Player	Pos	Bats
Cook	CF	R
Lowe	2B	L
Reynolds	LF	S
Davis	C	R
Gonzalez	SS	L
Mangum	CF	S
Triolo	SS	R
Griffin	SS	R
Gonzales	3B	R
Cruz	CF	L
Flores	C	R
Simon	RF	S
O'Hearn	RF	L
Horwitz	1B	L

Handedness: 6 RHB (Cook, Davis, Triolo, Griffin, Gonzales, Flores), 5 LHB (Lowe, Gonzalez, Cruz, O'Hearn, Horwitz), 3 SHB (Reynolds, Mangum, Simon).

INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES

Cardinals

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

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

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

Joshua Báez -- 2026-09-18: St. Louis Cardinals placed LF Joshua Báez on the 10-day injured list. Left oblique strain.

Pirates

Isaac Mattson -- 2026-09-08: Pittsburgh Pirates placed RHP Isaac Mattson on the 15-day injured list. Right hip impingement.

Braxton Ashcraft -- 2026-09-07: Pittsburgh Pirates placed RHP Braxton Ashcraft on the 15-day injured list retroactive to September 7, 2026. Right arm discomfort.

Ryan O'Hearn -- 2026-09-11: Pittsburgh Pirates activated RF Ryan O'Hearn from the 10-day injured list.

Esmerlyn Valdez -- 2026-09-12: Pittsburgh Pirates placed RF Esmerlyn Valdez on the 10-day injured list. Left hamstring strain.

On the Cardinals side, the roster returns have already been absorbed into the lineup mix: Masyn Winn came back September 8, and JJ Wetherholt returned September 16 to reclaim his spot at second base. Peter Strzelecki's September 16 activation adds depth to a staff that lost Joshua Báez to a left oblique strain September 18 -- Báez is on the 10-day list and out of the outfield picture tonight.

Pittsburgh is without two pitchers placed on the 15-day list in early September -- Isaac Mattson (right hip impingement) and Braxton Ashcraft (right arm discomfort) -- thinning the bullpen options available to the Pirates tonight. Ryan O'Hearn returned to right field September 11, but Esmerlyn Valdez went back on the 10-day list September 12 with a left hamstring strain, leaving a gap in that outfield group as well.

2A: BVP -- CARDINALS BATTERS VS OPPONENT STARTER

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

The career BvP table between Cardinals batters and Jared Jones is thin across the board -- three players appear, none with more than 3 PA, and all rows carry the small-sample flag. Masyn Winn is 2-for-3 (.667/.667/.667) in 3 PA, a number too small to treat as signal. Alec Burleson is 0-for-2 with a walk in 3 PA. Nolan Gorman is 0-for-2 with a strikeout in 2 PA. No batter clears the 10 PA floor at which a career line carries weight, and none meets both danger thresholds (10 PA and .400 AVG) -- Winn's .667 AVG comes on only 2 AB, well short of the PA floor. The rest of the lineup -- Bryan Torres, César Prieto, Iván Herrera, JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker, José Fermín, Leo Bernal, Nathan Church, and Pedro Pagés -- have no career BvP history against Jones on file. Against a right-hander with a 28.7% strikeout rate across 2026, the Cardinals' 2026 platoon work against right-handed pitching is the more meaningful lens for each of those hitters.

No significant bench BvP history.

2B: BVP -- OPPONENT BATTERS VS CARDINALS STARTER

Small sample: Nick Gonzales (9 PA), Jared Triolo (6 PA), Spencer Horwitz (6 PA), Ryan O'Hearn (6 PA), Henry Davis (4 PA), Billy Cook (2 PA), Brandon Lowe (1 PA).

Career BvP against Andre Pallante is thin across most of the Pittsburgh lineup, but Bryan Reynolds carries the deepest sample at 23 plate appearances. His line reads .174/.174/.522 -- two home runs account for most of his production, while he has walked zero times in those 23 trips. The power is real; the average and on-base rate are not. Oneil Cruz has seen Pallante 13 times, drawing three walks against just one strikeout and posting a .385 OBP, though his average and slugging both sit at .200. Nick Gonzales is 0-for-9 with two strikeouts and no walks across 9 PA -- a small sample, but one without a hit. Jared Triolo and Spencer Horwitz each went 2-for-6 in their career looks (.333/.333/.333), and Ryan O'Hearn's 6 PA include a home run (.200/.333/.800). The remaining batters have four or fewer plate appearances against Pallante, too few to carry 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.

Jared Jones throws right-handed, and seven of St. Louis's 14 rostered players bat left-handed -- Alec Burleson, Bryan Torres, César Prieto, JJ Wetherholt, Nathan Church, Nolan Gorman, and Victor Scott II -- with one switch-hitter in Leo Bernal. Jones holds a split advantage against right-handed bats: his 2026 OPS allowed vs right-handed batters is .648, compared with .708 against left-handers, so the seven left-handed Cardinals batters face his weaker side tonight.

Among those left-handed bats, Alec Burleson stands apart. His 2026 OPS vs right-handed pitching is .934 -- 6th of 228 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs right-handed pitching against a league average of .702. JJ Wetherholt (.736, 92nd of 228, 386 PA) and Nathan Church (.682, 134th of 228, 351 PA) sit above and below the .702 league average, respectively. Nolan Gorman's 2026 figure vs right-handers is .595 (184th of 228, 246 PA). Victor Scott II's 2026 sample against right-handers produced a .465 OPS (222nd of 228, 130 PA). César Prieto's 2026 sample vs right-handed pitching is 32 plate appearances -- too small to grade; the table shows SSS for his 2026 vs-RHP line, and his 2025 figure leads (.167/.167/.167 across 6 PA, itself a limited anchor).

On the right-handed side of the Cardinals roster, Jordan Walker leads the group: 2026 OPS vs right-handers .778, 55th of 228 NL batters at that split (473 PA). Iván Herrera is 108th of 228 at .716 (481 PA). Pedro Pagés is 168th of 228 at .636 (113 PA). Thomas Saggese is 182nd of 228 at .601 (112 PA). José Fermín is 181st of 228 at .602 (198 PA). Masyn Winn is 183rd of 228 at .596 (382 PA). Bryan Torres's 2026 sample vs right-handed pitching is 150 plate appearances -- below the 60-PA comparator floor for a split ranking, so his figure (.696 OPS, 127th of 228) is noted without a grade. Leo Bernal's 2026 sample vs right-handers is 56 plate appearances, also below the comparator floor.

Jones is stronger against right-handed batters this season (.648 OPS allowed, compared with .708 against left-handed batters), so the Cardinals' seven left-handed bats carry the platoon edge tonight -- led by Burleson, whose .934 OPS vs right-handers ranks 6th among NL batters at that split.

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 right-handed, so the Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup faces its own right-handed-pitching splits tonight. Pittsburgh carries five left-handed hitters (Brandon Lowe, Jacob Gonzalez, Oneil Cruz, Ryan O'Hearn, Spencer Horwitz) and three switch-hitters (Bryan Reynolds, Jake Mangum, Ronny Simon) against him, with six right-handed bats (Billy Cook, Henry Davis, Jared Triolo, Konnor Griffin, Nick Gonzales, and Rafael Flores Jr.) rounding out the roster group.

The left-handed side carries the lineup's sharpest vs-RHP production. Brandon Lowe's 2026 line against right-handed pitching is .916 OPS across 433 plate appearances -- 8th of 228 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs right-handed pitching (.916; league average .702). Oneil Cruz posts a .862 OPS against right-handers in 2026 across 272 plate appearances, 22nd of 228 in that pool. Ryan O'Hearn checks in at .860 OPS over 297 plate appearances vs right-handers in 2026, 23rd of 228. Spencer Horwitz sits at .736 OPS across 348 plate appearances vs right-handers in 2026, 92nd of 228. Jacob Gonzalez's 2026 vs-right-hander sample is 186 plate appearances, 180th of 228 in OPS (.603; league average .702).

Among switch-hitters, Bryan Reynolds bats from the left side against Pallante and carries a .773 OPS vs right-handers in 2026 across 445 plate appearances, 59th of 228. Jake Mangum's 2026 vs-RHP OPS is .708 across 332 plate appearances, 120th of 228. Ronny Simon's 2026 sample vs right-handers is 33 plate appearances -- too small to report split rates reliably; his 2025 vs-RHP line reads .246/.311/.292 across 74 plate appearances, 201st of 244 2025 NL batters in that pool.

The right-handed side is mixed. Nick Gonzales leads the group at .795 OPS vs right-handers in 2026 across 403 plate appearances, 45th of 228. Konnor Griffin stands at .670 OPS vs right-handers in 2026 across 231 plate appearances, 142nd of 228. Henry Davis posts a .665 OPS against right-handers in 2026 across 201 plate appearances, 147th of 228. Jared Triolo sits at .583 OPS vs right-handers in 2026 across 216 plate appearances, 189th of 228. Billy Cook's 2026 sample against right-handers is 21 plate appearances -- too small to report split rates; his 2025 vs-RHP line reads .000/.000/.000 across 2 plate appearances, also too small to carry weight. Rafael Flores Jr. carries a 2026 vs-RHP OPS of .903 across 74 plate appearances, 11th of 228 in that pool.

2D: PITCHER PLATOON SPLITS

Andre Pallante faces a Pittsburgh Pirates roster with six right-handed batters, five left-handed batters, and three switch-hitters. Both splits clear the 60-BF floor, so 2026 leads on each side. Against left-handed batters this season, his 2026 OPS allowed is .703, ranking 107th of 229 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs left-handed batters (league average .715). Against right-handed batters, his 2026 OPS allowed is .639, ranking 78th of 239 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs right-handed batters (league average .701). His stronger side this season is against right-handed batters.

The Cardinals send a roster with seven left-handed batters, six right-handed batters, and one switch-hitter to face Jared Jones. Both of Jones's splits clear the 60-BF floor. Against left-handed batters, his 2026 OPS allowed is .708, ranking 112th of 229 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs left-handed batters (league average .715). Against right-handed batters, his 2026 OPS allowed is .648, ranking 81st of 239 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs right-handed batters (league average .701). His stronger side this season is against right-handed batters, and the Cardinals' left-handed majority gives that edge no room to press.

2D-HA: PITCHER HOME/AWAY SPLITS

Andre Pallante is pitching away from home tonight, which is his stronger side in 2026 -- .612 OPS allowed on the road, compared with .720 OPS allowed at home. His 2026 road ERA of 2.76 ranks 31st of 184 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched on the road (league average 4.05); his 2026 home ERA of 4.41 ranks 124th of 195 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched at home (league average 3.89). The 2025 figures in the table show the same direction: 4.89 ERA away against 5.42 ERA at home across a combined 162.2 innings.

2E: TTO SPLITS (TIMES THROUGH ORDER)

Andre Pallante has pitched into a third pass in 25 of 27 starts. In the 25 starts he pitched into a third pass, hitters posted a .631 OPS on the second pass -- 225 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts: .661 OPS -- 143 PA. Early hooks: 2 starts, 18 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 25 of his 27 starts. His 2026 times-through-order pattern runs against the typical pitcher's arc: the first pass is his weakest at .733 OPS allowed across 243 batters faced, while the second pass drops to .626 OPS across 225 PA in the starts he worked that deep, and the third settles at .661 OPS across 143 PA in those same starts.

The 2025 baseline told the opposite story. Pallante held hitters to a .720 OPS on the first pass -- ranking 191st of 344 NL pitchers with at least 50 PA in that window (.720; league average .734) -- then allowed a .868 OPS on the second pass, 106th of 132 NL pitchers at that threshold (.868; league average .742). His third pass was his steadiest in 2025: .691 OPS, 28th of 84 NL pitchers with at least 50 PA in that window (.691; league average .781). The 2026 second-pass improvement from .868 to .626 is the sharpest within-game shift in his profile this season.

2F: INHERITED RUNNERS PROFILE

Riley O'Brien leads the group in 2026 with 64.0 IP, a 4.08 ERA, and a 1.28 WHIP; his 2025 strand rate of 70.0% across 10 inherited runners sits just above the historical baseline. Kyle Leahy follows with 138.0 IP this season, a 3.65 ERA, and a 1.34 WHIP; his 2025 strand rate of 62.1% across 29 inherited runners falls below that mark. Gordon Graceffo's 2026 line is the sharpest of the four -- 78.1 IP, a 2.76 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP -- but his 2025 strand rate of 54.5% across 11 inherited runners is the lowest in the group. Michael McGreevy carries a 2026 line of 164.0 IP, a 3.84 ERA, and a 1.25 WHIP; his 2025 strand rate of 100.0% rests on 3 inherited runners, too small a sample to read as a reliable rate. The 2025 league average strand rate was 68.8% (a proxy figure; the league API does not expose inherited-runner totals at team level).

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) -- PIT

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.

Andre Pallante generated ground balls on 61.2% of balls in play last season -- among the most ground-ball-intensive profiles in the National League -- and that tendency defines the contact shape to expect today. Against a Pittsburgh lineup where the 2026 ground-out share varies widely, the matchup sorts into two groups.

Cruz (63.6% GO, 121 outs in play), Mangum (61.5% GO, 221 outs in play), and Gonzales (56.6% GO, 279 outs in play) put the ball on the ground at elevated rates this season, meeting Pallante's profile in kind. Last season, Cruz hit .240 on grounders, Mangum .344, and Gonzales .283 -- Mangum's ground-ball average stands as the sharpest concern given how frequently Pallante induces that contact type.

Davis (37.5% GO, 152 outs in play), Lowe (43.8% GO, 240 outs in play), and Horwitz (44.9% GO, 214 outs in play) produce ground outs at lower rates, meaning they make more contact in the air -- but last season's fly-ball averages for Davis (.028), Lowe (.071), and Horwitz (.109) are low enough that Pallante's FB% of 18.3% represents manageable exposure even when these hitters do get the ball airborne. Reynolds (52.2% GO, 274 outs in play) hit .198 on fly balls last season, the highest among the qualifying Pirates, and hit .213 on grounders -- his contact is distributed across types, none of it dominant.

O'Hearn (50.0% GO, 194 outs in play) and Triolo (55.7% GO, 174 outs in play) round out the picture; last season O'Hearn hit .295 on grounders and Triolo .238. Cook, Flores, and Simon each have too small a 2025 ball-in-play sample to report split rates.

2H: BATTERY PAIRING

Yohel Pozo and Jimmy Crooks do not appear on the current Cardinals active roster; their rows reflect 2025 work with Pallante from prior roster configurations. Of the four catchers in the table, only Pedro Pagés and Iván Herrera are on today's roster, with Herrera slotted at designated hitter tonight rather than behind the plate.

Leo Bernal, the Cardinals' other catcher, has no innings on file with Andre Pallante -- a fresh battery pairing if he starts. The 2025 data offers no direct read on how Pallante works with Bernal.

Among the catchers who do appear in the table, Pedro Pagés carries the largest sample: 15 games and 76.1 innings in 2025, with a 4.60 ERA and .257 average against. Jimmy Crooks's five-game sample produced the lowest ERA at 4.24 with a .258 average against. Yohel Pozo's eight-start line stands apart -- a 6.93 ERA and .303 average against -- though the sample is modest and he is no longer on the roster.

2I: BASERUNNING MATCHUP

Pittsburgh stolen-base threats (2026): Oneil Cruz leads the Pittsburgh roster with 28 stolen bases and 7 caught stealing this season (80.0% success rate, 35 attempts). Jared Triolo has stolen 13 bases against 1 caught stealing (92.9%, 14 attempts). Jake Mangum has 23 stolen bases and 9 caught stealing (71.9%, 32 attempts). Nick Gonzales shows 7 stolen bases against 3 caught stealing (70.0%, 10 attempts). Below the 10-attempt floor: Bryan Reynolds has 9 SB and 0 CS this season; Billy Cook has 6 SB and 1 CS; Henry Davis has 3 SB and 1 CS; Ronny Simon has 3 SB and 0 CS; Brandon Lowe has 2 SB and 0 CS; Ryan O'Hearn has 1 SB and 0 CS; Spencer Horwitz has 1 SB and 0 CS -- samples too small to report success rates reliably.

2025 context: Cruz posted 38 stolen bases and 5 caught stealing last season (88.4%, 43 attempts). Mangum had 27 SB and 6 CS (81.8%, 33 attempts). Triolo had 13 SB and 2 CS (86.7%, 15 attempts). Below the 10-attempt floor in 2025: Brandon Lowe had 3 SB and 2 CS; Bryan Reynolds had 3 SB and 2 CS; Ryan O'Hearn had 3 SB and 1 CS; Henry Davis had 2 SB and 1 CS; Ronny Simon had 1 SB and 0 CS -- samples too small to report success rates reliably.

Cardinals catchers (2026): Pedro Pagés has thrown out 19 of 60 steal attempts (31.7% CS rate) across 77 games. Leo Bernal has thrown out 4 of 21 attempts (19.0%) across 16 games.

Pittsburgh catchers (2026): Henry Davis has thrown out 17 of 37 attempts (45.9% CS rate) across 92 games -- the most active arm on the Pittsburgh roster. Rafael Flores Jr. has thrown out 6 of 36 attempts (16.7%) across 33 games.

2J: DEFENSIVE CONTEXT

The 2025 fielding figures show a Cardinals infield anchored by Masyn Winn at shortstop, where he turned 64 double plays across 129 games with a .994 fielding percentage. Nolan Gorman, listed at third base, logged 54 games at that position in 2025, posting a .950 fielding percentage with 11 double plays and 6 errors; he also has 28 games at second base (.990) and 7 at first base (1.000) on file from that season. Thomas Saggese, who carries 35 games at second base in 2025 (.973, 24 double plays), adds 33 games at shortstop (.988) and 18 at third base (.939) to his 2025 record.

Nathan Church is listed in center field; his 2025 record shows 18 games at center field with a 1.000 fielding percentage and no errors. Jordan Walker returns to right field, where his 108-game 2025 sample produced a .981 fielding percentage with 4 errors. Alec Burleson, at first base tonight, played 50 games at that position in 2025 (.990, 27 double plays); he also has 41 games in left field (1.000) and 34 in right field (.983) from that season. Pedro Pagés has caught 110 games in 2025 (.994), and Iván Herrera is at designated hitter tonight -- his 14-game catching sample from 2025 (.989) does not apply to tonight's role. Bryan Torres and José Fermín appear in the Cardinals' roster at outfield positions tonight but carry no 2025 fielding rows in this table.

2K: BALLPARK CONTEXT & HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Cardinals open a three-game series at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first game of a Tuesday night matchup. Against Pittsburgh from 2022-2025, St. Louis went 13-6 in 2022, 4-9 in 2023, 8-5 in 2024, and 6-7 in 2025.

2L: BATTER K%/BB% PROFILE

Cardinals

Jared Jones's 2026 strikeout rate is 28.7% against a league average of 22.1%, and his walk rate is 8.2% against a league average of 8.9%. The Cardinals' roster presents a mixed discipline profile against him. Nolan Gorman's 2025 K% of 33.8% and Jordan Walker's 31.8% stand out as elevated contact risks; Gorman's 2026 K% of 31.8% and Walker's 26.9% track in similar territory. Alec Burleson is the cleanest contact bet in the group, at 14.5% K% in 2025 (17.7% in 2026 across 651 PA). Pedro Pagés posted a 2025 BB% of 4.9% across 389 PA, and Thomas Saggese 5.4% across 295 PA -- both below the league average of 8.9%; their 2026 figures (5.8% and 7.4%) remain below that mark as well. José Fermín's 2025 BB% of 11.4% across 70 PA is the highest patience figure in the group at full-sample depth, with his 2026 figure reading 8.4% across 358 PA.

Pirates

Andre Pallante's 2026 strikeout rate of 16.5% sits below the league average of 22.1%, and his walk rate of 7.5% is also below the league average of 8.9% -- a combination that puts contact in play early and often. The Pirates' group has several elevated-strikeout names: Oneil Cruz posted a 2025 K% of 32.0% across 544 PA, and his 2026 figure of 33.5% across 406 PA tracks higher still; Brandon Lowe posted 26.9% in 2025 (29.0% in 2026 across 635 PA). Against Pallante's contact-inducing profile, those strikeout rates offer less concern than usual -- his bat-to-ball rate works against the group's swingmisses rather than amplifying them. Jake Mangum's 2025 BB% of 4.4% across 428 PA and Nick Gonzales's 5.1% across 408 PA are the two lowest walk rates in the group with meaningful samples; Mangum's 2026 BB% of 5.4% across 462 PA and Gonzales's 6.9% across 592 PA remain below the league average of 8.9%. Bryan Reynolds's 2026 BB% of 12.5% across 680 PA leads the Pittsburgh group in patience.

2M: BATTER BATTED BALL PROFILE

Cardinals

Jared Jones runs a 2025 ground-ball rate of 38.5% against the field -- well below the league average of 47.0% -- which means he yields more fly-ball contact than most starters. Against St. Louis tonight, that tendency matters most where the Cardinals' profile diverges from it. Iván Herrera is the lineup's heaviest ground-ball hitter at 52.6% GB over 285 balls in play; his 2026 GO% leads at 56.2% across 317 GO+AO, with the 2025 GB% as last season's companion. Jordan Walker is close behind at 48.9% GB over 231 BIP, with a 2026 GO% of 49.0% on 263 GO+AO. Both lean into the ground-ball tendencies Jones historically suppresses. Nolan Gorman sits at the opposite end: a 2025 FB% of 41.7% over 199 BIP (highlighted in the table) and a 2026 GO% of 33.3% on 120 GO+AO -- the most pronounced fly-ball profile in the lineup and the sharpest mismatch with Jones's elevated fly-ball rate. Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn cluster in the moderate range (42.0% and 39.6% GB, respectively), with 2026 GO% figures of 51.6% and 46.6% on samples of 310 and 249. José Fermín, Nathan Church, and César Prieto each fall below 50 balls in play on the 2025 side -- rates not published -- but Fermín's 2026 GO% of 44.7% on 199 GO+AO and Church's 46.9% on 241 GO+AO are both available. César Prieto has 28 GO+AO, too small to report a 2026 GO% reliably.

Pirates

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.

Andre Pallante's 2025 ground-ball rate of 61.2% on 515 balls in play sits well above the league average of 47.0%, and his 2026 season figure is 63.4% -- consistently one of the higher ground-ball rates in the NL. The Pirates' lineup shapes up as a favorable match. Jake Mangum leads Pittsburgh at 62.0% GB over 337 BIP; his 2026 GO% of 61.5% on 221 GO+AO confirms the pattern into this season. Oneil Cruz runs 52.7% GB on 277 BIP with a 2026 GO% of 63.6% on 121 GO+AO -- the highest 2026 GO% in the Pittsburgh group. Bryan Reynolds posts 49.5% GB on 398 BIP and 52.2% GO% on 274 GO+AO; Ryan O'Hearn sits at 47.7% GB over 348 BIP with a 2026 GO% of 50.0% on 194 GO+AO. Nick Gonzales at 47.9% GB (303 BIP) carries a 2026 GO% of 56.6% on 279 GO+AO. Jared Triolo at 41.4% GB (244 BIP) and Spencer Horwitz at 40.0% GB (280 BIP) lean more neutral; their 2026 GO% figures are 55.7% (174 GO+AO) and 44.9% (214 GO+AO). Brandon Lowe runs 42.2% GB over 327 BIP with a 2026 GO% of 43.8% on 240 GO+AO. Henry Davis is the outlier: a 2025 FB% of 42.6% over 169 BIP (highlighted) and a 2026 GO% of 37.5% on 152 GO+AO -- the most fly-ball-oriented profile in the Pittsburgh lineup and the sharpest mismatch with Pallante's ground-ball heavy approach. Ronny Simon's 2026 GO+AO stands at 27, too small to report a rate reliably; his 2025 rate (54.1% GB, 61 BIP) is above the floor and publishable. Rafael Flores has 8 balls in play and Billy Cook has 5 -- neither rate is published.

2N: PITCHER K%/BB% PROFILE

The table above covers Andre Pallante's 2025 season: 162.2 innings, 111 strikeouts (15.5% K%), 62 walks (8.7% BB%), and a 1.79 K/BB ratio. His 2026 K% has ticked to 16.5%, ranking 113th of 129 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings (league average 22.6%) -- a poor mark by this season's cutoff of 18.4%. His 2026 BB% stands at 7.5%, 52nd of 129 in the same group (league average 8.4%) -- above average by the cutoff at 7.5%.

Jared Jones has no 2025 figures on file; his 2026 totals: 109 strikeouts and 31 walks in 90.2 innings. His 28.7% K% ranks 19th of 129 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings (league average 22.6%), excellent by this season's cutoff of 26.2%. His 8.2% BB% ranks average by the 8.8% cutoff in the same group.

KEY MATCHUPS

Jared Jones TTO cliff: first pass vs second pass. Jones's second-pass OPS-against is .824 -- against .535 on the first pass -- and the conditionally survival-adjusted second-pass figure, drawn from the 15 starts he reached a third time through, reads .893 OPS-against across 135 PA. He has pitched into a third pass in 15 of 19 starts. The Cardinals send seven left-handed bats at a right-hander who allows .708 OPS against left-handed batters this season (112th of 229 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs left-handed batters; league average .715) -- the lineup's edge depends on surviving his first-pass gauntlet long enough to collect a second look.

Andre Pallante. Pallante's first pass is his weakest this season: .733 OPS-against, after .626 on the second. His conditional second-pass figure, from the 25 of 27 starts he reached the third time through, is .631 OPS-against across 225 PA. His ground-ball rate of 63.4% ranks 4th of 129 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings (league average 48.6%), and he pitches tonight at PNC Park, on the road, where his 2.76 road ERA (31st of 184 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched on the road; league average 4.05) is the operative number -- his home ERA of 4.41 (124th of 195; league average 3.89) stays behind in St. Louis.

Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds has 2 home runs in 23 career plate appearances against Pallante (.174 AVG, .174 OBP, .522 SLG) -- the highest-volume Pirates threat in the career record tonight. His 2026 line against right-handed pitching reads .773 OPS across 445 PA (59th of 228 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs right-handed pitching; league average .702), and he carries a .868 OPS with runners in scoring position across 160 PA this season, above the league average of .745 with RISP. Pallante is stronger against right-handed batters this season (.639 OPS allowed, compared with .703 against left-handed batters); Reynolds is a switch-hitter who bats left-handed against a right-hander, so he lands on Pallante's weaker side tonight.

Pallante road vs home split. Pallante is stronger on the road this season: .612 OPS allowed in 262 batters faced away from home, compared with .720 OPS allowed across 367 batters faced at home. Tonight's start at PNC Park puts him on his stronger side of that split.

WATCHLIST

-- Henry Davis vs. Pallante -- if Davis bats with runners on. Henry Davis has 4 career plate appearances against Andre Pallante, a sample too small to compare directionally, but the power event is on record: 1 home run in those 4 PA. If Davis reaches a plate appearance with runners on base tonight, that career home run is the count to watch.

-- Oneil Cruz baserunning -- if he reaches base. If Oneil Cruz reaches base, watch for a stolen-base attempt: Cruz has succeeded on 80.0% of his attempts this season (28 for 35), and the Cardinals' catchers have thrown out 31.7% (Pedro Pagés, 19 of 60) and 19.0% (Leo Bernal, 4 of 21) of would-be base stealers in 2026.

-- Jared Jones third-pass availability -- if Cardinals reach him a second time. Jones has pitched into a third pass in 15 of 19 starts this season. If the Cardinals reach him a second time through the order, watch whether Don Kelly pulls him before the lineup turns over again -- the second-pass signal is the trigger.

-- Iván Herrera -- if he drives in a run. Herrera has set a new personal season best in RBI this season. If he drives in a run tonight, watch that count extend. He ranks 23rd of 171 NL hitters with at least 200 plate appearances in OBP (.358; league average .323).

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. How has Masyn Winn performed against Jared Jones in their career?

2. How has Jordan Walker performed against Jared Jones in their career?

3. How has Bryan Reynolds performed against Andre Pallante in their career?

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

5. What are Jordan Walker's splits against left-handed and right-handed pitchers in 2025?

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

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