Cardinals Put Two Promising Bats In Lineup For Sunday's Finale vs. Brewers

This is what St. Louis' lineup looks like for Sunday.

Apr 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Luken Baker (26) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals returned home five games below the .500 mark after a dreadful 1-6 road trip against the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.

In response, they won the first two games of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers to improve to 12-15 and will go for a sweep on Sunday afternoon.

Prior to the game, the Cardinals announced their lineup. They are facing left-hander Jose Quintana, who pitched for St. Louis in the back half of the 2022 season.

With a left-hander on the mound, St. Louis is sitting Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman, two left-handed bats in favor of two righty hitters, Luken Baker and Thomas Saggese.

"Both Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson get days off with right-handed slugger Luken Baker starting at DH today when the Cardinals face LHP Jose Quintana and the Brewers at 1:15 PM CT," John Denton of MLB.com posted on X.

"Somewhat surprisingly, Pedro Pagès is catching a third straight day."

Baker is hitting .250 with no home runs, two RBI and a .685 OPS. His power has yet to come this season. Meanwhile, Saggese has already hit a home runs and owns a .368 batting average with seven RBI and an impressive .928 OPS.

Both players have performed well in limited playing time, and they could be huge assets to the Cardinals as right-handed bats on Sunday as they face their former left-hander.

Baker made his MLB debut in 2023. Saggese was acquired from the Texas Rangers the same year at the trade deadline and made his debut late in 2024.

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