YESTERDAY

Milwaukee held on for a 3-2 win last night in game two of the three-game series, with Brice Turang's two-run homer in the fifth proving the difference; Alec Burleson homered (26) and Thomas Saggese drove in a run for the Cardinals, who finished 3-for-30 with one walk.

NL CENTRAL STANDINGS

RECENT RESULTS (LAST 10)

STARTING PITCHERS

Andre Pallante (RHP, Cardinals) enters today at 12-8, 3.61 ERA across 157.0 innings, with 106 strikeouts and 49 walks in 28 starts. His WHIP sits at 1.24, exactly at the NL average among pitchers with at least 60 innings. The ERA tells a similar story: 57th of 133 NL pitchers in that group, better than the league average of 3.88, a solid mid-rotation mark built largely on an unusually heavy ground-ball rate -- 64.1%, 3rd of 133 NL pitchers in that group against a league average of 48.4%. Strikeouts are scarce (16.2%, 120th of 133), but he compensates by keeping the ball on the ground and the walk rate in check (7.5%, 55th of 133, above average by this season's cutoffs).

His road numbers sharpen that picture considerably: a 2.65 ERA away from home (34th of 191 NL pitchers with at least 20 road innings) against 4.41 at home (127th of 201). Today at American Family Field, he is the road team -- the side of the ball where he has been most effective this season.

Jacob Misiorowski (RHP, Milwaukee Brewers) enters today at 15-5, 1.86 ERA across 169.1 innings, with 247 strikeouts and 42 walks in 29 starts. His WHIP is 0.80, 1st of 133 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings. The ERA places him 5th in that same group (league average 3.88). His strikeout rate of 38.2% ranks 2nd of 133, and his walk rate of 6.5% is excellent by this season's cutoffs (elite: 5.5%; excellent: 6.8%). This is one of the strongest individual pitching seasons in the NL this year -- he has allowed 94 hits across 169.1 innings and held opposing batters to a .383 OPS when facing left-handed hitters and a .585 OPS against right-handed hitters over 288 batters faced.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Cardinals (Yesterday's lineup from last night)

Handedness: 3 RHB (Herrera, Walker, Saggese), 5 LHB (Wetherholt, Burleson, Gorman, Torres, Church), 1 SHB (Bernal).

Brewers (Yesterday's lineup from last night)

Handedness: 5 RHB (Chourio, Contreras, Sánchez, Pratt, Lockridge), 3 LHB (Turang, Bauers, Hamilton), 1 SHB (Lara).

INJURIES & ROSTER NOTES

Cardinals

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.

Brewers

Andrew Vaughn -- 2026-09-22: Milwaukee Brewers placed 1B Andrew Vaughn on the 10-day injured list retroactive to September 22, 2026. Illness.

Bryse Wilson -- 2026-09-25: Milwaukee Brewers activated RHP Bryse Wilson from the 15-day injured list.

On the Cardinals side, JJ Wetherholt returned from the injured list September 16 and is back at second base. Joshua Báez went on the 10-day injured list September 18 with a left oblique strain, removing him from the outfield mix today.

For Milwaukee, Andrew Vaughn has been out since September 22 with illness, leaving first base short-handed. Bryse Wilson returned to the Brewers bullpen September 25.

2A: BVP -- CARDINALS BATTERS VS OPPONENT STARTER

Small sample: Alec Burleson (7 PA), Iván Herrera (7 PA), Nolan Gorman (4 PA), Thomas Saggese (4 PA), Jordan Walker (2 PA).

Every career BvP row against Jacob Misiorowski in this table carries a sample too small to read as signal -- five Cardinals batters, the largest history at 7 PA, every one of them below 10 plate appearances.

Iván Herrera's career line reads .500/.571/1.167 across 7 PA, including a home run -- but 6 at-bats carry no predictive weight. Alec Burleson is 1-for-7 (.143/.143/.143) with no walks; Nolan Gorman is 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in 4 PA; Thomas Saggese is 1-for-3 with a walk in 4 PA; Jordan Walker is 0-for-2 in 2 PA.

Four lineup members -- JJ Wetherholt, Leo Bernal, Bryan Torres, and Nathan Church -- have no career BvP history against Misiorowski on file; for all nine, the more useful frame is his 2026 platoon work against left-handed and right-handed batters across a full season's worth of batters faced.

No significant bench BvP history.

2B: BVP -- OPPONENT BATTERS VS CARDINALS STARTER

Small sample: Jake Bauers (5 PA), David Hamilton (2 PA), Gary Sánchez (2 PA).

Six Milwaukee batters have career history against Andre Pallante, three of them with 10 or more plate appearances. Brice Turang leads the group in plate appearances: 13 PA, 5-for-13, .385/.385/.462, no home runs and no walks. William Contreras is 3-for-12 across 13 PA with one home run, posting .250/.308/.583. Jackson Chourio's 11 PA carry an unusual shape: 3-for-5 with five walks, producing a .600/.727/1.000 career line against Pallante -- the one Brewer who clears both of the table's danger marks (10 PA and a .400 average). Jake Bauers has 5 PA, too few to read, going 1-for-3 with two walks. David Hamilton and Gary Sánchez each have 2 PA, both 1-for-2 with no extra-base hits. Cooper Pratt, Brandon Lockridge, and Luis Lara have no career plate appearances 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.

Jacob Misiorowski is stronger against left-handed batters this season: .383 OPS allowed, compared with .585 OPS allowed against right-handed batters. Five of the nine Cardinals starters bat left-handed -- Wetherholt, Burleson, Gorman, Torres, and Church -- placing the lineup's majority on the side where he has held hitters to a .383 OPS this year.

Among that left-handed group, Alec Burleson is the outlier. His 2026 line against right-handed pitching reads .939 OPS across 464 plate appearances, 6th of 232 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances against right-handed pitching. JJ Wetherholt posted a .732 OPS against right-handed pitching over 399 plate appearances this year, ranking 98th of 232. Nolan Gorman (.603 OPS, 251 PA, 184th of 232) and Nathan Church (.675 OPS, 362 PA, 136th of 232) are below the .700 NL average in this split. Bryan Torres carries a .672 OPS against right-handed pitching across 157 plate appearances this year (138th of 232).

The three right-handed starters -- Herrera, Walker, and Saggese -- face Misiorowski's weaker split (.585 OPS allowed). Jordan Walker's 2026 line against right-handed pitching is .776 OPS across 488 plate appearances, 57th of 232. Iván Herrera (.699 OPS, 494 PA) ranks 125th of 232, just below the .700 NL average. Thomas Saggese (.589 OPS, 122 PA) ranks 188th of 232. Leo Bernal, the switch-hitter, bats left against right-handed pitching; his 2026 line against right-handed pitching is .841 OPS across 69 plate appearances, 26th of 232.

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 a right-hander, so Milwaukee's three left-handed batters -- Brice Turang, Jake Bauers, and David Hamilton -- face his weaker side. His 2026 OPS allowed vs left-handed batters is .686 across 370 batters faced, compared with .644 against right-handed batters across 284 batters faced.

Turang leads the group at the plate against right-handers. He ranks 10th of 232 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs right-handed pitching in OPS (.902; league average .700) across 475 PA. Bauers follows: he ranks 19th of 232 in OPS vs right-handed pitching (.864; league average .700) across 415 PA. Hamilton is the softer bat of the three left-handers -- he ranks 146th of 232 in OPS vs right-handed pitching (.666; league average .700) across 304 PA.

Among the right-handed batters, William Contreras ranks 77th of 232 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs right-handed pitching in OPS (.757; league average .700) across 457 PA. Jackson Chourio ranks 68th of 232 in OPS vs right-handed pitching (.768; league average .700) across 399 PA. Gary Sánchez ranks 100th of 232 (.730; league average .700) across 148 PA. Cooper Pratt ranks 58th of 232 (.775; league average .700) across 192 PA. Brandon Lockridge ranks 96th of 232 (.737; league average .700) across 65 PA.

Luis Lara, the switch-hitter, bats from the left side against Pallante. He ranks 151st of 232 NL batters with at least 60 plate appearances vs right-handed pitching in OPS (.662; league average .700) across 140 PA.

2D: PITCHER PLATOON SPLITS

Jacob Misiorowski is stronger against left-handed batters this season, holding them to a .383 OPS across 358 batters faced -- ranking 3rd of 233 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs left-handed batters. The Cardinals project five left-handed bats against him: JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Bryan Torres, and Nathan Church. Switch-hitter Leo Bernal also starts. Iván Herrera, Jordan Walker, and Thomas Saggese -- the three right-handed bats -- draw his 2026 vs-RHB line: .585 OPS across 288 batters faced, ranking 51st of 246 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs right-handed batters.

Andre Pallante is stronger against right-handed batters this season, holding them to a .644 OPS allowed across 284 batters faced, ranking 84th of 246 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs right-handed batters. Milwaukee sends five right-handed bats: Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Gary Sánchez, Cooper Pratt, and Brandon Lockridge. Switch-hitter Luis Lara also starts. Brice Turang, Jake Bauers, and David Hamilton -- the three left-handed hitters -- draw his 2026 vs-LHB line: .686 OPS across 370 batters faced, ranking 93rd of 233 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs left-handed batters.

2D-HA: PITCHER HOME/AWAY SPLITS

Today's venue splits favor both starters on the side they are actually pitching. Andre Pallante takes the road role at American Family Field, where he has been substantially better this season: a 2.65 ERA across 71.1 innings away, ranking 34th of 191 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched on the road (league average 4.05). At home this season he owns a 4.41 ERA across 85.2 innings, ranking 127th of 201 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched at home (league average 3.92). The OPS-allowed figures match that direction: .601 on the road, .720 at home.

Jacob Misiorowski works at home, his stronger side by ERA this season: 1.61 at American Family Field across 89.2 innings, ranking 10th of 201 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched at home (league average 3.92). On the road he carries a 2.15 ERA across 79.2 innings, ranking 21st of 191 NL pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched on the road (league average 4.05). His OPS-allowed figures sit close together: .482 at home, .466 on the road.

2E: TTO SPLITS (TIMES THROUGH ORDER)

Jacob Misiorowski has pitched into a third pass in 25 of 29 starts. In the 25 starts he pitched into a third pass, hitters posted a .568 OPS on the second pass -- 225 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts: .419 OPS -- 132 PA. Early hooks: 4 starts, 26 PA. Andre Pallante has pitched into a third pass in 26 of 28 starts. In the 26 starts he pitched into a third pass, hitters posted a .614 OPS on the second pass -- 234 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts: .680 OPS -- 150 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).

Jacob Misiorowski has pitched into a third pass in 25 of 29 starts. In the starts he went three passes, hitters posted a .568 OPS on the second pass across 225 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts, they managed a .419 OPS across 132 PA -- lower than the second pass in those starts. His 2026 companion columns track the same pattern: .431 OPS on the first pass (263 BF), .546 on the second (251 BF), .418 on the third (132 BF). The 2025 first-pass line of .631 OPS across 135 PA ranked 89th of 344 NL pitchers with at least 50 PA in that pass. The 2025 second-pass line of .663 OPS across 115 PA ranked 40th of 132 NL pitchers with at least 50 PA in that pass. The 2025 third-pass sample of 23 PA is too small to report split rates reliably.

Andre Pallante has pitched into a third pass in 26 of 28 starts. In the starts he went three passes, hitters posted a .614 OPS on the second pass across 234 PA. From the third pass on in those same starts, they posted a .680 OPS across 150 PA -- his first pass is his weakest this season at .717 OPS allowed (252 BF), with the second pass at .611 OPS (252 BF) and the third at .680 OPS (150 BF). The 2025 first-pass line of .720 OPS across 279 PA ranked 191st of 344 NL pitchers with at least 50 PA in that pass (league average .734). The 2025 second-pass line of .868 OPS across 270 PA ranked 106th of 132 NL pitchers with at least 50 PA in that pass (league average .742). The 2025 third-pass line of .691 OPS across 166 PA ranked 28th of 84 NL pitchers with at least 50 PA in that pass (league average .781).

2F: INHERITED RUNNERS PROFILE

2025's league average strand rate was 68.8%. Kyle Leahy leads this group in inherited runner volume, inheriting 29 across 21 entries and stranding 62.1% — below that historical baseline, though his 2026 line of 140.0 IP, 3.66 ERA, and 1.34 WHIP reflects a full-season workload as a key Cardinals arm. Gordon Graceffo's 54.5% strand rate on 11 inherited runners is the lowest in this group; his 2026 ERA of 2.67 over 81.0 IP represents strong current form despite the inherited-runner exposure. Riley O'Brien stranded 70.0% of his 10 inherited runners, clearing the league baseline, with a 2026 line of 4.08 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 64.0 innings. Michael McGreevy inherited 3 runners in 2025 and scored none, a 100.0% strand rate across a small sample; he carries a 2026 line of 168.2 IP, 3.95 ERA, and 1.28 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) -- MIL

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 generates ground balls at a 2025 rate of 61.2% -- 315 ground balls across 515 balls in play -- while keeping fly balls to 18.3%. That profile meets a Milwaukee lineup that, in 2026, has produced ground outs at rates at or above the 47.3% league-wide GO share for most of its regulars: Brice Turang at 56.0% across 259 outs in play, Jake Bauers at 49.7% across 195, Gary Sánchez at 49.2% across 118, Jackson Chourio and David Hamilton each at 48.1% across 237 and 181, respectively. William Contreras is the exception at 43.6% across 328 outs in play. On last season's figures, Turang hit .340 on grounders and .609 on line drives across publishable samples; Chourio hit .302 on grounders and .586 on line drives; Contreras hit .246 on grounders and .660 on line drives. For Pallante, a ground-ball-heavy result is the typical shape -- the contact risk lives on the line drives, where several Brewers hitters have hit well above .500 on that ball type last season.

Jacob Misiorowski works in the opposite direction: a 2025 profile of 36.8% ground balls and 32.6% fly balls across 144 balls in play. His 2026 ground-ball rate of 48.4% now sits just above the 47.0% league average.

2H: BATTERY PAIRING

Two of the four catchers in this 2025 table -- Yohel Pozo and Jimmy Crooks -- are not on the Cardinals' active roster today. Leo Bernal, who caught last night, did not catch Pallante in 2025, the season these pairing figures cover. Iván Herrera, who caught Pallante in five 2025 starts (23.2 IP, 4.56 ERA, .271 AVG against), projects at designated hitter. The most complete record belongs to Pedro Pagés, who handled 15 starts and 76.1 innings with Pallante last season (4.60 ERA, .257 AVG against). Pozo's eight-start sample produced a 6.93 ERA and .303 AVG against across 37.2 innings, the shakiest line in the table, though he is no longer with the club.

2I: BASERUNNING MATCHUP

Milwaukee's lineup carries three active base stealers today. David Hamilton, batting ninth at third base, leads the group in 2026 with 30 stolen bases against 7 caught, an 81.1% success rate. Jackson Chourio, leading off in left field, has stolen 23 bases in 2026 against 5 caught, good for an 82.1% rate. Brice Turang at second base has 19 steals against 5 caught this season, a 79.2% clip. Jake Bauers at first base has 11 stolen bases against 6 caught in 2026, a 64.7% rate. Brandon Lockridge, batting eighth, has 6 stolen bases and 1 caught stealing this season, but the 7 attempts fall below the floor for a publishable rate.

Behind the plate for St. Louis today, Leo Bernal has thrown out 6 of 25 base-stealing attempts this season, a 24.0% caught-stealing rate across 140.2 innings. The Cardinals' primary catcher, Pedro Pagés, has handled 60 attempts over 524.1 innings and thrown out 19, a 31.7% rate.

For Milwaukee, William Contreras starts at catcher. In 1,085.2 innings over 128 games this season, he has thrown out 25 of 73 base-stealing attempts, a 34.2% caught-stealing rate. Gary Sánchez, the backup, has 6 caught stealings against 25 attempts this season, a 24.0% rate. Bo Naylor has caught 2 of 24 attempts in 219.0 innings, an 8.3% rate.

2J: DEFENSIVE CONTEXT

Last night's Cardinals lineup, today's projection, had Jordan Walker in right field, Alec Burleson at first base, Nolan Gorman at third base, Thomas Saggese at shortstop, Nathan Church in center field, and Bryan Torres in left field. The 2025 fielding records for these players reflect the positions where each has logged the most work at that spot.

Walker logged 108 games in right field in 2025, committing 4 errors across that sample for a .981 fielding percentage. Burleson brings the deepest multi-position 2025 record on this roster: 50 games at first base (.990, 4 errors), 41 games in left field (1.000, no errors), and 34 games in right field (.983, 1 error). He played first base last night. Gorman has 54 games at third base in 2025 (.950, 6 errors) and 28 at second base (.990, 1 error); he starts at third today. Saggese holds 35 games at second base (.973, 4 errors), 33 at shortstop (.988, 1 error), and 18 at third base (.939, 2 errors); he played shortstop last night. Church has 18 games in center field in 2025, committing no errors there (1.000), and starts in center today. Torres has no 2025 fielding record in this table; no defensive figures apply to his start in left field today.

Iván Herrera starts as designated hitter today, so his 14-game 2025 catching record (.989, 1 error) does not apply to a fielding role this game. Leo Bernal starts at catcher; Bernal has no 2025 fielding record in this table, so no defensive figures apply to his start today. JJ Wetherholt starts at second base; Wetherholt has no 2025 fielding record in this table, so no defensive figures apply to his start today.

2K: BALLPARK CONTEXT & HEAD-TO-HEAD

Against the Milwaukee Brewers from 2022 through 2025, the Cardinals went 26-32, winning the season series only in 2022 (10-9) and falling short in each of the three seasons since -- 5-8 in both 2023 and 2024, then 6-7 in 2025.

2L: BATTER K%/BB% PROFILE

Cardinals

Four Cardinals strike out less often than the league average of 22.1% this season: JJ Wetherholt (16.8%), Nathan Church (17.2% across 466 plate appearances), Alec Burleson (18.1%) and Iván Herrera (19.2%). The exposure sits elsewhere: Nolan Gorman's 2026 K% stands at 31.9% across 298 plate appearances, Jordan Walker's at 26.1% across 663, and Thomas Saggese's at 27.8% across 176. The 2025 baselines show Gorman at 33.8% and Walker at 31.8% across deeper samples of 402 and 396 plate appearances, respectively. Five left-handed bats -- Wetherholt, Burleson, Gorman, Torres, and Church -- face a pitcher whose 2026 OPS allowed against left-handed batters is .383, compared with .585 against right-handed batters.

Brewers

Jake Bauers leads the Milwaukee lineup in walk rate: his 2026 BB% is 16.4% across 574 plate appearances, and his 2025 figure was 14.7% across 218. Gary Sánchez's 2026 BB% climbs to 17.0% across 271 plate appearances, up from a 2025 mark of 4.0% across 101. William Contreras drew the most walks in the 2025 sample -- 12.7% BB% across 659 plate appearances -- though his 2026 figure is 9.5% across 640. On the strikeout side, Bauers's 2026 K% is 27.0% -- above the league average of 22.1% -- and Brice Turang's is 25.3%, also above that mark. Jackson Chourio's 2026 K% is 23.6%, just over the 22.1% average. Andre Pallante faces three left-handed bats -- Turang, Bauers, and Hamilton -- against a 2026 OPS-allowed split of .686 against left-handed batters, compared with .644 against right-handed batters.

2M: BATTER BATTED BALL PROFILE

Cardinals

Jacob Misiorowski's 2025 batted-ball profile across 144 balls in play ran 36.8% ground balls and 32.6% fly balls, a mix that leaned toward the air rather than the grass. His 2026 ground-ball rate has moved up to 48.4%, above the 47.0% league average. Against that backdrop, Iván Herrera (52.6% GB last season, 2026 GO% 55.9% across 324 outs in play) and Jordan Walker (48.9% GB last season, 2026 GO% 49.3% across 272 outs in play) are the Cardinals' most ground-ball-oriented hitters by last season's rates. Alec Burleson (42.0% GB last season, 2026 GO% 51.4% across 319 outs in play) and Thomas Saggese (41.8% GB last season, 2026 GO% 42.7% across 75 outs in play) sit in the middle range. Nolan Gorman stands apart: his 30.2% GB last season and 41.7% FB last season is the lineup's most fly-ball-leaning profile, and his 2026 GO% of 33.1% across 121 outs in play points the same direction. Nathan Church's 2025 sample (37 balls in play) is below the floor; his 2026 GO% is 46.4% across 250 outs in play.

Brewers

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 batted-ball profile across 515 balls in play ran 61.2% ground balls and 18.3% fly balls, one of the more extreme ground-ball profiles in the league. His 2026 ground-ball rate has held at 64.1%, above the 47.0% league average. The Milwaukee lineup that faces him today trends similarly toward the ground: William Contreras posted 53.1% GB last season, with 2026 GO% of 43.6% across 328 outs in play. Brice Turang's 48.6% GB last season pairs with a 2026 GO% of 56.0% across 259 outs in play. Jackson Chourio (45.0% GB last season, 2026 GO% 48.1% across 237 outs in play), David Hamilton (43.8% GB last season, 2026 GO% 48.1% across 181 outs in play), and Gary Sánchez (45.8% GB last season, 2026 GO% 49.2% across 118 outs in play) all sit in a similar range. Jake Bauers is the lineup's most fly-ball-leaning hitter at 37.1% GB last season, with 2026 GO% of 49.7% across 195 outs in play. Brandon Lockridge's 57.3% GB last season is the group's highest ground-ball rate on record; his 2026 sample has 41 outs in play, too small to report a GO% rate.

2N: PITCHER K%/BB% PROFILE

In 2025, Andre Pallante posted a 15.5% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate across 162.2 innings, producing a 1.79 K/BB ratio. His 2026 season K% stands at 16.2%, below the league average of 22.1%, ranking 120th of 133 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings. His 2026 BB% of 7.5% sits below the league average of 8.9%, ranking 55th of 133, an above-average mark by the 7.5% cutoff for that tier. His profile leans heavily on contact suppression rather than strikeouts: his 2026 ground-ball rate of 64.1% ranks 3rd of 133 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings, against a league average of 47.0%.

Jacob Misiorowski's 2025 line of 31.9% K% and 11.4% BB% across 66.0 innings understates what he has become this season. His 2026 K% of 38.2% ranks 2nd of 133 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings, elite by the 29.9% cutoff for that tier (league average 22.1%). His 2026 BB% of 6.5% is excellent by this season's cutoffs (6.8% and below), down from 11.4% in 2025. The contrast in approaches is stark: Pallante generates ground balls at the expense of strikeouts, while Misiorowski misses bats at a rate matched by almost no one in the National League.

KEY MATCHUPS

Misiorowski vs Cardinals Left-Handed Batters. Jacob Misiorowski's platoon split is the structural fact of today's matchup: he ranks 3rd of 233 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs left-handed batters in OPS allowed (league average .715), and six of the Cardinals' nine projected starters land on that dominant side -- JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Bryan Torres, Nathan Church, and switch-hitter Leo Bernal batting left. Career plate-appearance samples for most of those hitters against Misiorowski are too small to compare: Burleson is 1-for-7, Gorman is 0-for-3 in 4 PA, and the remaining left-handed Cardinals starters have no career history against him on file.

Iván Herrera BvP vs Misiorowski. Iván Herrera is 3-for-6 with a home run, a walk, and a 1.167 SLG in 7 career plate appearances against Misiorowski -- the strongest Cardinals BvP line in the sample, though 7 PA is too small to weight heavily. As a right-handed batter he lands on Misiorowski's weaker side: Misiorowski ranks 51st of 246 NL pitchers with at least 60 batters faced vs right-handed batters in OPS allowed (league average .698).

Brice Turang vs Pallante. Brice Turang is 5-for-13 (.385 AVG, .385 OBP, .462 SLG) in 13 career plate appearances against Andre Pallante -- the deepest Brewer BvP sample against today's Cardinals starter, though 13 PA sits below the floor for reliable rate conclusions. As a left-handed batter, Turang lands on Pallante's weaker side this season: Pallante allows .686 OPS against left-handed batters, compared with .644 OPS against right-handed batters.

Misiorowski Times Through the Order. Jacob Misiorowski has pitched into a third pass in 25 of 29 starts. His second pass is his weakest this season at .546 OPS allowed, after .431 on the first; when he does reach the third pass (132 PA), opposing lineups have hit to a .418 OPS -- lower than both earlier passes. The Cardinals' best path is pressure in the first two times through before Misiorowski settles into the pattern his third-pass numbers represent.

WATCHLIST

-- Alec Burleson HR Streak. If Burleson reaches Misiorowski in the lineup, watch whether he extends his home-run streak to four consecutive games -- he has homered in each of the last 3 games (September 24 through last night) and faces a right-hander, his own stronger side -- though left-handed batters are Misiorowski's stronger side.

-- Andre Pallante Ground-Ball Rate vs Brewers Lineup. If the Brewers' right-handed bats make hard contact early, watch Pallante's ground-ball rate as the countermeasure -- he ranks 3rd of 133 NL pitchers with at least 60 innings in GB% (64.1%; league average 48.4%), and 5 right-handed Brewer bats land on his stronger side.

-- Jake Bauers On-Base Threat. If Bauers reaches base early in counts, watch his patience against Pallante -- he ranks 2nd of 172 NL hitters with at least 200 plate appearances in OBP (.390; league average .322), and his 5 career plate appearances against Pallante are too small a sample for a reliable read on that specific matchup.

QUICK REFERENCE -- IN-GAME QUERIES

1. How has Jordan Walker performed against Jacob Misiorowski in their career?

2. How has William Contreras performed against Andre Pallante in their career?

3. How has Nolan Gorman performed against Jacob Misiorowski in their career?

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

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

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

7. What are the park factors at American Family Field in 2025?