Willson Contreras started a four-game suspension for the Aug. 25 bat-throw incident with Pittsburgh, reduced from six on appeal. He’ll miss the Cardinals’ weekend series against the Giants and the Monday opener with Seattle. The ejection stemmed from vulgar language and contact with an umpire after arguing balls and strikes, and Contreras defended that calls were not biased. In 121 games this season, he’s hitting .254/.338/.448 with 20 homers and 78 RBI, valued around 2.3 WAR.

Yohan Ramírez of Pittsburgh was the pitcher involved, with a TruMedia-based 87.5% called-strike probability on that pitch. The matchup implications matter for Cardinals and Giants fans, and Contreras’ absence tightens the fantasy leash around STL catchers while the club navigates a pivotal stretch without one of its top run producers as they chase a postseason slot.