A few mistakes have snowballed into major problems for Cardinals starter Andre Pallante in recent weeks.
Pallante starts Saturday as the Cardinals face the Nationals at 3:05 p.m. (51ºÚÁÏ time) in the second of three in Washington.
51ºÚÁÏ won 10-0 in Friday's opener.
For Pallante (2-2, 4.75), 2025 started out decently enough. He had a 2.20 ERA after three starts. The last four starts, however, have been a different story.
Pallante is still inducing groundballs at a high rate, but when he doesn't get a groundball, small problems become big ones.
In his last four starts, Pallante has a 6.86 ERA and is averaging less than five innings pitched.
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When opponents hit a fly ball against Pallante in the last four games, they have a mammoth 2.272 on-base plus slugging percentage.Â
Four of the 11 fly balls allowed have left the park.
Pallante's four-seamer is being crushed this season to the tune of a .573 slugging percentage, up from .295 last year.
Three of the four home runs he has allowed in his last four starts have come off the four-seamer.
He's also throwing that pitch in the meaty part of the plate a bit more. In his last four games, 39.9% of Pallante's four-seamers have landed in the heart of the plate. Last year, that number was 32.6% for the full season.
Nationals Park ranks in the as a home run hitter's park, though the Nationals have hit 23 of their 38 longballs at home.
Washington will send out right-hander Trevor Williams (2-3, 5.86).
The Cardinals are 20-19 and have won six straight. Above .500 for the first time since they were 4-3 just over a week into the season, 51ºÚÁÏ trails by two games in the NL Central. The Nationals are 17-22.
How to watch Cardinals at Nationals
When: 3:05 p.m. Saturday
Where: Nationals Park in Washington
TV/radio: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest (); KMOX (1120 AM and 104.1 FM), other stations in the as well as .
Your options to watch: Input your ZIP code and see your choices for watching Cardinals games.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Lars Nootbaar, RF
2. Masyn Winn, SS
3. Brendan Donovan, LF
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Willson Contreras, 1B
6. Alec Burleson, DH
7. Nolan Gorman, 2B
8. Pedro Pagés, C
9. Victor Scott II, CF
P: Andre Pallante, RHP
NATIONALS
1. CJ Abrams, SS
2. Alex Call, LF
3. James Wood, DH
4. Nathaniel Lowe, 1B
5. Keibert Ruiz, C
6. Luis GarcÃa Jr., 2B
7. José Tena, 3B
8. Jacob Young, CF
9. Dylan Crews, RF
P: Trevor Williams, RHP
Injury report
Zack Thompson, LHP (lat strain):Â Lefty is going through strengthening exercises and the early stages of a throwing program. Thus far, he's not had any setbacks that would cause alarm about the area around his shoulder or elbow. On April 7, Thompson was transferred to the 60-day IL. Updated May 9
