The St. Louis Cardinals close out their Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium when they host the Washington Nationals on September 20, 2026, with first pitch scheduled for 2:15 PM ET. Quinn Mathews gets the ball for St. Louis against Washington right-hander Jake Irvin. With the regular season winding down, every game carries weight in the standings, and the Cardinals will be leaning on Mathews to deliver a quality start in front of the home crowd.
Cardinals vs. Nationals Starting Pitchers: Quinn Mathews vs. Jake Irvin
Quinn Mathews draws the Sunday assignment for the Cardinals, and this is exactly the kind of late-season spot that can define a young pitcher's year. Mathews has worked his way into the St. Louis rotation and will need to command the strike zone and keep Washington's lineup off-balance to give the Cardinals a chance to win the series.
On the other side, Jake Irvin takes the mound for Washington. Irvin has shown flashes of developing into a reliable mid-rotation arm for the Nationals, and he is the type of pitcher who can keep games close if his secondary pitches are landing. The Cardinals' lineup will need to be patient, work counts, and look for opportunities to do damage early before Irvin settles in.
Keys to Watch for the St. Louis Cardinals
- Mathews's command: Keeping walks off the board is essential. If Mathews can throw strikes early in counts and limit free passes, he gives the Cardinals' defense a chance to work and keeps pitch counts manageable deep into the game.
- Capitalizing on late-season urgency: September baseball rewards clubs that stay locked in at the plate. The Cardinals need consistent at-bats up and down the lineup, not just contributions from the middle of the order.
- Bullpen management: With the regular season in its final weeks, how manager Oliver Marmol deploys the relief corps could be a deciding factor, especially if Mathews exits before the seventh inning.
- Home crowd advantage: Busch Stadium is one of the best atmospheres in the National League, and a packed Sunday crowd can lift the Cardinals when the game gets tight.
Cardinals vs. Nationals Prediction
This is a matchable game for the Cardinals at home. Busch Stadium suits St. Louis, and pitching a developing arm like Mathews in a familiar environment is a reasonable call this late in the year. Washington is not a pushover — the Nationals have shown the ability to manufacture runs — but the Cardinals have the home-field edge and the motivation that comes with late-season baseball.
Expect a competitive, low-scoring affair that comes down to which bullpen holds up in the final three innings. St. Louis takes this one at home, 4-2.
Catch the game on Cardinals.TV Presented by bet365 or listen on KMOX 1120 AM / 104.1 FM.
