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Yesterday I crashed into baseball again because I incorrectly thought that Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler would pitch in a pitching duel. Skenes allowed five runs in the second inning. Wheeler was better, but not much better as he allowed four earned runs. Two of the best pitchers in the league combined to allow 11 runs. We still have a pretty solid roster today, so let’s look for a winner in the Cardinals vs. Braves.
The St. Louis Cardinals are having a solid year. I’ve mentioned the halfway point of the season in a few articles recently, and the Cardinals are over .500 at that checkpoint. The bad news for them is that they are still 8.5 games behind the Brewers in the division, and the Cubs are ahead of them. Additionally, only the Reds are more than one game under .500 in the division. Trying to make the postseason will likely be very complex for all of these NL Central teams. However, it is too early to think about that; They just need to get all the wins they can.
St. Louis Cardinals starter Dustin May reacts after throwing a one-hitter complete game against the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 15, 2026. (Jeff Curry/Image Images)
Dustin May looks to position them to win today’s game and the series. In May’s first season with the Cardinals, he is 5-6 on the season with a 4.30 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. The bad news for him and the Cardinals is that a road game is the worst situation for May this season. He has a day game ERA of 6.81 compared to a night game ERA of 2.05. On the road, he is pitching to a 4.79 ERA compared to a 3.94 ERA at home. His last game was against the Royals, and it was a road game in which he allowed six earned runs in two innings of work. In 70 at-bats against May the Braves have only 14 hits. Half of those hits come from Mike Yastrzemski, so the rest of the team is 7-for-56 against him.
Mike Yastrzemski of the Atlanta Braves reacts during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 6, 2026. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves started the season as basically the best team in baseball. They remain in control of their division, but the Phillies have been hot on their heels since they fired their manager. I guess even before the season, we could have predicted that the Braves and Phillies would be the two best teams in the division. Maybe some would have included the Mets, but for me, those were my two options. The Braves are 50-34 and don’t really need to make any moves before the deadline. They could probably benefit from a full health with the equipment.
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I think part of the reason they are leaving today’s starter, Hurston Waldrep, is because of some injuries on the team. Spencer Strider is on the injured list and the Braves are still looking for a replacement for his production. Waldrep is making just his second appearance with the Braves this season. He only worked two innings in relief on Friday against the Giants. He allowed two hits, four walks and three strikeouts, so he was a little all over the place. Maybe it was nerves, but he needs to control the walks. He had a good season in 2025, starting nine games, pitching to a 2.88 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.
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Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson hits a two-run home run in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
The Cardinals are not a strikeout-prone team; They rank fifth in fewest strikeouts per game at just 7.73. Waldrep averages about one strikeout per inning throughout his career. It should be interesting to see if he can match that here. I don’t necessarily expect him to have a big game or go too deep into the game, but at +101, four strikeouts are worth a look.
However, I think the best bet here is to take the Braves to five innings. I like May, but he has shown several times this year that he throws poorly during the day. Athletes get into routines and May might need a full afternoon to do so so he can throw better at night. I don’t love Waldrep, but I think he can put in some solid innings and the bullpen can take care of the rest. Give me the Braves until five.
