April 18, 2026Updated 12:16 pm EDT
The Houston Astros host the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, featuring a showdown of top-five power hitters. Yordan Alvarez has eight homers (first in league) for the Astros, and Jordan Walker is first with eight home runs for the Cardinals. Lance McCullers (1-0, 5.87 ERA) will start for the Astros, who are 8-13 this season and fourth in the AL West. Andre Pallante (1-1, 4.80 ERA) is the expected starter for the Cardinals, who are 11-8 and fourth in the NL Central.
How to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs. Houston AstrosCardinals vs. Astros odds
Injury reportsAstros
Jake Meyers: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Jeremy Pena: 10 Day IL (Knee), Zach Dezenzo: 10 Day IL (Elbow), Hunter Brown: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Nate Pearson: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Cody Bolton: 15 Day IL (Back), Bennett Sousa: 15 Day IL (Oblique), Cristian Javier: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Tatsuya Imai: 15 Day IL (Arm), Hayden Wesneski: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ronel Blanco: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Brandon Walter: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Josh Hader: 60 Day IL (Biceps), Joey Loperfido: day-to-day (Quadricep), Isaac Paredes: day-to-day (Leg)
Cardinals
Matt Pushard: 15 Day IL (Knee), Hunter Dobbins: 15 Day IL (Knee), Lars Nootbaar: 60 Day IL (Heels)
Stats to know
Alvarez is hitting for a .333 BA, .479 OBP and .750 SLG with a 10.6% strikeout rate and a 19.1% walk rate. His OPS is 1.229, which ranks 1st in MLB, and he has scored 17 runs. In 94 plate appearances, he has hit eight home runs (1st in MLB) and driven in 19 runs (3rd in MLB).
In 84 plate appearances, Christian Walker has slashed .278/.369/.528 this season. He has hit four long balls and driven in 16 runs (14th in MLB) with a strikeout rate of 16.7% and a walk rate of 11.9%. He has come around to score 12 times.
St. Louis’ Walker is slashing .315/.375/.685 this season with eight home runs (1st in MLB), 16 RBIs (14th in MLB) and an OPS of 1.060 (6th in MLB). He has a 28.8% strikeout rate and an 8.8% walk rate in 80 plate appearances, and he has scored 16 total runs. Walker has recorded two steals on two attempts.
In 85 plate appearances, Alec Burleson has slashed .292/.388/.431 this season. He has hit two long balls and driven in 14 runs with a strikeout rate of 10.6% and a walk rate of 14.1%. He has stolen one base on one attempt and has scored eight runs.
This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images
Apr 18, 2026
Connections: Sports Edition
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today’s puzzle