Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals — Hei 26, 2026 | AI-ennuste ja tilastot

Kyle Leahy takes the hill for St. Louis carrying a respectable 3.59 ERA and a well-rounded six-pitch arsenal. His ability to sequence a four-seamer, sinker, sweeper, slider, curveball and changeup gives him genuine deception, but his 1.35 WHIP and 3.12 BB/9 rate indicate he tends to put himself in trouble. At 100°F in St. Louis on a July afternoon, his 95-pitch outing from July 20th is a warning flag — he may not extend deep into this one, putting stress on the Cardinals bullpen that recently shed Scott Blewett via DFA and recalled Hunter Dobbins. Andrew Abbott counters with a 3.89 ERA and heavy four-seamer reliance at 45.5%. His 4.05 BB/9 is the key vulnerability — Jordan Walker (22 HR, 77 RBI) is precisely the kind of power bat who punishes pitchers for nibbling. Abbott's sweeper at 19.5% usage is his best weapon against right-handed hitters, but the Cardinals figure to work counts aggressively. Cincinnati arrives battered by a 7-0 shellacking yesterday and carrying a depleted rotation — Lodolo, Ashcraft, Williamson, and Santillan all on the IL. The Reds are also flirting with trade deadline seller status at -68 run differential, and the Spencer Steer trade speculation could create clubhouse distraction. That said, Elly De La Cruz (.276, 17 HR, 46 RBI) gives them a genuine difference-maker, and Sal Stewart's 21 HR, 75 RBI profile means Cincinnati can score in bunches. The 100°F heat at Busch Stadium heavily favors early departures for both starters. St. Louis holds a slight bullpen edge with Dobbins freshly recalled, and the home environment gives the Cardinals the modest edge in what projects as a competitive, mid-range scoring affair.