Analysis: The 24-year-old took Yusei Kikuchi deep in the fourth and sixth innings before capping his huge performance with an eighth-inning blast off Brock Burke. In the process, Herrera became the first catcher in Cardinals history with a three-homer game. The long balls were also the first of the season for Herrera, and through five appearances so far in 2025 he's batting .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles, five runs and eight RBI.

Analysis: The veteran right-hander tossed 61 of 88 pitches for strikes, but he eventually got punished for living in the strike zone, as Logan O'Hoppe slugged a grand slam off Gray before he could record an out in the top of the seventh inning. The Cardinals' offense quickly took him off the hook for the loss, however. Gray has a 15:2 K:BB through his first 11 innings this season, but that comes with a 5.73 ERA thanks to three homers allowed. He lines up to make his next trip to the mound on the road early next week in Pittsburgh.

Analysis: Baserunners are 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts against Herrera this season and 60-for-64 since the beginning of last year. The throwing problems have led to Herrera sometimes being removed from games he starts in the later innings when the Cardinals need to prioritize defense. Herrera clubbed three home runs in Wednesday's game versus the Angels, and the Cardinals want to keep his bat in the lineup as often as possible. Improving his throwing will help ensure that.

Analysis: Through the first six games of the season, the Cardinals have faced left-handed starting pitchers two times, and the lefty-hitting Burleson has checked out of the lineup on both occasions. The right-handed-hitting Luken Baker will replace Burleson as the Cardinals' designated hitter Wednesday while southpaw Yusei Kikuchi takes the hill for the Angels.

Analysis: After singling to plate a run in the second inning, Walker swatted a solo shot off Angels right-hander Kyle Hendricks during the fourth frame. The former top prospect has now hit safely in each of his first four games and is slashing .429/.529/.643 through 17 plate appearances thus far this season. Walker is looking to settle into the major leagues in 2025 after looking overmatched at the dish in 2024 and spending the bulk of last year in the minor leagues.

Analysis: Liberatore registered a quality start in his season debut, throwing 53 of his 77 pitches for strikes Tuesday. The Angels did their damage against the 25-year-old southpaw in the third inning, with Luis Rengifo driving one run in on a double and Mike Trout plating two more with a double of his own. Liberatore's next start lines up for early next week in a favorable matchup against Pittsburgh.

Analysis: It's just his second start in the Cardinals' first five games, but Gorman had three hits -- including a home run -- in his first start. Willson Contreras is getting a day off in this one, as Alec Burleson will shift from DH to first base.

Analysis: Herrera -- who sports a 1.055 OPS in the early going -- has now drawn three starts to Pedro Pages' two in the first five games. Pages will do the catching for Matthew Liberatore on Tuesday.

Analysis: Contreras is still looking for his first hit of the season, having gone 0-for-18 with eight strikeouts in the Cardinals' first four games. Alec Burleson will cover first base and Nolan Gorman will be the DH on Tuesday while Contreras regroups.

Analysis: Donovan entered the contest homerless in 335 career plate appearances versus southpaws before hitting one out off Anderson in his first trip to the dish Monday. It was his only hit in five plate appearances. Donovan batted third in the Cardinals' first three games versus righties before hitting sixth against a southpaw Monday.

Analysis: During a rain delay in Sunday's game against the Twins, Winn compared video from 2024 to 2025 and worked on his swing with hitting coaches Brant Brown and Brandon Allen, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. They noticed in the 2025 video that his hips were leaning back before his swing, which led to lazy flyballs. Winn stood more upright during batting practice Monday and worked on driving through the ball. While he wasn't rewarded during Monday's game, Winn was heartened by the hard contact he made and is confident "everything is going to click" for him soon. The 23-year-old is 0-for-14 with seven strikeouts in his first four contests this season.

Analysis: The St. Louis left fielder opened the game's scoring with his sixth career leadoff homer, launching it 365 feet to right field. Nootbaar entered the contest as a career .266/.365/.465 hitter in the leadoff spot, which he should continue to occupy for the foreseeable future. The 27-year-old could be poised for a solid season so long as he can stay on the field, as he has surpassed the 500 plate appearance mark just once in his previous four seasons due to injuries.

Analysis: The grizzled veteran entered this outing on the heels of a solid 19.2 innings in the Grapefruit League, pitching to a 3.66 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. Mikolas limited the Angels to two singles and two free passes, allowing both runs on sacrifice flies. The 36-year-old will struggle to produce many strikeouts, as his K/9 has not been above 7.0 since 2019, but he could be viable in deeper leagues if he can limit hard contact and walks. Mikolas will look to continue the respectable work from this appearance in his next start, currently slated to be at Boston this weekend.

Analysis: The Cardinals are facing a left-handed starting pitcher (Tyler Anderson) for the first time this season, so the lefty-hitting Burleson will retreat to the bench after going 2-for-11 with a double, a walk, two runs and two RBI during the team's recent three-game series versus the Twins. Luken Baker will enter the St. Louis lineup Monday as the club's designated hitter.

Analysis: Nootbaar occupied the leadoff spot in all three contests against the Twins' right-handers over the weekend and he'll stay there Monday even versus a southpaw. The 27-year-old doesn't have notable splits in his career, having put up a .786 OPS against righties and .753 OPS versus lefties. Nootbaar has reached base eight times in the first three games of the 2025 season.

Analysis: Winn was in the nine spot for all three games against the Twins' righties in the opening series, and he will remain there Monday even as the Halos send a southpaw to the hill. The shortstop was just 4-for-50 at the plate during spring training and is still looking for his first hit of the regular season. The left-handed hitting Lars Nootbaar is again occupying the leadoff spot Monday.

Analysis: Baker didn't play in any of the Cardinals' three games during their opening series against the Twins, but he's in the lineup Monday versus lefty Tyler Anderson and is occupying a prime spot in the batting order. The 28-year-old is expected to play regularly against southpaws.

Analysis: Making his first start of the season, Gorman singled in each of his first two plate appearances before taking reliever Randy Dobnak deep with a 409-foot blast in his final trip to the dish. Gorman got the start at second base in this one, with Brendan Donovan shifting to left field, Lars Noobaar moving to right field and Jordan Walker getting a day off. The 24-year-old Gorman is in a fight for playing time early on in the season, and big days like he had Sunday will certainly help his chances of earning more reps.

Analysis: Pages doubled and scored a run on Victor Scott's three-run homer in the second inning before hammering a three-run shot of his own in the third. It was Pages' first appearance of the 2025 season, as he looks to carve out a role behind Ivan Herrera, who went 4-for-7 with two doubles in his first two games. Pages posted a .657 OPS through 218 plate appearances as a rookie in 2024.

Analysis: Scott put the Cardinals on the board with a three-run shot in the second inning and later stole second base after reaching on a fielder's choice. The 24-year-old outfielder struggled to the tune of a .502 OPS through 155 MLB plate appearances as a rookie in 2024. He played his way onto the Opening Day roster with a 1.172 OPS in spring training and has already shown some flashes to start the 2025 campaign with three stolen bases and a home run through three games.