Pirates Look to Stay Hot at the Plate vs. Cardinals

The Pirates’ offense, which has struggled to find consistency all season, erupted against the Mets, combining power hitting with clutch at-bats. Buccos fans are hoping this surge can carry into their upcoming series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the last home series in Pittsburgh before the All-Star break.

The Cardinals (47-38) enter the series with a balanced but streaky 2025 campaign. Still, they find themselves only two and a half games back from the Chicago Cubs for the division lead, and are currently entrenched in a Wild Card position. St. Louis is also coming off a sweep of the Cleveland Guardians, so both teams will enter Monday with a three game winning streak.

St. Louis' offense ranks sixth in the majors with 403 runs scored, though their power numbers are middling (17th in MLB with 87 home runs). Their pitching staff sits middle of the pack at 16th in ERA (3.91), but their relative inability to strikeout opposing hitters (28th in MLB with 623) could play into the Pirates’ hands if their hot bats continue to make contact.

Pittsburgh will face a particularly tough test on Wednesday when they go up against Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray, who is coming off a masterful complete-game shutout against the Guardians in just 89 pitches.

Gray has been a standout in the Cardinals rotation this season, posting an 8-2 record with a 3.36 ERA, 101 strikeouts, and a stellar 1.09 WHIP. His efficiency and command make him a formidable challenge for the Pirates’ suddenly red-hot lineup.

If Pittsburgh can maintain its offensive momentum against a competitive Cardinals squad, it could keep carrying over into the second half of the season. The Pirates won't have one of the best offenses in the 2025 MLB season, but they can at least begin to climb from the basement of offensive statistic leaderboards. For now, the team and its fans are riding high after a weekend for the history books.

Key Stats

• Buccos Bashing: 35 runs scored over the last seven days is tied for 2nd in MLB.
• Cardinals Too!: 75 runs scored over the last 15 days is fifth in MLB.
• The Pirates and Cardinals have met a total of 2,507 times. The Pirates lead the series 1276-1227-4.

Probable Pitchers & Matchups

Game 1: Monday, 6:40 PM EDT at PNC Park

• PIT: LHP Andrew Heaney (3-7, 4.48 ERA, 64 K)
• STL: RHP Erick Fedde (3-7, 4.11 ERA, 57 K)
• Key Battle: Heaney vs Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado (0-for 9, 1 BB, 2 K in 10 career AB against Heaney)

Game 2: Tuesday, 6:40 PM EDT at PNC Park

• PIT: RHP Paul Skenes (4-7, 2.12 ERA, 110 K)
• STL: RHP Andre Pallante (5-4, 4.43 ERA, 60 K)
• Key Battle: Pallante vs Pirates OF Bryan Reynolds (.118 AVG, .589 OPS, 2 HR, 3 RBI in 17 career AB against Pallante)

Game 3: Wednesday, 1:35 PM EDT at PNC Park

• PIT: RHP Mitch Keller (2-10, 3.90 ERA, 77 K)
• STL: RHP Sonny Gray (8-2, 3.36 ERA, 101 K)
• Key Battle: Gray vs Pirates OF Bryan Reynolds (.292, 1.070 OPS, 3 HR, 4 RBI in 24 career AB against Gray)

Players to Watch

• SP Paul Skenes (PIT): Last week's start (4 IP, 4 ER) was the shortest that Skenes has gone in a game this season
• OF Bryan Reynolds (PIT): .364 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI in last seven games
• SS Masyn Winn (STL): .375 AVG, .400 OBP, 1 HR, 2 2B, 5 RBI in last seven games
• SP Sonny Gray (STL): Pitched a complete game, one-hit shutout in last start (9 IP, 1 H, 11 K)