This afternoon matchup at loanDepot park features two struggling starters in Janson Junk (4.50 ERA) and Kyle Leahy (5.21 ERA), setting up a potential offensive showcase. Junk has shown command issues with a 1.32 WHIP, while Leahy's 3.79 BB/9 suggests free passes will be abundant. The Cardinals enter with momentum from yesterday's 5-3 victory and boast the superior overall record at 14-9, though both teams have shown inconsistency lately. Jordan Walker's breakout season (.306 average, 8 home runs) gives St. Louis a significant middle-of-the-order threat that Miami's pitching staff has struggled to contain. The Marlins counter with Xavier Edwards' impressive .341 average and recently activated players Kyle Stowers and Maximo Acosta providing depth, but their recent offensive struggles (3-7 in last ten) remain concerning. The 77-degree temperature and ENE wind at 14 mph create favorable hitting conditions that could benefit both offenses, particularly with two pitchers who have shown vulnerability to hard contact. Miami's strong 9-6 home record provides hope, but their overall form suggests they're still searching for consistency. The Cardinals' bullpen depth should prove decisive in the later innings, as both teams will likely need to turn to their relief corps early given the starting pitching matchup.

Scoring Dynamics

Early (1-3) 4R Both pitchers struggle early with control issues

Middle (4-6) 3R Bullpens provide some stability mid-game

Late (7-9) 4R Cardinals bullpen depth shows in final frames

Matchup Analysis

Marlins

Xavier Edwards hitting .341

Strong home record (9-6)

Recently activated Stowers and Acosta

Struggling with L1 streak

Poor road performance affecting confidence

Junk's elevated ERA and WHIP

Cardinals

Jordan Walker's power (.306 avg, 8 HR)

Better overall record (14-9)

W1 momentum from yesterday's victory

Leahy's control issues (3.79 BB/9)

Worse road record than Miami's home record

Missing Lars Nootbaar

Risk Factors

Both starters have elevated ERAs

Wind conditions could affect fly balls

Key Matchups

Jordan Walker vs Janson Junk batter Walker crushing righties with 8 HR

Xavier Edwards vs Kyle Leahy batter Edwards' contact skills vs Leahy's control issues

Statistical Edges

First to Score Cardinals 65%

Strikeouts 13 10-16

Total Runs 11 8-13

Game Preview

Kyle Leahy takes the mound for St. Louis but immediately faces trouble, walking Xavier Edwards to lead off the bottom of the first before settling in. The Cardinals strike first when Jordan Walker connects on a hanging slider from Junk in the second inning, driving in a run with a sharp single to right field. Miami responds in the third when Otto Lopez drives a changeup into the gap for an RBI double, but St. Louis answers right back with a two-run rally sparked by JJ Wetherholt's clutch two-out hitting. The middle innings see both starters battle command issues, with Junk working around multiple baserunners while Leahy's elevated pitch count forces him from the game after five innings. The Marlins capitalize on Cardinals reliever struggles in the fifth, scoring twice on a combination of walks and timely hitting from their newly activated players. However, St. Louis demonstrates their superior bullpen depth in the final three frames, with their setup men effectively shutting down Miami's rally attempts while the Cardinals add crucial insurance runs in the eighth inning through Walker's second RBI of the day.

Both pitchers have concerning peripherals with ERAs above 4.50 and control issues, making this a volatile matchup. The Cardinals' better overall record and momentum from yesterday's win, combined with Jordan Walker's hot hitting, provide enough edge to favor them despite Miami's home field advantage.

Troliga pitchers

St. Louis Cardinals — Trupp

Spelare	Pos.	AVG	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG
JJ Wetherholt	2B	.218	3	11	.364	.345
Iván Herrera	DH	.230	3	12	.387	.379
Nolan Gorman	3B	.208	3	15	.284	.338
Ramón Urías	1B	.186	2	5	.294	.395
José Fermín	LF	.208	1	2	.286	.375
Nathan Church	RF	.236	2	8	.295	.364
Thomas Saggese	SS	.180	0	2	.241	.220
Pedro Pagés	C	.204	1	5	.259	.306
Victor Scott II	CF	.197	0	4	.254	.213

Miami Marlins — Trupp

Spelare	Pos.	AVG	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG
Jakob Marsee	CF	.179	1	7	.307	.263
Xavier Edwards	DH	.330	1	7	.411	.457
Otto Lopez	SS	.315	3	11	.366	.511
Liam Hicks	1B	.321	4	21	.368	.513
Agustín Ramírez	C	.227	2	12	.303	.364
Heriberto Hernández	LF	.179	0	9	.303	.214
Owen Caissie	RF	.225	2	14	.269	.380
Graham Pauley	3B	.185	0	5	.214	.296
Javier Sanoja	2B	.352	0	9	.397	.407

Poängsituationer

▼ 2

Owen Caissie singles on a ground ball to left fielder José Fermín. Agustín Ramírez scores. Heriberto Hernández to 2nd.

0-1

▼ 2

Jakob Marsee walks. Heriberto Hernández scores. Owen Caissie to 3rd. Leo Jiménez to 2nd.

0-2

▼ 4

Jakob Marsee singles on a ground ball to right fielder Nathan Church. Leo Jiménez scores. Javier Sanoja out at 3rd on the throw, right fielder Nathan Church to third baseman Nolan Gorman.

0-3

▼ 5

Agustín Ramírez singles on a line drive to center fielder Victor Scott II. Otto Lopez scores.

0-4

▲ 9

Iván Herrera homers (3) on a fly ball to left center field.

1-4

St. Louis Cardinals — Slagstatistik

Spelare	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	HR	AVG	OPS
JJ Wetherholt2B	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.218	.709
Iván HerreraDH	4	1	1	1	0	0	1	.230	.766
Nolan Gorman3B	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	.208	.622
Ramón Urías1B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.186	.689
José FermínLF	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.208	.661
Nathan ChurchRF	3	0	1	0	1	2	0	.236	.659
Thomas SaggeseSS	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.180	.461
Pedro PagésC	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	.204	.565
Victor Scott IICF	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	.197	.467
Totalt	31	1	4	1	2	9	1

BATTING

2B: Gorman (1, Nardi).

HR: Herrera (3, 9th inning off Bachar, 0 on, 0 out).

TB: Church; Gorman 2; Herrera 4; Pagés, P.

RBI: Herrera (12).

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Saggese.

GIDP: Fermín.

Team RISP: 1-for-4.

Team LOB: 5.

FIELDING

E: Urías, R (3, fielding).

Outfield assists: Church (Sanoja at 3rd base).

DP: (Saggese-Urías, R).

Miami Marlins — Slagstatistik

Spelare	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OPS
Jakob MarseeCF	4	0	1	2	1	0	.179	.570
Xavier EdwardsDH	5	0	0	0	0	1	.330	.868
Otto LopezSS	4	1	1	0	0	2	.315	.877
Liam Hicks1B	4	0	1	0	0	0	.321	.881
Agustín RamírezC	3	1	2	1	1	0	.227	.667
Heriberto HernándezLF	4	1	2	0	0	0	.179	.517
Owen CaissieRF	4	0	1	1	0	2	.225	.649
Graham Pauley3B	2	0	1	0	0	0	.185	.510
Javier Sanoja2B	4	0	3	0	0	0	.352	.804
Totalt	34	4	12	4	3	5

BATTING

TB: Caissie; Hernández, H 2; Hicks, L; Lopez, O; Marsee; Pauley; Ramírez 2; Sanoja 3.

RBI: Caissie (14); Marsee 2 (7); Ramírez (12).

2-out RBI: Marsee.

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Edwards, X 5.

GIDP: Edwards, X.

Team RISP: 4-for-12.

Team LOB: 10.

BASERUNNING

SB: Marsee (9, 2nd base off Leahy/Pagés, P).

CS: Ramírez (1, 3rd base by Leahy/Pagés, P).

FIELDING

E: Sanoja (3, fielding).

DP: (Jiménez, L-Hicks, L).

St. Louis Cardinals — Kaststatistik

Kastare	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	PC-ST	ERA
Kyle Leahy(L, 2-3)	5.0	8	4	4	3	2	89-50	5.63
Gordon Graceffo	1.0	2	0	0	0	0	18-9	0.77
Matt Svanson	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	8-5	11.08
Ryan Fernandez	1.0	2	0	0	0	2	17-12	2.45

Miami Marlins — Kaststatistik

Kastare	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	PC-ST	ERA
Janson Junk(W, 1-2)	5.0	1	0	0	1	2	0	56-38	3.67
Andrew Nardi	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	0	13-10	5.40
Anthony Bender	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	9-8	6.75
Michael Petersen	1.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	13-10	3.38
Lake Bachar	0.1	1	1	1	1	0	1	9-4	3.09
Pete Fairbanks(S, 5)	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0	12-7	7.27

Matchinfo

Domare: Home Plate: Jacob Metz; First Base: Tom Hanahan; Second Base: Scott Barry; Third Base: Manny Gonzalez

Arena: loanDepot park, Miami

Väder: 72°F, Roof Closed

Vind: 0 mph, None

St. Louis Cardinals — Nyheter

Cardinals Aktiverar Nootbaar från 60-Dagars Skadelista

St. Louis återför en slagman till djupet på sin startelva efter prolongerad frånvaro, även om draget kommer när laget sitter på 31-28 och 3-7 i sina senaste 10 matcher. Nootbaars återkomst hanterar trupprosterflexibilitet utan att hantera rotationens problem—fem startare kombinerat för en ERA på 4,27 med xwOBA-värden som sträcker sig från 0,311 till 0,383.

Lars Nootbaar

St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Återför Rule 5-valet Matt Pushard till Marlins

Pushard kastade aldrig en inning för St. Louis (27,00 ERA i 0 IP), och hamnade på IL nästan omedelbar efter Rule 5-valet. Flytten har minimal rotationspåverkan för båda lagen med tanke på Miamis nuvarande 5-mannagrupp ledd av Meyer (2,97 ERA, 74 SO).

Matt Pushard

St. Louis Cardinals

Miami Marlins

Rangers Placerar Chris Martin på IL Med Axelöverbelastning

Texas förlorar bullpen-djup mitt i säsongen medan de sitter på 28-31 med en run differential på +7. Återkallningen av Curvelo (inga 2026-statistik) och Ahlstroms debut ger alternativ, men ingen av dem har etablerat en beprövad MLB-meritlista mot en Cardinals-uppställning som möter deGrom i kväll.

Chris Martin

St. Louis Cardinals

Texas Rangers

Cardinals Utser Matt Pushard, Återkallar Hunter Dobbins

Pushard spelade noll matcher för STL innan detta drag, vilket gör detta till ett enkelt beslut om 40-mannasäsongen. Dobbins går in i en rotation där Liberatore (4,76 ERA, 1,57 WHIP) och Leahy (4,25 ERA, 1,55 WHIP) båda ligger över 4,25 ERA.

Matt Pushard

Hunter Dobbins

St. Louis Cardinals

Jimmy Crooks är redo för stadig speltid som målvakt

Crooks har ingen tillgänglig statistik för 2026 för att bedöma offensiv produktion, vilket gör detta till ett djupleggsdrag för STL snarare än en uppgradering—Cardinals är -10 i run differential medan de sitter på 3:e plats i NLC med en förlustrad på 4.

Jimmy Crooks

St. Louis Cardinals

Miami Marlins — Nyheter

Cardinals Återför Rule 5-valet Matt Pushard till Marlins

Matt Pushard

St. Louis Cardinals

Miami Marlins

Hernández: 2 HR, 3 RBI i Marlins seger över Nationals

Hernández två home runs på kvällen bröt Miamis fyra matchs förlustsvit och gav Marlins sin första hemmavinst på fem matcher (18-15). Washingtons pitching har tillåtit 330 poäng denna säsong (värst i NL East), vilket gör deras 31-30-rekord överraskande motståndskraftig givet deras vinstprocent på 0,508.

Miami Marlins

Washington Nationals

Marlins väljer Brzykcy och Zuber från Triple-A

Miami lägger till djup till en rotation som kämpar med hållbarhet (Junk 4,80 ERA, 3-5 rekord; Alcantara 4,66 ERA) medan de står 26-34 och 0-8 i bortamatcher under sina senaste fem matcher.

Miami Marlins

Marlins väljer Zach Brzykcy

Brzykcy går in i Miamis rotation som för närvarande leds av Meyer (ERA 2.97, 5-0) men är starkt beroende av Alcantara (ERA 4.66) och Junk (ERA 4.80, 3-5). Flytten tar itu med rotationsdjupet då Miami står på 26-33 med en löpskillnad på -20.

Miami Marlins

Janson Junk: Startar inte, kan hamna på IL

Junk (ERA 4,80, 3-5) lämnar Miamis rotation på söndag mot NYM; med Eury Pérez redan skadad (gracilis-sträckning), står Marlins inför djuproblem i en redan skör rotation. Miamis rotation skulle vara starkt beroende av de återstående starterna om Junk hamnar på IL.

Janson Junk