The St. Louis Cardinals head into Monday’s doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds with a potentially significant advantage on the mound. While both clubs have faced the usual demands of a long season, Cincinnati arrives at the series with a bullpen that appears heavily taxed after an especially demanding stretch of games.
The Reds are scheduled to play five games in only four days, making Monday’s doubleheader particularly challenging. Their pitching staff has already been stretched thin, and Sunday’s 7-1 loss did little to ease the workload. Although Cincinnati remained competitive until the ninth inning, several important relievers were forced into action, leaving manager Terry Francona with fewer fresh options for the Cardinals.
Nick Lodolo made only his second appearance since returning from the injured list and worked five scoreless innings on 73 pitches. The limited pitch count suggests Cincinnati was carefully managing his workload. Julian Garcia followed with two scoreless innings but needed 35 pitches to get through them, making him an unlikely candidate to handle another significant workload immediately.
The bigger concern came from the bullpen.
Tejay Antone entered the eighth inning with the game still scoreless and quickly found himself in trouble. After recording the first two outs, Antone surrendered a home run before an error, a single and two walks extended the inning. He ultimately threw 30 pitches before being removed.
That workload is particularly concerning because Antone has already been used frequently. He pitched 11 pitches Saturday, 16 Thursday and nine Tuesday, meaning Monday’s appearance represented his fourth outing in six days. With the Reds facing another game Tuesday, Cincinnati could be forced to use him again despite the obvious workload concerns.
Ron Marinaccio then inherited the mess and recorded the final out of the eighth before returning for the ninth. Things deteriorated quickly. He needed another 43 pitches during a five-run inning, bringing his total to 47 pitches for the game and 68 over two days after he threw 21 pitches Saturday.
That heavy usage could have consequences beyond Monday. Marinaccio appears unlikely to remain on the roster, while Cincinnati may need to make another bullpen move before the doubleheader.
Reds’ Bullpen Has Few Fresh Options
The Reds’ eight-man bullpen does not offer many obvious solutions.
Sam Moll has already pitched Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and could be forced into action again. Luis Mey has also worked Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, while Pierce Johnson has appeared several times despite relatively light pitch counts.
Brock Burke is somewhat better positioned after receiving two days off, although he had pitched three times in four days before that break. He could become one of Cincinnati’s most important bullpen pieces during the doubleheader.
Closer Emilio Pagán is relatively fresh, but the Reds generally prefer to reserve him for save opportunities. If Cincinnati finds itself in a situation where it needs a fresh arm without a traditional save scenario, however, Pagán could be forced into action earlier than expected.
The Reds will also need to determine who replaces Marinaccio. Tony Santillan is one possibility after making two encouraging rehab appearances, but his recent workload makes the timing complicated. He pitched Friday and Sunday, meaning using him Monday would put him on the mound three times in four days while returning from an injury.
Connor Phillips is another 40-man roster option, but he also pitched Sunday in Triple-A. That makes him a questionable choice for a doubleheader unless Cincinnati is willing to push his workload.
That leaves Zach McCambley and Zach Maxwell as more realistic possibilities. Neither has pitched recently, making them better positioned to provide innings. McCambley appears to be the more appealing option based on recent performance, while Maxwell has struggled badly.
For the Cardinals, that could create an excellent opportunity.
Cincinnati May Be Forced Into a Bullpen Game
The Reds’ pitching situation becomes even more complicated for the game in which Chase Burns does not start.
Chase Petty appears to be the most likely candidate to handle that assignment, although the situation is far from ideal. Petty spent much of June and July working out of Cincinnati’s bullpen, and he has not been stretched out as a traditional starter.
He threw only 1 2/3 innings on Aug. 7 before being sent down and then made another appearance Aug. 11, when he faced 12 batters and surrendered five runs over 1 2/3 innings.
Petty has not thrown more than 50 pitches since June 4, making it difficult to envision him working deep into a game even if Cincinnati gives him the starting assignment.
That could force the Reds to rely heavily on a collection of lesser-experienced relievers behind him.
For St. Louis, that is precisely the kind of situation it needs to exploit.
The Cardinals should be aggressive early, work counts and force Cincinnati’s pitchers to throw as many pitches as possible. If they can push the opposing starter or bulk pitcher out of the game early, they could expose a bullpen that has very few fresh arms.
Cardinals’ Pitching Staff in Much Better Shape
St. Louis enters the doubleheader in considerably better shape from a pitching standpoint.
Luis Gastelum is likely unavailable after throwing two innings, but the Cardinals have several other relievers who remain capable of working Monday. Caleb Ferguson threw only 19 pitches and had not appeared since Tuesday, while Gordon Graceffo also threw 19 pitches after receiving several days of rest.
Riley O’Brien, George Soriano, Justin Bruhl and Ryne Stanek have also experienced relatively manageable workloads. Peter Strzelecki is available for lower-leverage innings after throwing 36 pitches Friday without additional work during the week.
Perhaps most importantly, St. Louis has actual starting pitchers scheduled for both games.
Quinn Mathews may not be expected to pitch deep into his game, but he can still provide meaningful innings. Andre Pallante is an especially valuable option for the second game. Pallante has completed at least six innings in 11 of his 23 starts this season and has gone fewer than five innings only once.
That ability to absorb innings could be a major advantage in a doubleheader.
The Cardinals therefore enter the series with a much healthier pitching situation than their opponents, giving the offense an opportunity to put serious pressure on Cincinnati.
Joshua Báez Provides Another Offensive Weapon
The doubleheader also provides another opportunity for young Cardinals slugger Joshua Báez, although fans should not expect him to play every game.
Báez’s first two major league games have generated considerable excitement, but the Cardinals have a specific plan for managing his playing time. His performance against left-handed pitching makes those matchups especially attractive.
In the minor leagues, Báez hit an impressive .294/.351/.745 against left-handed pitchers, producing a remarkable .451 isolated power and 1.096 OPS. He also struck out less frequently against lefties, posting a 27.9% strikeout rate compared with 30.6% against right-handed pitching.
Against right-handers, Báez still produced significant power, hitting .246/.320/.539 with a .293 ISO. However, his overall production was noticeably stronger against lefties.
The same pattern existed in 2025. Báez posted a 16.9% strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers compared with 23.2% against right-handers, while his ISO was .271 against lefties and .187 against righties.
The numbers strongly suggest that Báez is particularly dangerous when facing southpaws.
That gives manager Oli Marmol a straightforward way to manage the rookie’s playing time. When a left-handed starter is scheduled, Báez is an obvious candidate to start. Against right-handers, Marmol can selectively give him days off while preserving his limited plate appearances.
Báez Will Have to Sit Some Games
With only 38 games remaining, Báez cannot realistically play every day while staying within the Cardinals’ planned plate-appearance limit.
Even if he played every remaining game and averaged four plate appearances, he would reach 161 plate appearances. Because the Cardinals clearly intend to manage his workload, his playing time will be more selective.
That does not mean Báez will be completely removed from games when he does not start. He can remain available as a pinch-hitter, particularly if an opposing manager brings a left-handed reliever into a critical situation.
This week should provide several favorable opportunities. Báez is expected to start one game of Monday’s doubleheader and sit the other. With Andrew Abbott, a left-hander, scheduled Tuesday, Báez should have another strong opportunity.
The Cardinals also have difficult left-handed starters scheduled later in the week, including Jesús Luzardo and Christopher Sánchez, which could influence Marmol’s lineup decisions.
The bigger picture is that St. Louis does not need Báez to play every day to benefit from his presence. The organization can maximize his impact by putting him in favorable matchups while allowing him to adjust gradually to major league pitching.
This Is the Cardinals’ Chance to Strike
The Cardinals have a clear opportunity in this series.
Cincinnati’s pitching staff is exhausted, several key relievers are coming off heavy workloads, and the Reds may have to rely on inexperienced or ineffective options to cover innings during the doubleheader.
St. Louis, meanwhile, has a much fresher bullpen and legitimate starters capable of covering significant innings.
That combination puts pressure on the Cardinals’ offense to take advantage.
If St. Louis can force Cincinnati’s pitchers to work deep into counts, extend at-bats and push starters out of games early, the Reds could be forced to expose their tired bullpen even further.
With Great American Ball Park also being notoriously friendly to hitters, the Cardinals have an opportunity to turn their pitching advantage into a major offensive advantage.
The message is simple: the Reds are vulnerable on the mound, and the Cardinals need to attack before Cincinnati has a chance to recover.
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