Pallante Takes The Mound In Series Finale Against Brewers
The Cardinal Chronicle
Pallante Takes The Mound In Series Finale Against Brewers
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals finally stopped the bleeding Wednesday night.
Now they need to prove it was not just one clean night in the middle of a rough series.
St. Louis hosts the Milwaukee Brewers tonight at Busch Stadium in the finale of a five-game division set that has tested the Cardinals’ pitching depth, bullpen management and ability to respond against the club setting the pace in the National League Central.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT, with right-hander Andre Pallante getting the ball for the Cardinals against Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson.
Milwaukee enters the finale at 58-34, while St. Louis comes in at 48-43. The Brewers have already won the series after taking the first three games, but the Cardinals have a chance to win the final two and at least leave the homestand with something better than the frustration that defined the first half of the week.
That matters.
It does not erase Monday’s blown lead. It does not erase Tuesday’s doubleheader sweep. It does not erase the seventh-inning messes, the bullpen strain or the feeling that this series got away from St. Louis before it had to. But baseball does not hand out mercy for frustration. The next game still counts, and tonight gives the Cardinals another chance to stabilize the ship.
Wednesday was a needed answer.
Michael McGreevy gave the Cardinals exactly what they needed on his 26th birthday, working 6 1/3 innings and allowing one run on five hits while striking out six. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, settled in, and at one point retired 15 consecutive Brewers. After the Cardinals had spent the early part of the series watching late innings unravel, McGreevy gave the bullpen breathing room and gave the club a 5-1 win it badly needed.
Alec Burleson drove the offense with three RBIs, including a long two-run homer in the sixth. José Fermín added a solo shot, Jordan Walker doubled and scored twice, and Masyn Winn helped the Cardinals strike early with a leadoff double in the first inning.
That is the version of the Cardinals that has to show up again tonight.
Not necessarily with a birthday storyline or a 443-foot blast, but with early pressure, clean pitching and enough offense to avoid letting Milwaukee dictate the game.
Now the responsibility shifts to Pallante.
Pallante enters at 10-5 with a 3.60 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He has been one of the more important arms in the Cardinals’ rotation this season because he gives them something they desperately need: competitive innings. He is not always pretty. He is not always overpowering. But when he is right, he throws strikes, gets ground balls and keeps the game moving.
That is exactly what the Cardinals need tonight.
The Brewers are not a team to help. They do not need three home runs to beat you. They can win with traffic, pressure, stolen bases, contact, extra 90 feet and one big swing after a pitcher fails to finish an inning. The Cardinals have seen that up close all week.
Pallante’s job is simple, but not easy.
Keep the ball on the ground. Limit walks. Work ahead. Do not give Milwaukee free baserunners in front of the middle of the order. And most of all, give the Cardinals enough length to keep the bullpen from having to carry another oversized load.
That last part is important.
The Cardinals came into this stretch trying to navigate 14 games in 13 days, and the pitching staff has been moved, stretched and rearranged as a result. McGreevy helped reset things Wednesday. Pallante has a chance to build on it tonight.
Milwaukee counters with Henderson, who enters at 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 30 strikeouts. The numbers are strong, and the Cardinals cannot afford to treat him like a soft landing just because he does not carry the name recognition of some other Brewers starters. Milwaukee’s pitching has been the backbone of its season, and Henderson gives them another arm capable of making this a low-margin game if St. Louis lets him settle in.
The Cardinals need to attack the matchup with purpose.
That means Winn and JJ Wetherholt have to create traffic at the top. Walker has to stay dangerous in the middle. Burleson needs to keep giving the lineup quality at-bats and damage. Iván Herrera, Nelson Velázquez, Blaze Jordan, Fermín, Pedro Pagés and the rest of the order have to force Henderson to work.
The biggest mistake would be falling into another stretch of empty innings.
The Cardinals have had too many games this season where the offense disappears, then shows up late enough to make the score look closer than the game felt. Against Milwaukee, that is not good enough. The Brewers’ bullpen can shorten a game, and their offense can create enough pressure to make a one-run deficit feel heavier than it should.
St. Louis needs early runs.
Not just threats. Runs.
Wednesday was a reminder of how different this team looks when it plays from in front. McGreevy pitched with a lead. The defense stayed engaged. The bullpen was used in a cleaner way. The entire game had a different feel because the Cardinals did not spend the night chasing.
Tonight needs that same tone.
Milwaukee will come with the same steady pressure. Christian Yelich remains a table-setting threat. William Contreras can damage mistakes. Jackson Chourio brings power and speed. Brice Turang has been a headache in this series. Garrett Mitchell and Cooper Pratt both reached and contributed Wednesday. The Brewers have depth, balance and enough athleticism to turn sloppy baseball into runs.
That is why the Cardinals have to play clean.
No extra outs. No leadoff walks. No missed cutoff throws. No late-inning panic. No managing the game like tomorrow’s spreadsheet is more important than tonight’s scoreboard.
At some point, a division race is not theoretical.
It is right there in front of you.
The Brewers came to St. Louis in first place and took control of the series early. The Cardinals spent three games showing why their flaws are still real. Wednesday showed why their fight is still real, too.
Now comes the finale.
A win would not fix the series, but it would change the exit. It would give the Cardinals back-to-back wins over Milwaukee, give Pallante another meaningful result, and send St. Louis into the next part of the schedule with at least some stability restored.
A loss would make Wednesday feel like a temporary pause instead of a turn.
The Cardinals do not need a speech tonight.
They need innings from Pallante.
They need traffic against Henderson.
They need a clean baseball game.
They need to win the finale.
Game Info
Matchup: Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals
When: Thursday, July 9, 2026
First Pitch: 6:45 p.m. CT
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Probable Pitchers: RHP Logan Henderson vs. RHP Andre Pallante
Henderson: 2-1, 2.74 ERA, 30 SO
Pallante: 10-5, 3.60 ERA, 70 SO
Records: Brewers 58-34; Cardinals 48-43
Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / Brewers.TV
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Photo Credit: Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB