Cardinals, Astros Set for Game 2 in Houston

HOUSTON (Interstat) — The St. Louis Cardinals will look to build on their series-opening victory when they face the Houston Astros on Saturday at Daikin Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. CDT under cloudy skies with a temperature around 77 degrees.

The Cardinals (10-8) won Friday’s opener 9-3. The Astros (8-12) have lost four of their last five.

St. Louis will send right-hander Andre Pallante (1-1, 4.50 ERA) to the mound. Houston counters with right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 3.18 ERA). McCullers missed the entire 2024 season and most of 2025 recovering from flexor tendon surgery.

A player to watch for St. Louis is right-hander Dustin May, who delivered a strong start in Wednesday’s 5-3 win over Cleveland, allowing one earned run over six innings. He has posted a 1.50 ERA over his last two outings after a rough start to the season.

For Houston, reliever Kai-Wei Teng has been a bright spot in the bullpen. Over his last seven appearances, he has not allowed an earned run in six of them, posting a 1.23 ERA across 7 1/3 innings in that span.

Despite Houston’s record, betting markets slightly favor the Astros. The over/under is set at 8.5 runs.

The Interstat game simulator projects a 6-2 Cardinals victory, while its ELO rating system gives Houston a 56.2% probability to win.

This is the second of a three-game set. The series concludes Sunday before the Cardinals travel to Miami and the Astros visit Cleveland.