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YESTERDAY'S RESULT -- CIN 5, STL 4
STL 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 -- 4
CIN 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 -- 5
Matthew Liberatore struck out nine over six innings but surrendered Sal Stewart's three-run home run (No. 27) in the sixth, flipping a 2-0 Cardinals lead into a 3-2 deficit. Justin Bruihl allowed three hits and two earned runs in the eighth -- a Blaze Jordan error on a Matt McLain bunt scored Jose Trevino, and Dane Myers added an RBI single. Jordan Walker's two-run home run (No. 25) in the ninth brought the Cardinals within one, but Cincinnati held on, 5-4.
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THE BREAKDOWN
WHAT WORKED
• Liberatore was dominant through five: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 9 K -- the longest quality start of this road trip. • Luis Gastelum bridged cleanly: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 K in the seventh. • Jordan Walker hit his 25th home run in the ninth -- a two-run shot that made it a one-run game. • Nathan Church drove in a run and Bryan Torres drove in a run in the fourth to stake St. Louis to a 2-0 lead. WHAT DIDN'T • Liberatore surrendered Sal Stewart's three-run home run (No. 27) in the sixth, erasing the Cardinals' two-run advantage entirely. • Justin Bruihl allowed three hits and two earned runs in the eighth; a Blaze Jordan error on a Matt McLain bunt scored Jose Trevino before Dane Myers added an RBI single. • Matt McLain went 3-for-3 and drove Cincinnati's late-inning rally from the bottom of the order. | ||||||
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BOTTOM LINE
Threat: Brady Singer pitches at home today, where he has logged a 3.62 ERA this season compared to 5.75 on the road.
Edge: Singer's second pass through the batting order is this morning's central tension: in 2026, hitters have posted a .978 OPS against him the second time through the order -- 215 batters faced, a reliable sample -- against .684 in the first pass and .735 in the third. The Cardinals send five left-handed starters, and Singer's 2026 OPS against left-handed batters is .872 (360 batters faced). The window is real and well-documented. Michael McGreevy goes in the opposite direction -- road games have been no problem, with a 3.55 away ERA in 2026 -- and the Reds send six right-handed starters against a pitcher holding right-handers to a .685 OPS (196 batters faced) this year. Watch: This series is tied 2-2. First pitch is 11:40 this morning. The Cardinals' second trip through Singer's order is the game within the game. | ||||||
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KEY MATCHUPS
Burleson and Winn vs. Singer: Alec Burleson is batting .429 with a 1.143 SLG in 8 career plate appearances against Singer, including a home run. Masyn Winn has a .400 average in 6 career PA with a home run as well. Jordan Walker is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts -- the contrast within the same lineup is sharp.
Singer's platoon exposure: Five Cardinals starters bat left-handed. Singer's 2026 OPS against left-handed batters is .872 (360 batters faced). Against right-handers he's held opponents to .699 (197 batters faced). The Cardinals' lineup construction is a built-in advantage today. McGreevy vs. the right-handed Reds: Six Cincinnati starters hit right-handed. McGreevy's 2026 OPS against right-handers is .685 (196 batters faced), well under his .745 against left-handers (342 batters faced). The Reds' right-dominant alignment plays directly into his strength. | ||||||
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WATCHLIST
Singer's second pass: His 2026 TTO2 OPS is .978 (215 batters faced), between a .684 first-pass and .735 third-pass mark. The Cardinals' at-bats in roughly the fourth and fifth innings are the tactical window.
Crooks behind the plate: Jimmy Crooks is catching today -- his third appearance alongside McGreevy by the 2025 pairing data (2G, 9.35 ERA together). Matt McLain stole 18 bases in 2025 at a 90.0% success rate; Crooks' caught-stealing rate is a small sample so far this season (14 attempts, under the 20-attempt minimum we set for analysis). Walker vs. Singer: Jordan Walker is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts in his career against Singer. If Singer establishes his fastball early, Walker is the most at-risk bat in the lineup. McGreevy's contact approach: He posted a 49.2% ground-ball rate in 2025 (307 batted balls in play). Against a Cincinnati lineup where every regular in the batted-ball table hits line drives above .550, keeping the ball on the ground is the path to efficiency. In 24 starts this season he has thrown 132.0 innings at a 3.48 ERA. | ||||||
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TREND WATCH
Matthew Liberatore has set a new career season best in strikeouts at 125, clearing his previous mark of 122 set in 2025. That milestone landed 128 team games into the season -- and after last night's nine-strikeout performance, it may not hold for long.
Alec Burleson has scored 72 runs, a new personal season best, clearing the 71 he scored in 2024. Same 128-game window. Hunter Dobbins has posted a 2.06 ERA across his last 4 starts (since July 22), against a 5.95 mark in his earlier outings this season -- a 3.89-point gap over that stretch. |
Cardinals Target Singer's Second-Pass Spike in Morning Series Finale at Great American
Aug 20, 2026
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3 min read