The Cardinals are getting a boost in their rotation at the right time.
After a rough night Thursday that brought word Hunter Dobbins had undergone elbow surgery and will miss the rest of the 2026 season plus a chunk of 2027, St. Louis has some better news headed into Friday’s three-game series with the Colorado Rockies.
Andre Pallante is expected to make his return to the mound for the first time since Aug. 17.
Pallante’s comeback is the headline, and it’s one the Cardinals have been waiting on. He had been sidelined by right elbow inflammation after being placed on the 15-day Injured List retroactive to Aug. 18, but the expectation was always that he would be out for only about the minimum. Before the injury, the right-hander had put together a strong season, posting a 3.57 ERA across 24 starts with a 97-to-41 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 136 innings.
St. Louis needs that version of Pallante back now. The Cardinals are still hanging around the National League Wild Card race, and this is the kind of series they have to take advantage of.
The rest of the rotation for the Rockies series brings its own pressure points. Liberatore hasn’t had the year he wanted, sitting on a 5.41 ERA in 27 starts, but he has at least stabilized some lately by allowing three runs or fewer in three of his last four outings.
With the Cardinals in need of innings and quality, the timing couldn’t be better for him to help out. Colorado, meanwhile, comes in at 54-86 and will send Mason Adams to the mound for his third career big league start.
Leahy rounds out the group and remains the Cardinals’ most effective starter this season. The right-hander has had his workload managed recently, totaling just seven innings over his last two appearances combined, though he gave up only one run in that stretch.
Through 26 starts, he owns a 3.13 ERA, and after a rocky start to the season, he’s turned himself into the arm St. Louis keeps coming back to.
The Cardinals will need another strong outing from him here.
In Other News...
Rockies Take A Chance On A Lefty Arm With One Big Catch
The Rockies added another left-handed arm to the organization this week, claiming Hayden Harris off waivers from the Braves after Atlanta designated him for assignment earlier in the week. Harris is headed to Triple-A Albuquerque, and Colorado did not need to make a corresponding move because it already had an open spot on the 40-man roster.
Harris brings only a small sample of major league experience to the mix, having appeared in three games for Atlanta last season before spending this year in the minors. For Colorado, it is a low-risk look at a lefty with some big-league time behind him, while the next question is whether he can do enough in Albuquerque to put himself back into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Found An Unlikely Clubhouse Spark In A Lost Season
Brett Sullivans path to the Rockies has been the kind of winding professional baseball journey that usually tests a players patience as much as his skill. Drafted in 2015, the 32-year-old backup catcher has worked through years of setbacks and organizational changes, yet he has kept showing up with the same steady approach, which has mattered in a Colorado clubhouse that leans young.
In a season that has not gone the Rockies way, Sullivan has nonetheless carved out a real role beyond the box score. His positive attitude and veteran presence have made him a morale booster inside the room, the sort of dependable voice and easygoing teammate that can help a lost season feel a little more manageable for everyone around him. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Put Ezequiel Tovar Decision Under A Brighter Spotlight
The Rockies have an everyday-looking lineup tweak on their hands as they try to keep a little momentum rolling after an extra-inning win over the Orioles. Cole Carrigg is set to start at shortstop and hit fifth against the Cardinals, a notable assignment for a player who has been getting a longer look while Colorado searches for steadier production in the middle of the order and across the infield.
Ezequiel Tovars offensive struggles have made the decision harder to ignore, with his .209/.256/.333 line leaving the club to weigh present performance against what it expected from him going into the year. His absence against another right-handed starter adds another layer to the discussion around how the Rockies want to handle shortstop moving forward, especially with a series in St. Louis still offering a chance to build on the buzz from that last win. [Read more 🡒]