Anthony Kay LHP
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
4.47
134th
WHIP
1.36
145th
K/9
7.40
149th
BB/9
3.19
118th
P-Score47i
FIP
–
HR/9
1.28
112th
OPS/R
–
IP
141.0
Last 5 starts
ERA
6.84
FinalFinal lineupsAL Central / NL Central
Chicago White Sox 3, St. Louis Cardinals 7
Final Score and Game Recap
Final score, pitching lines and standings context.
8:15 PM ET · Busch StadiumGame-day snapshot Sep 12, 12:35 AM ETFinal lineups lockedCurrent 2026 season stats — updated Oct 24, 5:00 AM ET
Pitching recap
| Pitcher | Team | Role | IP | H | ER | BB | K | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Kay | CWS | StarterLoss | 4.0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 67 |
| Matthew Liberatore | STL | Starter | 4.1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 72 |
| Gordon Graceffo | STL | ReliefWin | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
Scoring by inning
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
 St. Louis Cardinals | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 0 |
Top hitters
Chase Meidroth2-for-4 · 2 HR · 2 RBI · 1 BB
Joshua Báez3-for-4 · 2 RBI · 2 R
Leo Bernal3-for-4 · 2 RBI · 1 R
Alec Burleson2-for-4 · 2 RBI · 1 R
Munetaka Murakami0-for-1 · 1 RBI
Matchup at a glance
PitcherStat calculationPregame contextStarting pitchers
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
5.57
174th
WHIP
1.47
181st
K/9
9.32
74th
BB/9
3.17
117th
P-Score46i
FIP
–
HR/9
1.62
188th
OPS/R
–
IP
139.0
Last 5 starts
ERA
7.46
At first glance, this looks like a game tilted toward Chicago. The White Sox bring the better record at 75-71, sit in first place in the AL Central, and hold mo
At first glance, this looks like a game tilted toward Chicago. The White Sox bring the better record at 75-71, sit in first place in the AL Central, and hold modest but clear season-long advantages in run production and power. They’ve scored 4.69 runs per game to St. Louis’ 4.54, and their .722 OPS and .405 slugging percentage both top the Cardinals’ marks.
But the more interesting part of Friday’s matchup at Busch Stadium is how much the recent numbers pull in the other direction.
St. Louis has gone 4-6 over its last 10 games, which is hardly a dominant stretch, yet the Cardinals have scored 6.20 runs per game in that span. Chicago, despite the stronger overall season, is 3-7 over its last 10 and has averaged just 3.30 runs. That contrast creates some tension in the matchup: the White Sox have been the better offensive club over the long haul, but the Cardinals have been the much more productive one lately.
The probable starting pitchers add another layer because their profiles are not cleanly one-sided. Chicago’s Anthony Kay has the better ERA (4.47 to 5.57), the better WHIP (1.36 to 1.47), and the stronger home-run rate (1.28 HR/9 to 1.62) compared with St. Louis left-hander Matthew Liberatore. If the question is who has done a better job limiting damage this season, the numbers lean Kay.
Yet Liberatore’s case is stronger in the underlying indicators. His 4.52 FIP is lower than Kay’s 4.84, and he misses more bats with a 9.3 K/9 versus 7.4. Their walk rates are nearly identical at 3.2 per nine. In other words, Kay has the tidier results, while Liberatore brings the better strikeout profile.
Neither probable starter has worked deep into games consistently. Kay’s quality-start rate is 22 percent, Liberatore’s 21 percent. That puts some extra weight on the late innings, where Chicago again has a slight statistical edge. The White Sox bullpen owns a 3.95 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 8.3 K/9, all a bit better than the Cardinals’ relief numbers.
So the central question is whether this game follows the broader season form or the much shorter recent sample. Chicago arrives with the stronger overall profile, but St. Louis has been scoring in a way that makes this matchup less straightforward than the standings alone would suggest.
How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix
Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.
Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand
Lineups
Final lineupsOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page
Team comparison
CWS·STLAVG.236 25th.239 22nd
OPS.726 9th.691 28th
Home runs211 5th167 24th
Runs776 5th720 16th
OBP.320 9th.313 22nd
SLG.406 8th.378 29th
CWS·STL1stMLB rank30th
CWSSTL
CWSSTL
CWSSTL
CWSSTL
CWS·STL1stMLB rank30th
no league rank
no league rank
CWSSTL
CWS·STL+3969th
Run differential
+34019th
84–78 Record77–85
3–7 Last 104–6
Last 10 games
L
L
L
W
L
W
L
L
W
L
L
L
L
W
L
W
L
W
W
L
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
0—3
Frequently asked
Who is starting for the Sox?+
Anthony Kay (4.47 ERA, 9–8) is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Cardinals?+
Matthew Liberatore (5.57 ERA, 5–14) is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
8:15 PM ET at Busch Stadium.
Where is the game being played?+
Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not as official league cards. The orders shown are the current projected or last-posted lineups.
How have the Sox and Cardinals performed head-to-head?+
Season series: Cardinals 3–0 this season.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Anthony Kay is at 47; Matthew Liberatore is at 46. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.