TORONTO — Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante is clear when describing the biggest difference since he’s moved out of the bullpen and into a starting pitching role. That difference, ironically, is the bullpen — that is, the bullpen sessions he throws between starts. “The bullpen is the most important thing for me as an individual,” Pallante said on Sunday.
Pallante will make his 18th start of the season for the Cardinals on Monday. He’s been arguably the club’s most consistent starter in the second half of the season. This season as a starter, Pallante has gone 6-7 with a 3.
90 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, a .241 opponent’s batting average, 6.
9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.78-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Pallante, who pitched out of the bullpen for part of 2022 and all of 2023, has shown enough this season to force the Cardinals to use a six-man rotation in the final weeks of the season.
When asked about Pallante this weekend, Cardinals manger Oliver Marmol stated declaratively that Pallante would not be going back to the bullpen this season and the club is "committed" to him starting the rest of the year. At times during this season and last season, the Cardinals have shifted young pitchers Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson back and forth from the bullpen and the starting rotation as well as up and down from the minors to the majors. Pallante’s getting the benefit of a stable role this season.
“We’ve done it with a couple guys now, and it’s always be.