Player	Pos	Bats
Ortiz	1B	L
Chaparro	1B	R
House	3B	R
Abrams	SS	L
Lile	LF	L
Crews	RF	R
Ford	C	R
Young	CF	R
Wood	RF	L
Vivas	3B	L
Tena	DH	L
Ruiz	C	S
Nuñez	2B	S
Morales	1B	R

Handedness: 6 RHB (Chaparro, House, Crews, Ford, Young, Morales), 6 LHB (Ortiz, Abrams, Lile, Wood, Vivas, Tena), 2 SHB (Ruiz, Nuñez).

INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES

Cardinals

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.

JJ Wetherholt -- 2026-09-16: St. Louis Cardinals activated 2B JJ Wetherholt from the 10-day injured list.

Peter Strzelecki -- 2026-09-16: St. Louis Cardinals activated RHP Peter Strzelecki from the 15-day injured list.

Nationals

Orlando Ribalta -- 2026-09-04: Washington Nationals placed RHP Orlando Ribalta on the 15-day injured list retroactive to September 4, 2026. Right forearm inflammation.

Matt Waldron -- 2026-09-05: Washington Nationals placed RHP Matt Waldron on the 15-day injured list retroactive to September 5, 2026. Chest inflammation.

Matt Waldron -- 2026-09-12: Washington Nationals transferred RHP Matt Waldron from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Chest inflammation.

Richard Lovelady -- 2026-09-12: Washington Nationals activated LHP Richard Lovelady from the 60-day injured list.

Josiah Gray -- 2026-09-17: Washington Nationals activated RHP Josiah Gray from the 60-day injured list.

On the Cardinals side, four recent activations have reshaped the roster. Masyn Winn returned to the lineup September 8, and JJ Wetherholt followed September 16, giving St. Louis its starting middle infield back. Andre Pallante rejoined the rotation September 4, and Peter Strzelecki -- whose role is not specified in the transaction -- returned to the active roster September 16 as well.

Washington arrives with two arms back from the injured list. Richard Lovelady, activated September 12, is back in the rotation. Josiah Gray returned last night and slots into the bullpen. Matt Waldron, placed on the 15-day list September 5 with chest inflammation and transferred to the 60-day list September 12, remains out. Orlando Ribalta is also out with right forearm inflammation.

2A: BVP -- CARDINALS BATTERS VS OPPONENT STARTER

No data available for this section.

No Cardinals batter has a career plate appearance on file against Cade Cavalli. The matchup is a blind one tonight, with no BvP history to weight either way. His 2026 platoon work offers the closest read available: he has held left-handed batters to a .692 OPS across 408 batters faced this season, and right-handed batters to a .611 OPS across 279 batters faced.

No significant bench BvP history.

2B: BVP -- OPPONENT BATTERS VS CARDINALS STARTER

Small sample: CJ Abrams (2 PA), James Wood (1 PA), Jacob Young (1 PA), Daylen Lile (1 PA).

Four Nationals carry career BvP history against Kyle Leahy, and none of it amounts to more than 2 plate appearances. CJ Abrams is 1-for-2 against him; James Wood and Jacob Young are each 0-for-1, with Wood taking a strikeout in his only look; Daylen Lile drew the lone walk across a single plate appearance. With the full Washington roster carrying at most 2 career plate appearances against Leahy, the table offers texture but no predictive weight.

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.

Cade Cavalli is a right-hander, which puts six of St. Louis's left-handed bats on his weaker side. He allows a .692 OPS against left-handed batters compared with .611 against right-handed batters in 2026, so the Cardinals' left-handed hitters carry the platoon edge tonight.

Left-handed side (facing Cavalli's weaker split): Alec Burleson leads the group. His 2026 OPS vs. right-handed pitching is .942 across 444 PA, ranking 6th of 226 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs. right-handed pitching (league average .703). Nolan Gorman's 2026 line vs. right-handers reads .185/.294/.349 across 245 PA, ranking 184th of 226 (league average .703). Nathan Church posts a .685 OPS vs. right-handed pitching across 345 PA in 2026, ranking 132nd of 226 (league average .703). Victor Scott's 2026 sample vs. right-handed pitching is too small to report a rate reliably; his 2025 line reads .221/.310/.317 across 332 PA. JJ Wetherholt ranks 94th of 226 NL batters vs. right-handed pitching in 2026 OPS (.735 across 378 PA; league average .703). Bryan Torres bats left-handed as well; his 2026 sample against right-handed pitching stands at 144 PA, below the 60-PA comparator floor for grading, at a .727 OPS.

Right-handed side (facing Cavalli's stronger split): Cavalli holds a .611 OPS allowed against right-handed batters in 2026. Jordan Walker ranks 55th of 226 NL batters vs. right-handed pitching in 2026 OPS (.786 across 464 PA; league average .703). Iván Herrera ranks 116th (2026 OPS .708 across 471 PA; league average .703). Pedro Pagés ranks 167th (.636 across 113 PA; league average .703). Thomas Saggese ranks 162nd (.642 across 103 PA; league average .703). José Fermín ranks 185th (.588 across 195 PA; league average .703). Masyn Winn ranks 183rd (.598 across 378 PA; league average .703). Joshua Báez ranks 176th of 226 NL batters vs. right-handed pitching in 2026 OPS (.613; league average .703) across 65 PA. Leo Bernal's 2026 sample vs. right-handed pitching is 47 PA, below the comparator floor; his 2026 OPS vs. right-handers is not graded.

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.

Kyle Leahy's 2026 split against left-handed batters (.852 OPS allowed, 310 batters faced) and against right-handed batters (.588 OPS allowed, 260 batters faced) sets the context for Washington Nationals' lineup: six left-handed hitters, six right-handed, and two switch-hitters, matching up against a right-hander who holds right-handed batters below the league average of .701.

Among the left-handed hitters, James Wood is the most dangerous. His 2026 OPS vs. right-handed pitching is .957, 5th of 226 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs. right-handed pitching (league average .703). CJ Abrams is close behind at .895, 14th in the same pool. Daylen Lile posts a .794 OPS vs. right-handers across 454 plate appearances, 46th of 226.

The right-handed side offers much less against a starter who suppresses RHB. Jacob Young ranks 155th of 226 at .651 OPS vs. RHP across 293 PA. Dylan Crews ranks 193rd at .574 across 275 PA. Brady House ranks 192nd at .577 across 226 PA. Andrés Chaparro is the exception on the right-handed side: his 2026 OPS vs. right-handers is .913, 8th of 226 in that pool (71 PA). Abimelec Ortiz ranks 163rd of 226 at .641 across 115 PA. Yohandy Morales has accumulated only 15 plate appearances vs. right-handed pitching on file; no split grade applies.

Among switch-hitters, Keibert Ruiz ranks 50th of 226 at .790 OPS vs. RHP across 241 PA. Nasim Nunez ranks 214th of 226 at .510 across 330 PA. Jose Tena (left-handed) ranks 155th of 226 at .651 across 264 PA. Jorbit Vivas (left-handed) ranks 141st of 226 at .673 across 294 PA.

Harry Ford's 2026 sample vs. right-handers is 55 plate appearances -- too small for a split rate; his 2025 line across 4 PA vs. right-handers is similarly thin and carries no grade.

2D: PITCHER PLATOON SPLITS

Cade Cavalli holds a 2026 edge against right-handed batters: .611 OPS allowed across 279 BF, ranking 61st of 237 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs right-handed batters (.701 league average). Against left-handed batters he allows a .692 OPS across 408 BF — 96th of 224 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs left-handed batters (.715 league average). St. Louis sends seven right-handed bats and six left-handed bats into the lineup tonight, meaning the Cardinals' majority-right construction runs squarely into his stronger side.

Kyle Leahy's 2026 split is sharper. Against right-handed batters he has allowed a .588 OPS across 260 BF, ranking 50th of 237 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs right-handed batters (.701 league average). Against left-handed batters the figure rises to .852 across 310 BF — 186th of 224 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs left-handed batters (.715 league average). Washington's roster shows six right-handed bats and six left-handed bats, with two switch-hitters. The evenly split lineup gives Leahy neither a full-hand advantage nor the concentrated left-handed exposure that strains him most.

2D-HA: PITCHER HOME/AWAY SPLITS

Kyle Leahy takes the mound at home tonight, his stronger split this season: he has allowed a .695 OPS at Busch Stadium compared with .769 on the road. His 2026 home ERA of 2.79 ranks 51st of 191 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched at home (league average 3.92). His 2026 road ERA of 3.94 ranks 88th of 182 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched on the road (league average 4.05). The 2025 column shows the reverse pattern -- a 2.68 ERA away against a 4.47 ERA at home -- making 2026 a meaningful directional shift in where he has been at his best.

Cade Cavalli comes to St. Louis as the road team, which is also his stronger side this season: he has allowed a .629 OPS away compared with .683 at home. His 2026 road ERA of 2.95 ranks 39th of 182 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched on the road (league average 4.05). His 2026 home ERA of 3.25 ranks 70th of 191 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched at home (league average 3.92). Last season the split ran the other way sharply -- a 2.49 ERA at home against a 6.17 ERA on the road across 112 batters faced -- so tonight's venue places him on the side that has been his better one in 2026.

2E: TTO SPLITS (TIMES THROUGH ORDER)

Cade Cavalli has pitched into a third pass in 26 of 31 starts. In the 26 starts he pitched into a third pass, hitters posted a .694 OPS on the second pass -- 234 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts: .562 OPS -- 141 PA. Early hooks: 5 starts, 31 PA. Kyle Leahy has pitched into a third pass in 21 of 28 starts. In the 21 starts he pitched into a third pass, hitters posted a .789 OPS on the second pass -- 188 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts: 1.017 OPS -- 92 PA. Early hooks: 7 starts, 36 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).

Cade Cavalli has pitched into a third pass in 26 of 31 starts. In those 26 starts, hitters posted a .694 OPS against him on the second pass (234 PA); from the third pass on, that figure fell to .562 OPS (141 PA) -- his sharpest stretch of the game. The 2025 first-pass figure (.850 OPS, 90 PA) ranks 271st of 344 NL pitchers with at least 50 PA in that window (league average .734); the second-pass figure (.780 OPS, 90 PA) ranks 83rd of 132 with at least 50 PA in that window (league average .742). His third-pass 2025 sample of 39 PA is too small to report split rates reliably. The Cardinals face Cavalli tonight at Busch Stadium, where he carries a .683 OPS allowed this season.

Kyle Leahy has pitched into a third pass in 21 of 28 starts. The 2026 first-pass figure is .574 OPS across 254 batters faced; the 2025 first-pass mark of .645 OPS (355 PA) ranks 110th of 344 NL pitchers with at least 50 PA in that window (league average .734). In the 21 starts he pitched into a third pass, hitters posted a .789 OPS on the second pass (188 PA); from the third pass on in those same starts, the figure climbed to 1.016 OPS (92 PA). His 2025 second-pass sample stands at 8 PA -- too small to report split rates reliably.

2F: INHERITED RUNNERS PROFILE

The table shows 2025 inherited-runner figures alongside each reliever's 2026 workload. Kyle Leahy has handled the heaviest inherited-runner load, stranding 62.1% of 29 runners in 2025 while carrying 135.0 innings in 2026 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Gordon Graceffo has the lowest strand rate of the group at 54.5% across 11 runners in 2025; his 2026 line of 77.1 innings, a 2.56 ERA, and a 1.05 WHIP reflects strong overall form. Riley O'Brien stranded 70.0% of 10 runners in 2025 and carries a 4.21 ERA over 62.0 innings in 2026. Michael McGreevy has inherited three runners in 2025 and allowed none to score, a 100.0% strand rate on a small sample. The 2025 league average strand rate was 68.8%, cited here as a historical baseline from a Neon proxy figure (the league-level inherited-runner feed does not supply a current-season aggregate); Leahy and Graceffo both sit below that mark, while O'Brien and McGreevy clear it.

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) -- WSH

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.

2025 GB% types every ball in play; 2026 GO% is the ground-out share of outs in play (GO / (GO+AO), statsapi) -- different measures, both labeled. 2026 GO% reads "SSS" below 50 GO+AO; at or above it the 2026 figure leads and the 2025 GB% is last season's.

Cade Cavalli's 2025 contact profile was heavily ground-ball tilted at 57.0% on 151 balls in play, with a modest fly-ball share of 17.2%. That profile meets a Washington lineup that skews toward ground outs in 2026: José Tena (58.7% GO share, 109 GO+AO), Brady House (56.2%, 144), James Wood (54.7%, 190), Nasim Nuñez (54.6%, 240), and Jorbit Vivas (52.0%, 177) all post 2026 GO shares above the league average of 47.1% across 169 qualifiers. CJ Abrams (41.1%, 258 GO+AO), Daylen Lile (38.1%, 310), and Dylan Crews (42.0%, 188) sit below that line, and each carried a last-season fly-ball average below .125 -- Abrams at .082 and Lile at .123 across publishable 2025 samples. The air-ball contact that does get up against Cavalli has carried little last season.

Kyle Leahy's 2025 profile was more evenly distributed -- 44.2% GB, 26.9% FB, 27.7% LD across 249 balls in play. That line-drive share matters: among the Washington hitters with publishable 2025 line-drive averages, Wood hit .713, Abrams .708, and Keibert Ruiz .704. House (.608) and Lile (.621) also carry strong line-drive contact last season. The GO-heavy portion of the lineup -- Tena (58.7%), Nuñez (54.6%), Vivas (52.0%) -- offers Leahy a softer contact profile on the ground-ball side, where the lineup's 2025 ground averages ranged from .170 (Ruiz) to .266 (Crews) among publishable samples.

2H: BATTERY PAIRING

Yohel Pozo and Jimmy Crooks both appear in Kyle Leahy's 2025 battery history but are not on the Cardinals' active roster. Of the four catchers in the table, Ivan Herrera is in tonight's lineup at designated hitter, not behind the plate. The Cardinals carry two catchers on the active roster: Pedro Pages and Leo Bernal, both listed at catcher in the roster projection. Pages logged 43 games and 62.0 innings with Leahy in 2025 (ERA 3.05, .225 AVG against), the largest sample of any catcher in the table. Bernal has no innings on record with Leahy, making tonight a fresh battery pairing if he draws the start. Pozo's 13-game, 16.0-inning sample from 2025 (ERA 2.25, .259 AVG against) and Crooks's 4-game, 6.1-inning line (ERA 8.53, .346 AVG against) provide historical context only.

2I: BASERUNNING MATCHUP

Washington stolen-base leaders (2026): Nasim Nuñez leads the roster with 46 steals against 10 caught, an 82.1% success rate. CJ Abrams has 29 steals against 6 caught (82.9%). James Wood has stolen 21 bases against 3 caught (87.5%), and Jacob Young has 18 steals against 3 caught (85.7%). Daylen Lile has 15 steals against 7 caught (68.2%). Dylan Crews has 9 steals and 0 caught stealing across 9 attempts -- too small a sample for a reliable rate. Brady House has 3 steals and 0 caught stealing (3 attempts), Harry Ford has 3 steals and 0 caught stealing (3 attempts), Jorbit Vivas has 2 steals and 1 caught stealing (3 attempts), José Tena has 5 steals and 2 caught stealing (7 attempts), and Keibert Ruiz has 2 steals and 1 caught stealing (3 attempts) -- each of these samples is too small for a reliable rate.

Washington stolen-base leaders (2025): CJ Abrams stole 31 bases against 3 caught (91.2% success rate). Dylan Crews went 17 for 22 (77.3%). Jacob Young's 2025 rate was 57.7% (15 SB, 11 CS). James Wood had 15 steals against 7 caught (68.2%). Nasim Nuñez went 9 for 10 (90.0%). Daylen Lile was 8 for 14 (57.1%). Brady House had 5 steals and 3 caught across 8 attempts -- too small a sample for a reliable rate. José Tena had 3 steals and 1 caught across 4 attempts -- too small a sample for a reliable rate.

Cardinals catchers: Pedro Pagés has thrown out 19 of 59 attempts (32.2% caught-stealing rate) across 76 games this season. Leo Bernal has allowed 13 stolen bases against 3 caught across 16 attempts -- too few attempts for a reliable rate; Pagés's 32.2% is the season mark for the St. Louis catching staff.

Washington catchers: Keibert Ruiz has thrown out 18 of 84 attempts (21.4% caught-stealing rate) across 96 games. Harry Ford has caught 6 of 30 attempts stealing (20.0%) across 31 games.

2J: DEFENSIVE CONTEXT

The Cardinals' deepest 2025 fielding sample belongs to Masyn Winn at shortstop: 129 games, 64 double plays, 3 errors, and a .994 fielding percentage. Victor Scott II is listed on tonight's roster at center field; his 2025 table shows 136 games at CF with a .982 fielding percentage and 6 errors. Pedro Pagés enters tonight at catcher with 110 games at the position in 2025, posting a .994 fielding percentage on 5 errors. Jordan Walker appears at right field in tonight's roster listing; his 2025 right-field line covers 108 games, 4 errors, and a .981 fielding percentage.

Nolan Gorman is on the roster at third base tonight. His primary 2025 sample at third base ran 54 games with 6 errors and a .950 fielding percentage; he also logged 28 games at second base (.990) and 7 at first base (1.000). Alec Burleson is at first base in tonight's roster listing. His 2025 first-base sample covers 50 games, 27 double plays, 4 errors, and a .990 fielding percentage; he also carries 41 games in left field (1.000, no errors) and 34 in right field (.983). Nathan Church is on the roster at center field tonight; his 2025 CF sample is 18 games with no errors (1.000), and he logged 7 games in right field (.833, 1 error). JJ Wetherholt is listed at second base tonight; the 2025 defense table carries no entry for Wetherholt, so no fielding figures apply to that slot. Bryan Torres is listed at left field tonight; no 2025 fielding entry for Torres appears in the table, so no fielding figures apply to that slot. Joshua Báez is listed at left field; no 2025 fielding entry for Báez appears in the table, so no fielding figures apply to that slot. Leo Bernal is listed at catcher; no 2025 fielding entry for Bernal appears in the table, so no fielding figures apply to that slot.

2K: BALLPARK CONTEXT & HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Cardinals have won at least four games in each of the last four seasons against the Nationals, going 5-1 in 2025, 4-3 in 2024, 4-2 in 2023, and 4-3 in 2022 across the 2022-2025 span. Tonight opens a three-game set at Busch Stadium.

2L: BATTER K%/BB% PROFILE

Cardinals

Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker are the Cardinals' two highest-strikeout bats in the table, with 2025 K% of 33.8% and 31.8% respectively -- each well above the league average of 22.1%. Gorman's 2026 K% of 32.0% holds near that level across 291 PA; Walker's 2026 K% of 25.5% across 631 PA shows a notable step down from his 2025 mark. Pedro Pagés (2025 K% 27.5%, BB% 4.9%) and Thomas Saggese (2025 K% 28.1%, BB% 5.4%) also carry elevated strikeout rates alongside walk rates well below the league average of 8.9%; their 2026 companions read 26.7% K% and 5.9% BB% for Pagés across 202 PA, and 24.8% K% and 7.4% BB% for Saggese across 149 PA. At the contact end, Alec Burleson's 2025 K% of 14.5% is the lowest in the group, with a 2026 K% of 17.4% across 642 PA. José Fermín's 2026 K% of 13.2% across 349 PA is the lowest current-season figure on the Cardinals' side.

Nationals

James Wood carries the Nationals' most prominent two-sided discipline profile: a 2025 K% of 32.1% -- well above the league average of 22.1% -- paired with a 2025 BB% of 12.3%, above the league average of 8.9%. His 2026 figures across 585 PA read 28.4% K% and 16.8% BB%, the highest walk rate in either lineup. Kyle Leahy's 2026 strikeout rate of 22.5% sits at the league average of 22.1%, and his walk rate of 6.7% runs below the league average of 8.9% -- a ground-ball pitcher who does not issue many free passes facing a lineup with mixed contact profiles. Brady House's 2025 BB% of 2.9% is the lowest in the Nationals' group, and his 2026 BB% of 7.6% across 328 PA represents a meaningful shift toward that average. Keibert Ruiz posts the group's lowest K% both in 2025 (9.7%) and 2026 (10.7% across 335 PA), pairing that contact rate with a 2026 BB% of 4.8%. CJ Abrams's 2025 BB% of 5.8% sits below the league average of 8.9%; his 2026 BB% of 8.6% across 617 PA has climbed back toward league average while his 2026 K% of 24.3% is up from his 2025 mark of 19.7%.

2M: BATTER BATTED BALL PROFILE

Cardinals

Cade Cavalli's 2026 ground-ball rate is 57.9%, above the league average of 47.0%. The Cardinals lineup tilts toward contact on the ground: Iván Herrera leads the group at a 52.6% last-season GB% across 285 balls in play, with a 2026 GO% of 55.9% (313 GO+AO). Jordan Walker posted a 48.9% GB% over 231 BIP; his 2026 GO% reads 48.4% (258 GO+AO). Alec Burleson is at 42.0% GB% over 398 BIP; his 2026 GO% is 51.8% (305 GO+AO). Nolan Gorman stands out in the opposite direction -- a 30.2% GB% and 41.7% FB% over 199 BIP, with a 2026 GO% of 33.3% (120 GO+AO). José Fermín and Nathan Church each have fewer than 50 BIP on file for last season; Fermín's 2026 GO% is 44.4% (196 GO+AO), Church's is 47.4% (234 GO+AO). Victor Scott's 2026 GO+AO sample is too small to report a share.

Nationals

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.

2025 GB% types every ball in play; 2026 GO% is the ground-out share of outs in play (GO / (GO+AO), statsapi) -- different measures, both labeled. 2026 GO% reads "SSS" below 50 GO+AO; at or above it the 2026 figure leads and the 2025 GB% is last season's.

Kyle Leahy's last-season GB% was 44.2% across 249 balls in play, and his 2026 ground-ball rate is 52.9%, above the league average of 47.0%. The Nationals lineup leans heavily ground-ball: José Tena leads the group at 59.3% GB% over 113 BIP, with a 2026 GO% of 58.7% (109 GO+AO). James Wood is at 54.6% GB% over 346 BIP and a 2026 GO% of 54.7% (190 GO+AO). Jacob Young matches that shape at 54.1% GB% over 246 BIP (2026 GO% 44.6%, 233 GO+AO). Nasim Nuñez shows 55.4% GB% over 56 BIP with a 2026 GO% of 54.6% (240 GO+AO). Brady House posted 48.6% GB% over 179 BIP; his 2026 GO% is 56.2% (144 GO+AO). Daylen Lile is the outlier at 37.7% GB% and 33.9% LD% over 257 BIP, with a 2026 GO% of 38.1% (310 GO+AO). Andrés Chaparro and Jorbit Vivas each have fewer than 50 BIP on file for last season; Chaparro's 2026 GO% is 44.0% (84 GO+AO), Vivas's is 52.0% (177 GO+AO). Harry Ford's 2026 GO+AO sample is too small to report a share.

2N: PITCHER K%/BB% PROFILE

Kyle Leahy's 2025 line reads 22.0% strikeouts and 7.7% walks across 88.0 innings, a 2.86 K/BB ratio. His 2026 strikeout rate of 22.5% is average among NL pitchers with at least 60 innings (58th of 126; league average 22.5%). His 2026 walk rate of 6.7% is excellent by that same group's cutoff of 6.8% (30th of 126; league average 8.4%).

Cade Cavalli's 2025 line reads 18.3% strikeouts and 6.8% walks across 48.2 innings, a 2.67 K/BB ratio. His 2026 strikeout rate of 28.2% is excellent among NL pitchers with at least 60 innings (20th of 126; league average 22.5%). His 2026 walk rate of 7.0% (48 walks across 164.2 innings) sits below the league average of 8.9%.

KEY MATCHUPS

Leahy vs Washington's left-handed bats. Kyle Leahy is stronger against right-handed batters this season: .588 OPS allowed, compared with .852 OPS allowed against left-handed batters -- and Washington's roster carries six left-handed hitters. James Wood leads that group: his 2026 OPS vs right-handed pitching is .957, 5th of 226 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs right-handed pitching. CJ Abrams checks in at .895 OPS vs right-handers this season (14th of 226), and Daylen Lile at .794 (46th of 226). All three sit squarely on Leahy's weaker side.

Cavalli vs Cardinal right-handed bats. Cade Cavalli is stronger against right-handed batters this season: .611 OPS allowed, compared with .692 OPS allowed against left-handed batters. St. Louis sends seven right-handed bats into that stronger split. Jordan Walker's 2026 OPS vs right-handed pitching is .786 (55th of 226 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs right-handed pitching); Ivan Herrera's is .708 (116th of 226). Both face Cavalli's better side tonight.

Leahy's third-pass exposure. Kyle Leahy's first-pass OPS allowed is .574 in 2026; his third-pass figure is 1.016 across 92 batters faced. He has pitched into a third pass in 21 of 28 starts, so Washington's lineup can expect that exposure -- particularly its left-handed core on his weaker side. The third-pass figure comes only from the starts he was left in.

Cavalli's third pass is his strongest. Cade Cavalli's second pass is his weakest this season at .723 OPS allowed, and his third-pass figure is .561 across 141 batters faced. He has pitched into a third pass in 26 of 31 starts. St. Louis must produce in the first two turns rather than waiting for a late-inning fade from Cavalli.

WATCHLIST

-- James Wood, third-pass window. If Kyle Leahy reaches a third pass -- he has pitched into one in 21 of 28 starts this season -- watch James Wood from the left-handed side. Wood's 2026 walk rate of 16.8% ranks 2nd of 169 NL hitters with at least 200 plate appearances -- making a long at-bat or an early exit more likely if Leahy falls behind in counts.

-- Leahy at home vs. his road numbers. If Leahy commands his ground-ball rate -- 52.9% in 2026, 32nd of 126 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings (league average 48.7%) -- in the early innings, watch his home-side context: he carries a 2.79 ERA at Busch Stadium against 3.94 on the road in 2026.

-- Washington baserunning vs. Pages/Leahy. If Washington gets runners on base, watch the Cardinals' stolen-base exposure: Nasim Nunez (46 stolen bases, 82.1% success in 2026), CJ Abrams (29 stolen bases, 82.9%), and James Wood (21 stolen bases, 87.5%) are active threats, and Pedro Pagés has thrown out 32.2% of attempted base stealers this season behind the plate for St. Louis.

-- Riley O'Brien save situation. If St. Louis carries a lead into the late innings, watch the bullpen close: Riley O'Brien has blown 2 saves in his last 5 appearances (September 7 through September 16), and the bullpen as a whole has blown 6 saves in the last 15 games.

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. How has Masyn Winn performed against Cade Cavalli in their career?

2. How has James Wood performed against Kyle Leahy in their career?

3. How has Jordan Walker performed against Cade Cavalli in their career?

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

5. How did Nolan Gorman hit against right-handed pitching in 2025?

6. What was Riley O'Brien's inherited-runner strand rate in 2025?

7. What were the park factors at Busch Stadium in 2025?