The Cardinals, after a weekend series loss, continue their homestand Tuesday with the first of three against the Reds. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m.
Before the game, the team called up infielder Thomas Saggese from Triple-A and sent down outfielder Victor Scott II.
Saggese bats seventh and plays shortstop Tuesday. A 22-year-old who was acquired from Texas last summer in the Jordan Montgomery trade, trade, Saggese has hit .253 this season at Class AAA Memphis with a .751 OPS.
Brendan Donovan, who missed time with a foot infection, is back in the lineup and will bat leadoff.
Right-hander Andre Pallante (6-7, 4.07) will take the mound Tuesday for the Cardinals.
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Pallante gave a up five earned runs in five innings on a season-worst two homers last time out, at Milwaukee.
Among the five Cardinals to start 15 or more games, Pallante's 3.81 ERA as a starter ranks No. 1 on the team.
The Reds will counter with right-hander Rhett Lowder (0-1, 0.87), a rookie making his third big-league appearance.
Lowder, the No. 7 overall pick in 2023, is Cincinnati's , according to .
The Cardinals are 72-71, second in the NL Central and 6 1/2 games behind New York for the final wild-card spot. Its series loss vs. Seattle this past weekend was the first since mid-August for ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
The Reds are 70-75, fourth in theÌýNL Central and and 9-14 since sweeping the Cardinals last month in Cincinnati. The Reds have won six of the teams' 10 meetings this year heading into this final series between the Reds and Cardinals.
Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz leads the majors with 62 stolen bases but has just once since Aug. 25.
With a 2.10 team ERA in September, the Reds rank third in baseball. That's two runs better than the team's full-season ERA, which is middle of the pack and just ahead of the Cardinals. Reds starters have a 1.51 ERA this month, tops in baseball.
Cincinnati has the second-most steals in baseball, at 191, more than twice as many steals as the Cardinals have.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Brendan Donovan, 2B
2. Alec Burleson, DH
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Lars Nootbaar, LF
6. Jordan Walker, RF
7. Thomas Saggese, SS
8. Pedro Pagés, C
9. Michael Siani, CF
P: Andre Pallante, RHP
REDS
1. Jonathan India, 2B
2. Elly De La Cruz, SS
3. Tyler Stephenson, C
4. TJ Friedl, CF
5. Spencer Steer, LF
6. Ty France, 1B
7. Jake Fraley, RF
8. Santiago Espinal, 3B
9. Amed Rosario, DH
P: Rhett Lowder, RHP
Injury report
Lance Lynn (knee strain):ÌýVeteran right-hander recovered well from his 80-pitch outing for Class AAA Memphis on Sept. 1. The Cardinals have him slated to start Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds.ÌýUpdated Sept. 6
Willson Contreras (fractured finger):ÌýTheÌýcatcher fractured the middle finger on his right hand when struck by a pitch Aug. 24. He will have three weeks of no impact then he can begin a progression. There's not much wiggle room for a possible return. The injury could end his season.ÌýUpdated Aug. 27