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Cardinals Aim to Right the Ship Against Rebuilding Pirates in Crucial Road Series
Alright, so let’s talk about this Cardinals vs. Pirates series that’s got a lot of us tuned in. After a rough ride in Boston—yeah, that brutal 18-7 loss and a full-on sweep—the Cardinals are looking to bounce back hard. They’re hitting the road again, facing the Pirates, and this series? It could be just what the Birds need to shake off that sting.
Now, here’s the vibe going into this one. The Cardinals are 4-5 on the year and, get this, 0-3 on the road. So yeah, it’s been rocky. Meanwhile, the Pirates are sitting at 3-7 and honestly still trying to figure themselves out. The Cards took 8 of 13 from them last season, so history’s on our side, but baseball never guarantees anything, right?
This series is interesting because the pitching matchups are pretty even across the board. Game one? We’ve got Matthew Liberatore on the bump for us, and Carmen Mlodzinski making a rare start for the Bucs after spending most of last year in the bullpen. Liberatore showed promise in his last outing, and if he can keep that control and avoid bunching up the hits, we might be in good shape.
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Then there’s the marquee matchup—Sonny Gray vs. Paul Skenes. Skenes is nasty, no lie. Barely gives up hits and is coming off two strong starts. But Sonny’s been sneaky good too, and last season, every time we went up against Skenes, our starter rose to the occasion. Not always a win, but the games were tight.
Game three wraps with Erick Fedde vs. Mitch Keller. Both of these guys have had one solid and one forgettable start. So it’s kind of a toss-up, and that means the offense needs to step up—big time.
Now, talking about the Pirates for a second—they made a bunch of roster tweaks. They lost names like Yasmani Grandal, Aroldis Chapman, and a few others, and brought in Spencer Horwitz (who’s injured), Adam Frazier (yeah, again), and somehow picked up Tommy Pham, who’s apparently making a tour of the NL Central before he calls it a career. Their bullpen? Basically all new. Like, completely overhauled. They even demoted David Bednar, which is wild.
Their lineup is a bit of a patchwork. Oneil Cruz is in center field now, which... yikes. Kiner-Falefa is holding it down at shortstop surprisingly well, but first base? It's a mashup of backup catchers and low-impact bats. Joey Bart’s catching, and Bryan Reynolds is stuck at DH because of injury. Not exactly a fearsome group at the moment.
For us, the key’s simple: hit the ball. The matchups are fair, but offense has to be the difference maker. We can’t keep relying on pitching to win low-scoring games. If we want to leave Pittsburgh with a series win, the bats have to get hot—especially against Skenes.
So yeah, after that mess in Boston, this feels like a golden opportunity for the Cardinals to get back on track. The Pirates are in transition, the matchups are balanced, and the offense needs to shake off the rust. Let’s hope the Birds take care of business and remind the division who’s still a contender.
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