The St. Louis Cardinals have a big day ahead on Monday.
On Monday afternoon, the fiery St. Louis Cardinals will take on the National League Central foe Cincinnati Reds in an exciting five-game series.
Mother Nature had other ideas when the Cardinals and Reds were supposed to play each other back in May. Due to bad weather on May 24, the Cardinals and Reds’ game was postponed. It will now take place on Monday afternoon to begin a day-night doubleheader. A four-game series between the Reds and Cardinals was originally planned. With a lot on the line in the NL Central, it will now be a five-game series.
After defeating the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, the Cardinals are now two games above.500 and have won four consecutive series. St. Louis is now 3 1/2 games away of a Wild Card place and has a real chance. In contrast, the Reds are seven games short of a postseason berth with a record of 59-64. If they want to turn their season around at this stage, a miracle is required.
Nevertheless, a series involving two NL Central clubs is always going to be entertaining, particularly because the Cardinals are expected to use an intriguing rookie starter.
The starting lineups for the Cardinals’ series against the Reds are listed below.
Monday (Game 1) — Quinn Mathews
On August 1, Mathews made his major league debut against the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched five innings that day and gave up just two earned runs. This season, he has made 21 starts in Triple-A and pitched 99 innings with a 3.27 ERA. Chaim Bloom, head of baseball operations for the Cardinals, has stated that he anticipates Mathews’ assistance in the final stretch. This is his next opportunity.
Monday (Game 2) — Andre Pallante
For the Cardinals this season, Pallante has been a revelation. Despite having a poor season in 2025, he managed to overcome it in 2026. He had a 5.31 ERA in 31 starts at the end of the previous season. In 23 starts this season, he has a 3.46 ERA. Pallante has been outstanding, to put it simply.
Rhett Lowder, a 24-year-old right-handed pitcher, will be the Reds’ next opponent in place of Pallante. In 21 appearances this season, including 18 starts, he has a 5.15 ERA.