MLB matchup analysis
Cardinals vs Brewers Prediction, Odds and Model Pick
Saturday, September 26, 2026 at American Family Field · 7:10 PM ET
Leo decision: Pass on Cardinals vs Brewers
The case for Milwaukee Brewers
The case for St. Louis Cardinals
Why it is not official
Why the setup score is what it is
Why the price is what it is
Read the full model output
The combined Lab Rating did not clear the official threshold.
Final result
Cardinals 2, Brewers 3
How the analysis held up
Milwaukee Brewers won, the side Leo's model favored.
Quinn Mathews (No clear pitching-plan edge), the starter Leo's pitcher score favored, actually outpitched Dustin May: 5.0 IP, 3 ER (5.40 ERA) against 3.0 IP, 2 ER (6.00 ERA). The edge held up. Neither starter actually pitched well tonight, though — this is a smaller-of-two-bads comparison, not a starter who dealt.
The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen was flagged as elevated risk pregame (Tired). In relief it actually allowed 0 earned runs over 3.0 innings (0.00 ERA) — the risk read did not show up on the scoreboard tonight.
The Milwaukee Brewers bullpen was not flagged pregame, but it had a night worth noting: 0 earned runs allowed over 6.0 relief innings (0.00 ERA) — quietly better than the pregame read implied.
Milwaukee Brewers scored 3, 2.7 fewer than the 5.7 pregame projection.
Game information
| Matchup | St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, September 26, 2026 |
| First pitch | 7:10 PM ET |
| Venue | American Family Field |
| Starting pitchers | Quinn Mathews vs Dustin May |
| Weather | Game-time forecast: 56°F, 0% precipitation chance, 3 mph wind from NE. This venue has a roof, but the roof status is not confirmed. |
Starting pitcher matchup
Full Pitcher Matchup Tool →| Metric | Cardinals | Brewers |
|---|---|---|
| Pitching plan | Traditional starter | Traditional starter |
| Expected innings | 5⅓ | 4⅔ |
| Throws | L | R |
| Leo pitcher score (higher is better) | 60 | 59 |
| ERA (lower is better) | 3.83 | 4.70 |
| WHIP (lower is better) | 1.38 | 1.32 |
| K/9 (higher is better) | 8.4 | 8.9 |
| K-BB% (higher is better) | 12.3% | 15.1% |
| K% (higher is better) | 21.8% | 23.2% |
| BB% (lower is better) | 9.5% | 8.1% |
| BB/9 (lower is better) | 3.6 | 3.1 |
| HR/9 (lower is better) | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Ground-ball rate | 46.9% | 46.2% |
| Fly-ball rate | 53.1% | 53.8% |
Pitcher edge: Leo gives Quinn Mathews a 1-point edge over Dustin May, driven mainly by expected innings (5.5 vs 4.7) and ERA (3.83 vs 4.70).
How to read this: the scorecards above name the starters; every number lives in this table.
Strikeout Projections Full strikeout projections →
Same data source as the Pitcher Matchup Tool, where every starter on the slate is compared side by side.
Recent form
Full Stats page →Cardinals are 3-7 in their last 10 and averaging 3.5 runs per game over the last 15 days; Brewers are 8-2 in their last 10 and averaging 6.2 runs per game over the last 15 days. On the season Brewers carry the better run differential per game (+1.32 against -0.17).
| Metric | Cardinals | Brewers |
|---|---|---|
| Last 10 | 3-7 | 8-2 |
| Last 10 by venue (away team on the road, home team at home) | 2-8 on the road | 8-2 at home |
| OPS, last 15 days | 0.601 | 0.780 |
| wOBA, last 15 days (hot/cold read) | 0.270 | 0.343 |
| Runs per game, last 15 days | 3.5 | 6.2 |
| K% last 15 days (lower is better) | 28.0% | 25.4% |
Last 15 days only. Hot and cold streaks for all 30 teams live on the Stats page.
30-day offense
Full offense tool →| Last 30 days | Cardinals | Brewers |
|---|---|---|
| OPS | 0.659 (-0.033 vs szn) | 0.789 (+0.045 vs szn) |
| Runs per game | 4.56 (+0.108 vs szn) | 5.93 (+0.798 vs szn) |
| wOBA (model offense input) | 0.293 (-0.014 vs szn) | 0.347 (+0.018 vs szn) |
| K% (lower is better) | 24.6% (+3.3% vs szn) | 24.2% (+2.2% vs szn) |
Over the last 30 days the Brewers have been the better offense, 0.347 wOBA to 0.293. They are running hot against their own season line (+0.018 wOBA). Cardinals are striking out at 24.6% over the window — something the opposing starter can lean on.
Season profile
Full Stats page →| Metric | Cardinals | Brewers |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 77-83 | 101-59 |
| Run differential / game (team quality) | -0.17 | +1.32 |
| Runs scored / game (offense, season) | 4.45 | 5.13 |
| Runs allowed / game (defense, season, lower better) | 4.61 | 3.81 |
| Season OPS | 0.694 | 0.742 |
| K% season (lower is better) | 21.3% | 22.0% |
| OPS vs opposing hand (season) | 0.688 | 0.707 |
Season-long team quality, not recent form. Run differential and run environment come from the season standings; splits for all 30 teams live on the Stats page, including the run environment table.
The Map
Full interactive map →Every team on today's slate, on any two axes you pick. Cardinals and Brewers are highlighted.
Bullpen matchup
Full Bullpen Fatigue Index →Risk is what the model actually uses: fatigue blended with how well the pen has pitched. High fatigue with high efficiency is a tired pen that is still getting outs.
| Metric | Cardinals | Brewers |
|---|---|---|
| Fatigue | 8.0/10, Tired | 7.2/10, Tired |
| Efficiency | 6.1/10, Effective | 6.5/10, Effective |
| Combined risk | 7.5/10, Tired | 6.5/10, Tired |
| Relief innings, last 7 days | 25.7 | 29.3 |
| Back-to-back arms | 6 | 6 |
| 7-day ERA | 2.45 | 2.45 |
| 7-day WHIP | 1.25 | 0.99 |
Fatigue measures workload. Efficiency measures recent run prevention. Combined risk is what the moneyline and totals systems use.
Run total projection
Full Totals Projections →The model projects 1.7 runs above the market total. A research lean still requires a setup rating of at least 7.0/10. Team totals remain research-only until their graded sample is established.
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