A first baseman in full flow
Alec Burleson is hitting .340 this month with a .441 on-base percentage and a .780 slugging mark. Fifty at-bats, fourteen games, six home runs off seventeen hits, nineteen runs driven in, thirteen scored.
He added to the pile on Sunday. St. Louis beat the Chicago Cubs 11-4 and Burleson went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, four RBIs and two runs. The homer was his 21st of the season, tying the career high he set in 2024.
“I know what August can do to you,” Burleson said. “I know what September can do for you. I understand what that looks like, and so I think I’ve just taken that next step.”
The 27-year-old has already cleared his previous bests in RBIs, with 90, and doubles, with 31. He sits 12 hits short of his career mark of 147 and one run short of matching his 2024 total of 71.
“This is a guy that knows what he needs to do,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “You give him enough time and he’ll figure it all out.”
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St. Louis found its footing
The Cardinals came out of the All-Star break and went 4-12 across sixteen games. They have gone 9-4 in the thirteen since, and Sunday sealed a fourth straight series win.
They open a five-game visit to Cincinnati with a doubleheader today. Quinn Mathews starts the first game, his second major league appearance after a debut against Toronto on Aug. 1 in which he allowed two runs on six hits over five innings. Andre Pallante, 12-6 with a 3.46 ERA, takes the second.
The Reds arrive wobbling
Cincinnati lost 7-1 to Miami on Sunday, and the starting pitching was not the problem. Nick Lodolo worked five scoreless innings on three hits in his second outing since a month on the sidelines.
“I would like to go six innings, especially with what we have ahead,” Lodolo said. “But I understand it, it’s a process, and I’m building up.”
Julian Garcia then retired six of the seven hitters he faced. The eighth inning undid all of it, and Tyler Stephenson’s home run only briefly narrowed the gap before the Marlins pulled clear.
The Reds have dropped six of their past nine games. Rhett Lowder lines up for the second game, carrying a 1.38 ERA across three career starts against St. Louis.
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