YESTERDAY

San Francisco won Game 2 last night, 2-1, on solo home runs by Bryce Eldridge and Christian Koss in the first two innings; the Cardinals scored their only run in the ninth when Bryan Torres singled home Nathan Church, trimming a deficit that proved too large to close.

NL CENTRAL STANDINGS

NL WEST STANDINGS

RECENT RESULTS (LAST 10)

STARTING PITCHERS

Andre Pallante (RHP, Cardinals) is 12-6 with a 3.51 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 98 strikeouts, and 45 walks across 141.0 innings in 25 starts. Among NL pitchers with at least 60 innings, his ERA ranks 38th of 111, above average by this season's tier cutoff of 3.59 against a league average of 3.90, and his WHIP of 1.24 sits just at the above-average threshold, 44th of 111. His strikeout rate of 16.8% ranks 94th of 111, below average, but his walk rate of 7.7% ranks 53rd of 111, average, and his ground-ball rate of 62.0% ranks 5th of 111. He pitches better on the road, where his ERA this season is 2.83 -- 37th of 177 NL pitchers with at least 20 road innings -- compared with a 4.02 ERA at home, 104th of 185 NL pitchers with at least 20 home innings. Tonight's game at Oracle Park puts him in the road context where he has been at his best.

Blade Tidwell (RHP, San Francisco Giants) is 0-2 with a 4.43 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 36 strikeouts, and 18 walks across 42.2 innings in 6 starts. His strikeout rate of 20.5% and walk rate of 10.2% reflect a still-developing season-long profile across a limited sample. The sharpest split in his work so far is by batter handedness: he has held right-handed batters to a .444 OPS over 77 batters faced -- 11th of 227 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs. right-handed batters -- while left-handed batters have posted an .867 OPS against him over 99 batters faced, 187th of 219 NL pitchers. Tidwell has pitched into a third pass in 6 of 6 starts this season. His home ERA sits at 5.32, 145th of 185 NL pitchers with at least 20 home innings; he is pitching at Oracle Park today.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Cardinals (Yesterday's lineup from 2026-09-08)

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

Giants (Yesterday's lineup from 2026-09-08)

Handedness: 5 RHB (Cox, Basabe, Knizner, Whitcomb, Koss), 4 LHB (Devers, Eldridge, Hill, McCray).

INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES

Cardinals

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.

Andre Pallante -- 2026-09-04: St. Louis Cardinals activated RHP Andre Pallante from the 15-day injured list.

Masyn Winn -- 2026-09-08: St. Louis Cardinals activated SS Masyn Winn from the 10-day injured list.

Giants

Adrian Houser -- 2026-08-26: San Francisco Giants placed RHP Adrian Houser on the 15-day injured list. Right forearm strain.

Carson Whisenhunt -- 2026-08-26: San Francisco Giants transferred LHP Carson Whisenhunt from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Left elbow sprain.

Casey Schmitt -- 2026-08-29: San Francisco Giants transferred LF Casey Schmitt from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Left knee meniscus tear.

Sam Hentges -- 2026-08-27: San Francisco Giants placed LHP Sam Hentges on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 27, 2026. Left forearm strain.

Adrian Houser -- 2026-09-01: San Francisco Giants transferred RHP Adrian Houser from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Right forearm strain.

Keaton Winn -- 2026-09-03: San Francisco Giants transferred RHP Keaton Winn from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Right elbow neuritis.

Jesus Rodriguez -- 2026-09-04: San Francisco Giants placed C Jesus Rodriguez on the 60-day injured list. Right elbow neuritis.

On the Cardinals side, the infield depth picture is thinned entering tonight: Blaze Jordan (left ankle sprain) and JJ Wetherholt (right wrist tendinitis) remain on the injured list, leaving two regulars off the active roster simultaneously. The bullpen lost Peter Strzelecki to right forearm extensor inflammation in late August; his role is unknown on return. Against that backdrop, two activations add back meaningful pieces. Masyn Winn came off the 10-day injured list yesterday and started at shortstop. Andre Pallante, activated September 4, is tonight's probable starter.

San Francisco's injury ledger runs longer. Adrian Houser and Keaton Winn each escalated to the 60-day injured list -- Houser with right forearm strain, Winn with right elbow neuritis -- removing two pitchers from any near-term availability. Carson Whisenhunt (left elbow sprain) and Sam Hentges (left forearm strain) are also on the 60-day and 15-day lists respectively, thinning the left-handed depth. Casey Schmitt is out for an extended stretch with a left knee meniscus tear, and catcher Jesus Rodriguez landed on the 60-day list September 4 with right elbow neuritis.

2A: BVP -- CARDINALS BATTERS VS OPPONENT STARTER

Small sample: Alec Burleson (3 PA), Nolan Gorman (2 PA).

The career BvP history against Blade Tidwell is limited to two Cardinals: Alec Burleson (3 PA, 2 AB) and Nolan Gorman (2 PA, 0 AB). Both samples are noise -- far below 10 AB -- and carry no predictive weight. Neither clears both danger thresholds, and no danger flag applies. The seven other starters tonight -- Torres, Herrera, Walker, Bernal, Saggese, Winn, and Church -- have no career BvP history against Tidwell on file; tonight's matchup is a blind one for most of the lineup. Readers can lean on his 2026 platoon work and times-through-order splits for the broader read on how St. Louis figures to fare.

No significant bench BvP history.

2B: BVP -- OPPONENT BATTERS VS CARDINALS STARTER

Small sample: Grant McCray (2 PA), Bryce Eldridge (2 PA), Christian Koss (1 PA).

Career BvP against Andre Pallante is thin across the San Francisco Giants lineup. Rafael Devers is the only batter with double-digit plate appearances, going 2-for-10 with a home run and a walk across 12 career PA -- a .200/.333/.500 line. Grant McCray, Bryce Eldridge, and Christian Koss each have one or two plate appearances on file, noted as small samples in the table above. Jonah Cox, Osleivis Basabe, Turner Hill, Andrew Knizner, and Shay Whitcomb have no career BvP history against Pallante on file.

2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- CARDINALS

2026 companion columns: sample floor is 60 PA vs RHP (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.

Blade Tidwell is a right-hander who has held right-handed batters to a .444 OPS this season across 77 batters faced, compared with a .867 OPS allowed against left-handed batters across 99 batters faced. The Cardinals send four left-handed hitters -- Bryan Torres, Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, and Nathan Church -- into that weaker half of his split, along with Leo Bernal batting from the right side as a switch-hitter.

Burleson leads the group with purpose: he is stronger against right-handed pitching this season (.943 OPS vs. .540 OPS against lefties), and his 2026 line vs. RHP reads .318 AVG and .943 OPS across 426 plate appearances -- 7th of 217 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs. right-handed pitching, against a league average of .704. He steps in as the best-positioned left-handed bat against a starter who has struggled with left-handed hitters.

Gorman's 2026 figure vs. right-handers, .598 OPS across 230 plate appearances, is well below that league mark (173rd of 217); his 2025 vs.-RHP line of .201/.294/.349 across 309 PA points the same direction. Church's 2026 figure vs. right-handers, .674 OPS across 325 plate appearances, trails the league average of .704 (135th of 217 in that group) -- Tidwell's left-handed vulnerability offers both hitters a favorable platoon spot, but neither has produced at the level Burleson has against right-handed pitching this season.

Among the four right-handed bats, Iván Herrera is stronger against left-handed pitching this season (.791 OPS vs. .729 OPS vs. RHP), so he steps in on the weaker side of his own split tonight; his 2026 vs.-RHP line is .249 AVG and .729 OPS across 449 plate appearances. Masyn Winn is stronger against left-handed pitching as well (.764 OPS vs. .590 OPS vs. RHP), and his 2026 vs.-RHP line of .217 AVG and .590 OPS across 365 plate appearances is the weakest among the right-handed group. Jordan Walker is stronger against left-handed pitching (.915 OPS vs. .797 OPS vs. RHP), and his 2026 vs.-RHP line reads .278 AVG and .797 OPS across 448 plate appearances -- 40th of 217 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs. right-handed pitching, the strongest mark among the right-handed bats tonight.

2C: PLATOON SPLITS -- OPPONENT

2026 companion columns: sample floor is 60 PA vs RHP (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.

Andre Pallante is stronger against right-handed batters this season, holding them to a .622 OPS compared with .701 against left-handed batters. The five right-handed bats in tonight's lineup -- Jonah Cox, Osleivis Basabe, Andrew Knizner, Shay Whitcomb, and Christian Koss -- face his stronger side.

Among those five, Koss has the deepest 2026 sample against right-handed pitching (119 PA), posting a .215 average and .528 OPS. Knizner's 2026 sample against right-handed pitching is 18 PA -- too small to report a 2026 rate -- and his 2025 line across 63 PA reads .192/.306/.250. Whitcomb's 2026 sample is 53 PA, also too small; last season across 22 PA he hit .136/.136/.136 against right-handers. Cox and Basabe have no historical rows against right-handed pitching in the table.

The four left-handed hitters -- Rafael Devers, Bryce Eldridge, Turner Hill, and Grant McCray -- face Pallante's weaker side (.701 OPS allowed). Devers is the clearest beneficiary: he is stronger against right-handed pitching this season, carrying a 1.020 OPS across 409 PA. Eldridge is stronger against left-handed pitching this season (.900 OPS compared with .782 against right-handed pitching), so he meets Pallante on the less favorable side of his own platoon split. His 2026 line against right-handers reads .249 average and .782 OPS across 289 PA. McCray's 2026 sample against right-handed pitching is 54 PA -- too small to report a split rate -- and last season across 22 PA he batted .111/.190/.222. Hill has no historical row against right-handed pitching in the table, and his 2026 sample of 57 PA is too small to report a rate.

Pallante starts tonight on the road. He has been stronger away from home this season, holding opponents to a .612 OPS on the road compared with .703 at home.

2D: PITCHER PLATOON SPLITS

Andre Pallante is stronger against right-handed batters this season: .622 OPS allowed across 263 batters faced, compared with .701 OPS allowed against left-handed batters across 321 batters faced. The Giants' lineup presents five right-handed bats -- Jonah Cox, Osleivis Basabe, Andrew Knizner, Shay Whitcomb, and Christian Koss -- into that stronger split. The four left-handed bats (Rafael Devers, Bryce Eldridge, Turner Hill, Grant McCray) face the side where Pallante has allowed a .701 OPS this season. His 2025 baseline was nearly even: .763 OPS allowed against left-handed batters and .774 against right-handed batters across a combined 715 plate appearances.

Blade Tidwell is stronger against right-handed batters this season: .444 OPS allowed across 77 batters faced, compared with .867 OPS allowed against left-handed batters across 99 batters faced. Last season's sample for Tidwell against left-handed and right-handed batters is too small to compare. The Cardinals send four right-handed bats -- Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker, Thomas Saggese, and Masyn Winn -- into that stronger split. The four left-handed bats in the order (Bryan Torres, Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, and Nathan Church) face the side where Tidwell has allowed an .867 OPS in 99 batters faced this season. Leo Bernal, who switch-hits, is the lineup's one batter without a fixed-hand matchup against a right-handed pitcher.

2D-HA: PITCHER HOME/AWAY SPLITS

Andre Pallante travels to Oracle Park tonight, where his road split works in St. Louis' favor. His 2026 ERA away from home is 2.83, 37th of 177 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings on the road, against a 4.02 ERA in home starts (104th of 185). His 2026 road OPS allowed is .612, compared with .703 at home. The 2025 historical rows show a different picture: Pallante posted a 4.89 ERA over 84.2 innings away and a 5.42 ERA over 78.0 innings at home that season, with the home mark drawing the red flag in the table.

Blade Tidwell pitches at Oracle Park tonight, but his 2026 home numbers have not been his strength. His home ERA is 5.32 -- 145th of 185 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings at home -- against a 3.48 ERA in road starts. His 2026 home OPS allowed is .705, compared with .644 on the road. Tidwell's 2025 historical rows carry a small sample: 58 batters faced away (9.28 ERA over 10.2 innings) and 20 batters faced at home (4.15 ERA over 4.1 innings), too few to carry year-over-year weight. Tonight, both starters face the split that has run against them in 2026 -- Pallante's home ERA is the weaker of his two figures, but Oracle Park is road territory for him; Tidwell's home ERA is the weaker of his two figures, and he is pitching here.

2E: TTO SPLITS (TIMES THROUGH ORDER)

Andre Pallante has pitched into a third pass in 24 of 25 starts. In the 24 starts he pitched into a third pass, hitters posted a .608 OPS on the second pass -- 216 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts: .673 OPS -- 134 PA. Early hooks: 1 start, 9 PA. Blade Tidwell has pitched into a third pass in 6 of 6 starts. In the 6 starts he pitched into a third pass, hitters posted a .632 OPS on the second pass -- 54 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts: 21 PA. 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).

Andre Pallante has pitched into a third pass in 24 of his 25 starts. In those starts, his second-pass hitters posted a .608 OPS across 216 PA -- his softest stretch of the night. The third pass tightened to .673 OPS across 134 PA. His 2026 first-pass line (.705 OPS, 225 BF) sits above both of those conditional figures, making the middle of his outing the window where opposing lineups have done the most damage.

Blade Tidwell has pitched into a third pass in 6 of 6 starts this season. His first pass is his roughest: 54 BF in 2026, too small a sample to report split rates reliably, though the 2025 historical row (36 PA, below the rate-reporting floor) carries no printed rate either. On the second pass in those third-pass starts, hitters posted a .632 OPS across 54 PA -- a meaningful drop from the first-pass pressure. The third pass rests on 21 PA, too small a sample to report split rates reliably.

2F: INHERITED RUNNERS PROFILE

Kyle Leahy leads this group in inherited runner volume, stranding 62.1% of the 29 runners he has inherited -- below the 2025 league average of 68.8%. His 2026 line of 132.0 IP, 3.41 ERA, and 1.33 WHIP reflects a workhorse role out of the pen. Gordon Graceffo's 54.5% strand rate on 11 inherited runners is the lowest in the group; his 2026 ERA of 2.70 across 73.1 IP marks him as one of the Cardinals' sharper arms despite that inherited-runner exposure. Riley O'Brien has stranded 70.0% of his 10 inherited runners and carries a 4.03 ERA over 58.0 innings in 2026. Michael McGreevy has inherited just 3 runners all year and allowed none to score, though his 3-runner sample is too small to draw conclusions from the 100.0% strand rate alone; his 2026 line reads 154.0 IP, 3.92 ERA, 1.25 WHIP.

2G: BATTED BALL MATCHUP

Pitcher Batted Ball Profiles (2025)

Sample floor is 50 balls in play (PROVISIONAL): below floor renders "--" in the table above -- cite the raw BIP/AB count instead of the rate.

Hitter Batted Ball Results (2025) -- SF

Sample floor is 50 balls in play (PROVISIONAL): below floor renders "--" in the table above -- cite the raw BIP/AB count instead of the rate.

Andre Pallante generated ground balls on 61.2% of balls in play across 515 BIP in 2025, a profile that shapes how this lineup's contact is likely to land. Among the San Francisco hitters with enough 2025 batted-ball history to show rates, Rafael Devers is the relevant test: his ground-ball average was .222 and his fly-ball average was .155 last season, so Pallante's ground-heavy profile plays into Devers' weaker contact types. The risk for Pallante sits on line drives -- Devers hit .678 on line drives last season across 90 at-bats -- and Pallante's 2025 profile produced only 19.6% line drives, limiting how often that contact type is invited. Christian Koss hit .250 on ground balls last season (64 AB), the only other San Francisco hitter tonight with a publishable 2025 rate; the rest of the lineup -- Bryce Eldridge, Andrew Knizner, Grant McCray, and Shay Whitcomb -- each have fewer than 50 balls in play on file and carry no publishable 2025 batted-ball rates.

Blade Tidwell's 2025 profile across 53 BIP split evenly between ground balls and fly balls (35.8% each) with 26.4% line drives -- a flatter shape than Pallante's. Tidwell's higher line-drive rate relative to Pallante's is the contact shape to watch against the Cardinals' left-handed bats, who already draw his weaker platoon side.

2H: BATTERY PAIRING

Yohel Pozo and Jimmy Crooks, whose 2025 pairing rows appear in the table, are not on the Cardinals' active roster. Leo Bernal, tonight's scheduled catcher, has no 2025 pairing record with Andre Pallante on file -- this is a fresh battery by any measure in the table.

Among catchers who did catch Pallante in 2025, Pedro Pages carries the largest sample: 15 games, 76.1 innings, a 4.60 ERA, and a .257 average against. Jimmy Crooks's five-game pairing (23.1 IP) produced the best ERA in the group at 4.24, while Ivan Herrera's five-game stretch (23.2 IP) sits at 4.56. Yohel Pozo's eight-game sample is the outlier, with a 6.93 ERA and a .303 average against across 37.2 innings. Ivan Herrera is in tonight's lineup at designated hitter, not behind the plate.

2I: BASERUNNING MATCHUP

The opponent's running game features Grant McCray (5 SB, 0 CS in 2026) and Christian Koss (2 SB, 0 CS in 2026) at the top; Osleivis Basabe adds 2 SB against 2 CS. None of the three have reached the 10-attempt floor for a published 2026 rate. Bryce Eldridge has 1 SB in 2026 with no caught stealings. From 2025, Christian Koss went 4-for-5 (4 SB, 1 CS) and Rafael Devers went 1-for-2 -- neither 2025 sample clears the 10-attempt floor for a rate.

Behind the plate for St. Louis, Pedro Pagés has thrown out 17 of 55 attempted base-stealers in 2026, a 30.9% CS rate across 57 starts. Leo Bernal, tonight's Cardinals catcher, has allowed 7 stolen bases with 0 caught stealings in 7 attempts this season -- the sample is too small for a published rate. The opponent's Drew Cavanaugh has caught 9 of 42 attempts in 2026, a 21.4% CS rate across 35 starts. Andrew Knizner, the opponent's catcher tonight, has allowed 8 stolen bases against 1 caught stealing across 9 attempts -- the sample is too small for a published rate.

2J: DEFENSIVE CONTEXT

Masyn Winn anchors the Cardinals infield at shortstop tonight, carrying a 2025 fielding percentage of .994 across 129 games with 64 double plays and 3 errors. Jordan Walker starts in right field; his 2025 RF line shows .981 across 108 games with 4 errors. Alec Burleson plays first base tonight -- his 2025 work at first base covers 50 games with a .990 fielding percentage and 27 double plays. Nolan Gorman is at third base; his 2025 third-base sample of 54 games shows a .950 fielding percentage with 6 errors and 11 double plays. Thomas Saggese appears at third base as well in tonight's card, drawing on a 2025 sample of 35 games at second base (.973, 24 DP, 4 E) and 33 games at shortstop (.988, 7 DP, 1 E); his 18-game third-base sample carries a .939 fielding percentage with 2 errors. Nathan Church starts in center field; his 2025 CF record shows 18 games, no errors, and a 1.000 fielding percentage. Iván Herrera is in the lineup at designated hitter tonight and has no fielding role in this game; his 2025 catching sample of 14 games shows a .989 fielding percentage with 1 error. Bryan Torres (2B) and Leo Bernal (C) have no 2025 fielding rows on file in the table.

2K: BALLPARK CONTEXT & HEAD-TO-HEAD

Against the San Francisco Giants from 2022 through 2025, the Cardinals went 4-2 in 2025, 5-1 in 2024, 1-6 in 2023, and 4-3 in 2022. The series has swung sharply from year to year, with the Cardinals winning three of those four seasons.

2L: BATTER K%/BB% PROFILE

Cardinals

Alec Burleson is the Cardinals' steadiest contact bat in this group. 2026 to date: 17.1% K% and 8.3% BB% across 614 PA. 2025 baseline: 14.5% K%, well below the league average of 22.1%. Iván Herrera (18.7% in 2025) and Masyn Winn (19.0%) also finished under that mark. Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker each carried elevated strikeout rates -- 33.8% and 31.8% in 2025, respectively -- and their 2026 figures hold in a similar range (32.4% and 25.2%). Thomas Saggese (28.1% in 2025, 27.3% in 2026) and Nathan Church (27.7% in 2025, 17.9% in 2026) round out the high-contact-risk portion of the order. On the walk side, Gorman's 2025 BB% of 11.7% and Herrera's 9.6% clear the league average of 8.9%; Winn (6.3%), Walker (7.3%), Saggese (5.4%), and Church (4.6%) finished below it. Blade Tidwell's 2026 walk rate of 10.2% runs above the league average of 8.9%, and his strikeout rate of 20.5% is below the league average of 22.1% -- a combination that favors hitters who can work counts.

Giants

Rafael Devers brings the lineup's most layered profile against Andre Pallante: a 2025 K% of 26.3%, above the league average of 22.1%, paired with a 2025 BB% of 15.4%, well above the league average of 8.9%. His 2026 figures run 25.5% K% and 10.9% BB%. Bryce Eldridge's 2025 sample of 37 PA is small, but his 2026 K% of 26.4% -- above the league average of 22.1% -- comes over 416 plate appearances. Shay Whitcomb's 2026 K% of 30.7% across 75 PA puts him among the lineup's strikeout risks, and his 2026 BB% of 4.0% is below the league average of 8.9%. Grant McCray's 2026 K% of 27.0% across 74 PA reads similarly. Christian Koss carries a 2026 BB% of 4.3% below the league average of 8.9% and a 2026 K% of 24.4%. Andrew Knizner's 2026 sample of 45 plate appearances is too small to report split rates reliably. Pallante's 2026 strikeout rate of 16.8% ranks 94th of 111 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings -- below average by the 19.7% tier cutoff, against a league average of 22.2% -- suggesting the lineup's contact hitters, not its free-swingers, carry the most exposure tonight.

2M: BATTER BATTED BALL PROFILE

Cardinals

Blade Tidwell's 2025 batted-ball mix sits at 35.8% ground balls and 35.8% fly balls across 53 balls in play -- a fly-ball-neutral shape that fits Nolan Gorman's profile. Gorman generates fly balls at a 41.7% rate over 199 BIP, the highest fly-ball rate among Cardinals with a publishable profile, and his 30.2% ground-ball rate is the lowest. Iván Herrera and Jordan Walker both exceed 48% ground-ball rates, which runs against Tidwell's tendency to allow balls in the air. Nathan Church has 37 balls in play, too small a sample to report split rates reliably.

Giants

Sample floor is 50 balls in play (PROVISIONAL): below floor renders "--" in the table above -- cite the raw BIP/AB count instead of the rate.

Andre Pallante's ground-ball profile -- 61.2% across 515 balls in play in 2025, and 62.0% this season -- sits well above the league average of 47.0%. The Giants' lineup gives him ground-ball-friendly contact shapes to work with: Rafael Devers produces ground balls at a 47.4% rate over 380 BIP, and Christian Koss at 51.6% over 124 BIP. Andrew Knizner's 66 BIP show a 47.0% ground-ball rate. Shay Whitcomb (21 BIP), Bryce Eldridge (15 BIP), and Grant McCray (11 BIP) each have too small a sample to report split rates reliably.

2N: PITCHER K%/BB% PROFILE

Andre Pallante's 2025 line of 15.5% K, 8.7% BB, and a 1.79 K/BB ratio reflects the contact-heavy approach that defines his profile. His 2026 rate stands at 16.8% K and 7.7% BB -- the strikeout rate ranks 94th of 111 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings, a poor mark by the tier cutoff of 18.1% (league average 22.2%), and the walk rate ranks 53rd of 111, an average mark. His ground-ball profile does the work his strikeout rate cannot: a 62.0% ground-ball rate ranks 5th of 111 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings.

Blade Tidwell's 2025 sample covers 15.0 innings and 78 batters faced -- a 12.8% K, 12.8% BB, and a 1.00 K/BB ratio too small to draw a reliable read. His 2026 line across 42.2 innings reads 20.5% K and 10.2% BB.

KEY MATCHUPS

Tidwell vs. Cardinals left-handed bats. Blade Tidwell's weaker side this season is left-handed batters: across 99 batters faced, his OPS allowed ranks 187th of 219 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs. left-handed batters. Four Cardinals lefties cycle through the lineup into that split: Bryan Torres leads off, Alec Burleson bats third, Nolan Gorman sixth, and Nathan Church ninth. Burleson is the most dangerous of the group against right-handed pitching -- 2026 vs. RHP: .943 OPS across 426 plate appearances (7th of 217 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs. right-handed pitching). Church and Gorman also carry their 2026 vs.-RHP figures into this matchup: Church at .674 OPS across 325 plate appearances, Gorman at .598 across 230. Torres's 2026 vs.-RHP sample of 133 plate appearances is too small to reach the 60-PA comparison floor against left-handed pitching, but his 133-PA line vs. right-handers reads .753 OPS.

WATCHLIST

-- Alec Burleson vs. Tidwell's walk rate. If Burleson works counts early, Tidwell's 2026 walk rate of 10.2% -- above the league average of 8.9% -- makes free passes a real outcome. Burleson has struck out in 17.1% of his plate appearances this season and walked in 8.3% (614 PA), against a 2025 baseline of 14.5% and 7.2%, so he makes contact and takes his walks; the combination of a disciplined hitter against a pitcher who issues walks at above-average frequency is worth tracking from the first at-bat.

-- Andre Pallante's command indicators. Pallante's 2026 ERA sits at 3.51, 38th of 111 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings, above average by this season's tier cutoff of 3.59 against a league average of 3.90. The results have held over his last four outings (a 2.42 ERA across 88 batters faced), but the indicators underneath have slipped: his strikeout rate in that stretch is 13.6% against 17.3% over the rest of the season, and his walk rate has climbed to 12.5% from 6.9%. If he loses command early tonight, that is the pattern to watch, not a one-off.

-- Jordan Walker vs. Tidwell's right-handed split. Walker bats right-handed into Tidwell's stronger side this season -- against right-handed batters, Tidwell's OPS allowed ranks 11th of 227 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs. right-handed batters. Walker is stronger against left-handed pitching this season (.915 OPS vs. .797 OPS against right-handed pitching across 448 PA), so tonight's matchup puts him on the less favorable side. If he reaches, watch whether he can do damage despite the split disadvantage.

-- Grant McCray baserunning vs. Leo Bernal. If McCray reaches base, the stolen-base read is straightforward: McCray is 5-for-5 on steal attempts in 2026, and Bernal has yet to throw out a runner in 7 attempts this season. Neither sample is big enough to hang a rate on, but the direction from both sides of the matchup says pay attention anytime he gets on.

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. How has Rafael Devers performed against Andre Pallante in their career?

2. How has Jordan Walker performed against Blade Tidwell in their career?

3. How has Alec Burleson performed against Blade Tidwell in their career?

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

5. What were Rafael Devers's splits against right-handed pitchers in 2025?

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

7. What are the park factors at Oracle Park in 2025?