The Atlanta Braves head to Busch Stadium on Sunday, July 12, for a 2:15 PM ET afternoon game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Right-hander JR Ritchie gets the ball for Atlanta opposite Cardinals starter Dustin May. With the second half of the season underway following the All-Star break, every game carries real weight in the standings, and this road trip to St. Louis gives the Braves a chance to stack wins away from home. Catch the action on BravesVision or tune in on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan.

Braves at Cardinals: Sunday, July 12 Game Preview

JR Ritchie draws the start for Atlanta, and this is a moment worth watching closely. The young right-hander is being asked to step up in a meaningful regular-season spot, and how he handles the Busch Stadium environment and this Cardinals lineup will tell us a lot about where he stands heading deeper into 2026. Ritchie's command and ability to work through the middle of St. Louis's order will be the central storyline on the mound for the Braves.

On the other side, Dustin May takes the ball for St. Louis. May has the kind of arm that can give hitters fits when he's locating his fastball, so Atlanta's lineup will need to be disciplined early and make him work deep into counts.

Braves Starting Lineup at St. Louis

• Drake Baldwin — C
• Ozzie Albies — 2B
• Matt Olson — 1B
• Michael Harris II — CF
• Mauricio Dubón — LF
• Dominic Smith — DH
• Austin Riley — 3B
• Jim Jarvis — SS
• Brewer Hicklen — RF

Cardinals Starting Lineup

• JJ Wetherholt — 2B
• Iván Herrera — DH
• Jordan Walker — RF
• Alec Burleson — 1B
• Lars Nootbaar — LF
• Masyn Winn — SS
• Nathan Church — CF
• José Fermín — 3B
• Jimmy Crooks — C

Keys to Watch for Atlanta

• Ritchie's command: Walks will kill the Braves early. Ritchie needs to throw strikes and get quick outs against a Cardinals lineup built around contact hitters like Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker.
• Matt Olson and Austin Riley: These two need to be the offensive anchors. If May is dealing, Olson and Riley have to be the ones who make him work and eventually make him pay.
• Ozzie Albies setting the table: Hitting second, Albies is the engine of this offense. His ability to get on base in front of Olson is critical to Atlanta generating sustained pressure.
• Michael Harris II in center: Harris patrols a wide center field and can save runs defensively while remaining a threat at the plate from the cleanup spot.

Prediction

This one hinges almost entirely on how Ritchie comes out of the gate. If he can give the Braves five innings of controlled, competitive baseball, the lineup has enough firepower to scratch out a win against May. The Cardinals have a solid lineup from top to bottom — Winn and Walker are dangerous — so the Braves can't afford a slow start. Call it a 4-3 Atlanta win, assuming Ritchie settles in and the Atlanta bullpen holds serve late.