Cardinals Announce Starting Pitchers for Critical Phillies Series

The St. Louis Cardinals sold off pieces ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline and yet they aren't completely out of it in the National League playoff race.

For a team that traded key pieces away, including Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar, you'd expect them to be out of it. But the Cardinals are 59-59 on the season and are just 3 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot. Right now, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the second and third Wild Card spots at 63-56. Only the San Diego Padres and the Miami Marlins are ahead of the Cardinals on the outside looking in.

Over the next three days, the Cardinals will play a series that could end up being very important in the playoff race down the line. St. Louis will kick off a three-game series against the Phillies on Monday night at Busch Stadium.

Here are the hurlers the Cardinals will be rolling with in the series.

Monday — Hunter Dobbins

Aug 4, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With May out of town, the fifth spot in the Cardinals' starting rotation is Dobbins', at least for the time being. Dobbins has pitched in eight games this season for the Cardinals, including five starts, and has been very good. Dobbins has a 3.60 ERA in 40 innings of work and is coming off a solid outing on Aug. 4 against the New York Yankees in which he allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched. The Phillies will send Andrew Painter to the mound.

Tuesday — Andre Pallante

Jul 30, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante (53) throws against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Andre Pallante has been one of the biggest feel-good stories for the Cardinals throughout the 2026 season. He struggled last year and had a 5.31 ERA in 31 starts. This season, he has a 3.63 ERA in 22 starts for St. Louis. Pallante will face off against National League Cy Young Award contender Cristopher Sánchez.

Wednesday — Kyle Leahy

Aug 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Leahy (62) throws against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Another feel-good story for St. Louis. Leahy struggled early on this season and there was at least an argument at the time to move him back to the bullpen. He has turned his season around, though. Now, he's actually leading the Cardinals' starting rotation with a 3.45 ERA in 22 starts. On top of this, he has a 99-to-35 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 112 1/3 innings pitched. Leahy has been great and he'll look to wrap up the series for St. Louis against Phillies star Zack Wheeler.

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