Pallante Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Answer Marlins’ Shutout
The Cardinal Chronicle
Pallante Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Answer Marlins’ Shutout
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals got the reset they needed from Thursday’s rainout.
They did not do much with it Friday night.
After being shut out 4-0 by the Miami Marlins in the opener of the weekend series at Busch Stadium, St. Louis returns Saturday night looking to get the offense moving again and even the series before Sunday’s finale.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium, with right-hander Andre Pallante getting the ball for the Cardinals against Miami right-hander Ryan Gusto.
The pitching matchup changed after Dustin May, who had originally been expected to start for St. Louis, skipped the turn because of back tightness. That pushes Pallante into the spotlight on a night when the Cardinals need a steady start, a cleaner offensive approach and a much better response than they showed in Friday’s opener.
Friday night was not complicated.
Max Meyer shut down the Cardinals, working seven scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. Michael McGreevy matched him for six innings in a strong effort of his own, but St. Louis never found the swing or the inning it needed. The Cardinals had a chance in the seventh, loading the bases with one out, but came away empty. Miami broke through late, then added on, and the Cardinals finished the night with just three hits.
That kind of loss leaves very little mystery.
The starting pitching was good enough.
The offense was not.
Now Pallante gets the assignment of keeping the Cardinals from dropping the first two games of a home series they badly need to handle. He enters at 9-4 with a 3.59 ERA and has been one of the more dependable arms in the rotation. Pallante does not win with flash. He wins by competing in the zone, getting ground balls, limiting free passes and forcing hitters to earn their way on base.
That formula fits Saturday’s need perfectly.
The Cardinals do not need Pallante to be a superhero. They need him to be himself. Work ahead. Keep the ball on the ground. Avoid the big inning. Give the offense time to wake up. After the lineup went quiet Friday, the last thing St. Louis needs is to be chasing early against a Miami club that has already taken the opener.
Gusto enters at 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA and 16 strikeouts. Those numbers suggest an opportunity for the Cardinals, but only if they approach it the right way. St. Louis cannot turn a pitcher’s uneven record into an excuse for lazy at-bats. Gusto still has enough stuff to get outs if the Cardinals chase early, expand the zone or let him settle into a rhythm.
The Cardinals need to make him work.
That means traffic from the top of the order. It means better situational hitting than Friday. It means not wasting scoring chances when they arrive. It means getting the baseball off the barrel and forcing Miami to defend.
Jordan Walker remains the biggest power threat in the lineup, and the Cardinals need his presence in the middle of the order to matter. Alec Burleson continues to be one of the club’s steadier bats, but he cannot carry the offense alone. JJ Wetherholt needs to get back to setting the table. Masyn Winn’s speed and contact can create pressure. Blaze Jordan, Jimmy Crooks and the lower half of the order have to make Miami pay if the Marlins pitch around the middle.
The Cardinals’ lineup has shown enough this season to believe it can be dangerous.
But dangerous lineups still have to execute.
Friday’s loss was a reminder that hits without timing — or no hits at all — make every pitching mistake feel heavier. The Cardinals do not need to score ten runs Saturday. They need to score first, extend innings and give Pallante some breathing room.
Miami is not a club to dismiss. The Marlins came into this series playing competitive baseball, and they showed Friday they can win with pitching and late execution. They may not carry the national attention of some bigger-name opponents, but they are in the same National League traffic as St. Louis. That makes this series matter.
The Cardinals are still contenders.
They are also still flawed.
That has been the theme of this season. They have enough young talent to make the future feel close. They have enough wins to make the present matter. But they also have enough uneven pitching, offensive dry spells and late-inning stress to keep everything from feeling comfortable.
Saturday is another chance to show which direction this club is leaning.
Pallante gives them a good arm to answer with. The offense gets a matchup it should be able to compete against. The bullpen should be lined up behind Pallante if he can give them length. The crowd at Busch Stadium should be ready for something better than Friday night’s quiet three-hit effort.
The Cardinals do not need a speech.
They need baserunners.
They need timely contact.
They need Pallante to steady the night.
And they need to win a game at home against a Marlins club that already took the opener.
The rainout gave the Cardinals a pause.
Friday wasted it.
Saturday gives them a chance to answer.
Game Info
Matchup: Miami Marlins at St. Louis Cardinals
When: Saturday, June 27, 2026
First pitch: 6:15 p.m. CT
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Probable Pitchers: RHP Ryan Gusto vs. RHP Andre Pallante
Gusto: 0-2, 6.00 ERA, 16 SO
Pallante: 9-4, 3.59 ERA, 64 SO
Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / KMOX / WIJR
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Photo Credit: Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB