Led by Jordan Walker, Cardinals seek another win in rematch vs. D-backs

It's been quite a season already for St. Louis right fielder Jordan Walker, and he'll look to continue his success when the Cardinals face the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Saturday afternoon in the second contest of a three-game set.

Walker, now in his fourth season in the majors, has been consistent throughout the 2026 season. The 24-year-old is batting .294 with 22 homers and 74 RBIs, all career highs. He's also 10 hits away from matching his career-best total from his rookie season and is five home runs shy of equaling his combined total from his first three seasons (27).

His monthly batting average has not dipped below .283 at any point this season, and he's coming off a victorious showing in this year's Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

"He's had a good season. The ceiling is high and his skillset is real," St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. "No one should get the credit but him because he's the one putting in the work and having to execute it every night."

It's quite the turnaround from a year ago, when he was batting only .210 before being sidelined from June 22 to July 17 because of appendicitis. He returned and had a solid July, batting .304, but then averaged .191 over the final two months of the season.

"He can speak to failure now, and I think a player becomes a real major league player when they can speak to both sides of what it's like to actually handle failure and get on the other side of it," Marmol said. "I'm glad everything has taken place the way it has because we're headed in a really good direction with where he's at."

Dustin May (5-6, 4.55 ERA) will start for St. Louis on Saturday as it looks to ensure a series win. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 3.48 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts) against Arizona. He's coming off a no-decision in the Cardinals' 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, giving up two runs on two hits in four innings.

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, will try to even the series following Friday's 5-4 loss. Torey Lovullo's squad erased a pair of two-run deficits, tying the game 2-2 and 4-4 before St. Louis scored the winning run in the top of the ninth.

"That's a frustrating one," Arizona starter Merrill Kelly said. "I think coming off the break, obviously we had a good week leading up to the break (four straight wins) and wanted to carry that momentum through here."

The Diamondbacks went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Friday, misplayed ground balls, including one that started the Cardinals' game-winning rally, and had a pinch runner picked off at first in the ninth.

"I'm pretty (upset)," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "That's not D-backs baseball, especially coming off the type of baseball we were playing."

Brandon Pfaadt (3-1, 4.70 ERA) will start for the Diamondbacks on Saturday. The 27-year-old right-hander is 1-0 with a 4.13 ERA in four career starts against the Cardinals. He earned the win in his last outing, a 9-2 triumph against the Los Angeles Dodgers last Saturday.

--Field Level Media