Breakdown
Performance
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April 25, 2026
Goes yard twice in Saturday's loss
Church went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 11-9 loss to the Mariners.
Analysis
The two teams combined for eight long balls in the wild, back-and-forth affair, and Church swung the biggest bat by slugging a solo shot off Bryan Woo in the first inning and a two-run homer off Cooper Criswell in the seventh, with a sacrifice fly in between. Church missed a chance to play hero in the ninth, however, grounding into a game-ending double play. The 25-year-old outfielder has four home runs on the season, and three of them have come in the last four games, boosting his slash line to .254/.300/.460 with three steals, 11 runs and 12 RBI in 23 contests.
April 22, 2026
Flashes skills in Tuesday's win
Church went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a stolen base in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Marlins.
Analysis
The fourth-inning long ball off Chris Paddack was Church's second homer of the season, while the steal was his third. The 25-year-old outfielder has yet to get a start against a left-handed pitcher this season, muting his fantasy appeal in shallower formats, but Church may break out of a strong-side platoon role if he continues to heat up. Over his last five games, he's gone 7-for-17 (.412) with a double, a homer, three RBI, four runs and all three of his stolen bases on the year.
April 20, 2026
Retreating to bench
Church is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest in Miami.
Analysis
Church had started each of the last four games, but he will begin Monday's series opener on the bench. The Cardinals will go with Thomas Saggese in left field and in the No. 8 spot in the batting order.