field carries a 0.981 fielding percentage across 108 games at the position, with 4 errors and 2 double plays in that sample. Alec Burleson, slotted at first base tonight, posted a 0.990 fielding percentage across 50 games there in 2025, turning 27 double plays against 4 errors; he also logged 41 games in left field at a perfect 1.000 across that stretch. Nolan Gorman at third base shows a 0.950 fielding percentage over 54 games at that spot, with 11 double plays and 6 errors. Thomas Saggese, projected at shortstop, holds a 0.988 fielding percentage across 33 games at SS (7 DP, 1 error) and a 0.973 mark across 35 games at second base (24 DP, 4 errors). José Fermín at second base was errorless across 15 games there in 2025 (1.000, 5 DP). Nathan Church in center field was errorless across 18 games at CF in 2025 (1.000). Iván Herrera behind the plate logged a 0.989 fielding percentage across 14 games at catcher (1 error).

2K: BALLPARK CONTEXT & HEAD-TO-HEAD

Over the 2022-2025 stretch, the Cardinals went 11-15 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. St. Louis took 4 of 6 in 2025 after going 2-5 in 2024, 3-4 in 2023, and 2-4 in 2022.

2L: BATTER K%/BB% PROFILE

Cardinals

PlayerPAKK%BBBB%2026 PA2026 K%2026 BB%
Alec Burleson5447914.5%397.2%58816.7%8.2%
Iván Herrera4508418.7%439.6%62218.2%11.1%
Nolan Gorman40213633.8%4711.7%25333.2%10.3%
Jordan Walker39612631.8%297.3%58224.7%7.4%
Thomas Saggese2958328.1%165.4%9629.2%7.3%
José Fermín701014.3%811.4%31712.9%8.5%
Nathan Church651827.7%34.6%39117.9%5.4%

Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker carry the lineup's sharpest contact risk against Tarik Skubal. Gorman's 2025 K% was 33.8% across 402 PA; his 2026 figure reads 33.2% across 253 PA -- against a pitcher whose 2026 K% of 30.9% sits well above the 22.1% league average. Walker's 2025 K% was 31.8% across 396 PA, with a 2026 companion of 24.7% across 582 PA. Thomas Saggese (28.1% in 2025, 295 PA) and Nathan Church (27.7% in 2025, 65 PA; 17.9% across 391 PA in 2026) add to the group that stands to be tested. Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera present the steadier contact profiles: Burleson at 14.5% in 2025 across 544 PA (16.7% in 2026 across 588 PA), Herrera at 18.7% in 2025 across 450 PA (18.2% in 2026 across 622 PA).

Dodgers

PlayerPAKK%BBBB%2026 PA2026 K%2026 BB%
Shohei Ohtani72518725.8%10915.0%59224.0%13.3%
Mookie Betts6636810.3%619.2%43411.3%7.6%
Freddie Freeman62712820.4%609.6%58016.4%11.0%
Kyle Tucker5958814.8%8714.6%53817.7%12.5%
Teoscar Hernández54513424.6%264.8%40127.9%7.7%
Max Muncy3888321.4%6416.5%48025.2%12.1%
Tommy Edman3776116.2%195.0%24220.2%6.2%
Miguel Rojas3174614.5%247.6%21010.5%6.2%
Hunter Feduccia1052927.6%1514.3%21424.8%9.3%

Quinn Mathews carries a 2026 K% of 22.5% -- just above the 22.1% league average -- and a walk rate of 9.0%, marginally above the 8.9% league average, though his 2026 sample spans only 89 batters faced and splits by handedness and home/away are too small to read. Five of the nine Dodgers in tonight's lineup bat left-handed against Mathews, a fellow left-hander. Among the contact-oriented profiles, Mookie Betts shows a 2025 K% of 10.3% across 663 PA (11.3% across 434 PA in 2026) and Miguel Rojas a 2025 mark of 14.5% across 317 PA (10.5% across 210 PA in 2026). At the other end, Teoscar Hernández posted a 2025 K% of 24.6% across 545 PA, with a 2026 figure of 27.9% across 401 PA; Hunter Feduccia checks in at 27.6% across 105 PA in 2025 and 24.8% across 214 PA in 2026. On patience, Kyle Tucker's 2025 BB% of 14.6% across 595 PA (12.5% across 538 PA in 2026) and Max Muncy's 16.5% across 388 PA (12.1% across 480 PA in 2026) lead the group; Tommy Edman's 5.0% across 377 PA in 2025 (6.2% across 242 PA in 2026) sits at the opposite end. Shohei Ohtani combines both: a 2025 K% of 25.8% across 725 PA and a BB% of 15.0% across the same sample, with 2026 companions of 24.0% K% and 13.3% BB% across 592 PA.

2M: BATTER BATTED BALL PROFILE

Cardinals

PlayerBIPGB%FB%LD%
Alec Burleson39842.0%33.4%24.6%
Iván Herrera28552.6%21.8%25.6%
Jordan Walker23148.9%29.4%21.6%
Nolan Gorman19930.2%41.7%28.1%
Thomas Saggese18941.8%29.6%28.6%
José Fermín4637.0%32.6%30.4%
Nathan Church3767.6%21.6%10.8%

Tarik Skubal induced ground balls on 53.7% of balls in play in 2026 -- above the league average of 47.0% -- so the Cardinals' contact shape matters against him. Iván Herrera (52.6% GB%, 285 BIP) and Jordan Walker (48.9% GB%, 231 BIP) profile as ground-ball hitters who fit that tendency well. Nathan Church is the most extreme ground-ball contact in this lineup: 67.6% GB% across 37 BIP. Nolan Gorman sits at the other end -- 30.2% GB% and 41.7% FB% across 199 BIP -- making him the lineup's primary fly-ball threat against a pitcher who generates a lot of weak ground contact.

Dodgers

PlayerBIPGB%FB%LD%
Mookie Betts50134.7%37.3%27.9%
Freddie Freeman40444.6%28.5%27.0%
Kyle Tucker39035.9%36.7%27.4%
Shohei Ohtani36945.8%30.6%23.6%
Teoscar Hernández35249.1%26.4%24.4%
Tommy Edman27148.3%26.2%25.5%
Miguel Rojas23245.3%29.7%25.0%
Max Muncy21135.1%39.8%25.1%
Hunter Feduccia5947.5%28.8%23.7%

Quinn Mathews generated ground balls on 40.5% of balls in play in 2026, below the league average of 47.0%, so the Dodgers' contact shape is working against a pitcher who gives up more air. Betts (34.7% GB%, 37.3% FB%, 501 BIP), Kyle Tucker (35.9% GB%, 36.7% FB%, 390 BIP), and Max Muncy (35.1% GB%, 39.8% FB%, 211 BIP) are the three fly-ball-oriented hitters in this lineup -- a contact profile that aligns with what Mathews tends to allow. Freddie Freeman (44.6% GB%, 404 BIP), Shohei Ohtani (45.8% GB%, 369 BIP), Teoscar Hernandez (49.1% GB%, 352 BIP), Tommy Edman (48.3% GB%, 271 BIP), and Miguel Rojas (45.3% GB%, 232 BIP) all lean toward ground-ball contact, which cuts against Mathews's 2025 batted-ball profile. Hunter Feduccia (47.5% GB%, 59 BIP) sits near that same ground-ball band.

2N: PITCHER K%/BB% PROFILE

PitcherIPKK%BBBB%K/BB
Tarik Skubal195.124132.2%334.4%7.30

Quinn Mathews does not appear in the 2025 table; in 2026 he has 20 strikeouts and 8 walks across 19.2 innings. His 2026 strikeout rate is 22.5%, compared with a 22.1% league average, and his walk rate is 9.0%, compared with an 8.9% league average.

Tarik Skubal's 2025 line reads 241 strikeouts and 33 walks across 195.1 innings -- a 32.2% K% and 4.4% BB% that produced a 7.30 K/BB ratio. His 2026 marks track closely: he ranks 6th of 106 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings in K% (30.9%; league average 21.8%) and 2nd in BB% (4.2%; league average 8.0%).

KEY MATCHUPS

Skubal's third-pass exposure vs. Cardinals order. Tarik Skubal has pitched into a third pass in all 21 of his 21 starts this season. In those starts, hitters post a .757 OPS against him in the third pass versus .503 in the second pass of those same starts -- a gap of .254 OPS. Iván Herrera is 2-for-3 against Skubal in his career, and Jordan Walker's 2026 line vs. left-handed pitching reads .920 OPS across 159 plate appearances, his stronger platoon side.

Mathews second-pass collapse. Quinn Mathews has pitched into a third pass in 3 of his 4 starts this season. In his 3 starts where he reached a third pass, hitters posted a 1.181 OPS against him in the second pass (27 PA) -- the window when Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman cycle back through. Ohtani's 2025 line vs. left-handed pitching: .279/.344/.554 across 244 PA. Freeman's 2026 line vs. left-handed pitching reads .280/.348/.411 across 187 PA. Kyle Tucker is stronger against left-handed pitching this season: .734 OPS across 159 PA, compared with .656 OPS against right-handed pitching.

Skubal vs. STL left-handed bats (his weaker platoon side). Tarik Skubal is stronger against right-handed batters this season: .549 OPS allowed compared with .758 OPS allowed against left-handed batters. St. Louis carries four left-handed hitters tonight -- Torres, Burleson, Gorman, and Church -- landing on Skubal's weaker split. Alec Burleson's 2026 line vs. left-handed pitching is .552 OPS across 184 PA; his 2025 mark against left-handed pitching across 127 PA was .271/.310/.398.

Mathews away splits vs. LAD's home lineup. Quinn Mathews's 2026 home/away sample is too small to reach a directional conclusion this season (23 batters faced at home, 66 on the road; floor 60). His road ERA this season is 6.43 with a .800 OPS-against across 66 batters faced. Mookie Betts's 2026 line vs. left-handed pitching reads .663 OPS across 137 PA; his 2025 mark against left-handed pitching was .261/.326/.424 across 187 PA. Teoscar Hernández is stronger against left-handed pitching this season: .822 OPS across 115 PA; his 2025 mark was .250/.286/.467 across 126 PA.

WATCHLIST

-- Skubal third-pass window. When Skubal's third pass arrives, the bottom of the Cardinals order -- Fermín, Church, Thomas Saggese -- becomes the group to watch for extended at-bats and lineup turnover in a series-clinching spot.

-- Kyle Tucker stolen base vs. Iván Herrera. If Tucker reaches base, his running game is a live weapon: he is 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts in 2026 (100.0%), while Herrera has thrown out 30.9% of runners. That gap is a green-light situation that can manufacture runs without a hit.

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. How has Freddie Freeman performed against Quinn Mathews in their career?

2. How has Mookie Betts performed against Quinn Mathews in their career?

3. How has Nolan Gorman performed against Tarik Skubal in their career?

4. What were Tarik Skubal's third-time-through-the-order splits in 2025?

5. What were Freddie Freeman's splits against left-handed and right-handed pitchers in 2025?

6. What was Kyle Leahy's inherited-runner strand rate in 2025?

7. What are the park factors at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium in 2025?

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

← Sep 2 · archive · Sep 4 →