Cardinals’ Andre Pallante Analyzes Own Loss Versus Cubs

What went wrong for St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante on Thursday afternoon?

Pallante was far from terrible in his sixteenth start of the season, but he wasn’t completely himself, either.

Reporting for The Athletic on Thursday, Cardinals writer Katie Woo described Pallante’s outing.

“Pallante clawed through five innings of two-run ball in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 3-0 loss in Thursday’s series finale against the Chicago Cubs,” Woo wrote.

“Pallante was saddled with the loss after battling uncharacteristic fastball command the majority of his outing. He scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out two on 94 pitches, with his two earned runs coming via a solo shot by Michael Busch in the second inning and a bases-loaded walk in the fourth.”

Woo also shared postgame comments from Pallante:

“I didn’t have great command of my fastball today … Wasn’t really attacking the glove-side half like I usually do. It was better against righties than it was against lefties, which is usually the reverse. I had to rely more on my spin, and that’s more of a chase location pitch for me, not an in-zone pitch. I had to pitch around not having command of the four-seam, some went my way, some didn’t.”

Pallante is now 5-4 on the season with a 4.43 ERA. The 26-year-old has a career record of 23-18 to go along with an ERA of 3.93, a 1.39 WHIP, and 270 strikeouts in 46 starts.

Originally a reliever, Pallante has transitioned into a starter role over the past couple of seasons and is seen as an integral part of St. Louis’ future rotation.

Based on Thursday’s remarks, Pallante seems to be highly attuned to what’s working for him on the mound — and what isn’t — during a given start. This means Pallante is able to make meaningful adjustments in real time during his outings.

It’s no surprise that Pallante has found some success in the majors already in his young career, but it would be surprising if his current stretch of mediocrity doesn’t soon subside.