St. Louis is 21-14 and currently the team Milwaukee is hunting in the NL Central. The Brewers (18-16) just took the first game of this set on Monday and now they get the matchup that scares them: Brandon Sproat, 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA, against an Andre Pallante who has quietly been one of the better stories on the Cardinals' staff.
Sproat's last time out went exactly how you'd expect when a young arm faces a real lineup — 4 innings of trouble against Arizona, undone by a Nolan Arenado 3-run shot. He's flashed it (the April 16 quality start in Toronto was legit), but he's also been hit. The Brewers are 2-2 in his starts and that feels about right for where he is.
Pallante is the more interesting development. After a 5.31 ERA disaster in 2025, he's reinvented something — manager Oliver Marmol pointed to a "free" feeling on the mound, and the results back it up. He took the ball against Pittsburgh on April 30 and worked 6 strong in a Cardinals win. If 2024 Pallante is back in any real way, this is a tough draw for a Brewers offense already missing Christian Yelich.
- Day-To-DayJacob Misiorowski SP — Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday in an interview on 620 WTMJ that "all things look good" for Misiorowski (hamstring) to make his next scheduled start Wednesday in St. Louis, Adam McCalvy of MLB.comreports.
- Day-To-DayGerson Garabito RP — Garabito will be out for four months after undergoing surgery to address a broken bone in his foot, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- Day-To-DayJ.B. Bukauskas RP — Bukauskas will undergo surgery on his injured right lat and be sidelined for 9-to-10 months, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 10-Day-ILChristian Yelich LF — Yelich (groin) is expected to progress to facing living pitching and running the bases early next week, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrandon Woodruff SP — Woodruff (shoulder) was examined by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Zerpa RP — Zerpa will undergo UCL reconstruction on his left elbow next week, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILQuinn Priester SP — Priester (wrist) is with the Brewers in St. Louis after being pulled from his rehab assignment due to shoulder soreness, Sophia Minnaert of Brewers.tv reports.
- 15-Day-ILJared Koenig RP — Koenig (elbow) is slated to resume a throwing program Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton RP — Imaging revealed damage to the UCL in Naughton's left elbow Saturday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson SP — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos RP — Santos (elbow) has compiled a 3.97 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 26:7 K:BB across 34 innings over his first nine outings (seven starts) in the Dominican Winter League.
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse SP — Robberse (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson RP — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.
- 10-Day-ILRamon Urias 3B — Urias went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in Monday's loss to the Nationals.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Pushard RP — Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Saturday that Pushard (knee) will need "several more" rehab appearances at Triple-A Memphis before being activated from the 10-day injured list, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- 60-Day-ILLars Nootbaar LF — Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Saturday that Nootbaar (heels) is on track to begin a rehab assignment as soon as the week of May 10, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Pat Murphy's rotation depth chart looks like a hospital ward — Brandon Woodruff getting time off, Quinn Priester pulled from his rehab, Jacob Misiorowski still day-to-day with a hamstring, Angel Zerpa weighing Tommy John. That's why Sproat is here, and that's why Milwaukee really needs the bullpen to be sharp behind him in a one-run park scenario.
The market sees a coin flip — both sides at -104 on the moneyline at Pinnacle, total parked at 7.5. DK money is leaning Cardinals on the runline, which tracks with the pitching edge on paper. The under is the cleaner read if you trust Pallante's reset and don't trust Sproat to keep the ball in the yard. EV is negative across the board, so this is a watch-it game more than a bet-it game.
First pitch is 6:45 PM CT at Busch. Brewers need a split before getting out of town tomorrow.