Are we giving Andre Pallante enough credit?
After last season simply didn't go his way, Pallante came into spring training hungry to get back on the horse and earn his spot in the rotation.
That work has led to better success in 2026, and Pallante was good once again for St. Louis on Sunday at Busch.
Sunday's outing saw him pitch into the seventh inning, going 6.2 innings pitched while allowing only one earned run. He also struck out seven Royals batters, showing a bit more swing-and-miss as we've seen at times from him recently.
Andre Pallante, Nasty Knuckle Curves...and Swords. ⚔️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/dpmY4xfDOW
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 17, 2026
His ERA is a respectable 4.04, more than a full run lower than his ERA from 2025.
Even better than his ERA, which certainly does still leave room for improvement, is this stat...
After failing to get through the fifth inning in eight out of his 31 starts last season, Pallante has given the Cardinals at least five innings pitched in every one of his starts in 2026.
That's nine in a row to begin the season.
Not worth popping champagne or anything, but I think it means something when you think back to last year, remembering the several occasions where Oli Marmol just had to grab him from a game due to non-competitiveness early.
That has not been the version of Pallante this season, at all. He's done a solid job, as has the entire Cardinals rotation.
Sunday was a loss for the Cardinals, but another win for the rotation.
The starters giving the team a chance to win every time they take the ball has been a significant reason for the club's early success this season.
As we saw again on Sunday, Andre Pallante has certainly pulled his weight in this regard.