The St. Louis Cardinals finally gave their pitching staff the offensive support it needed, overcoming an early deficit and defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Wednesday night at PNC Park. On a cool, damp and cloudy evening in Pittsburgh, the Cardinals’ lineup came alive at the right time, scoring five unanswered runs after Brandon Lowe’s second-inning home run had briefly put the Pirates in front. The victory also allowed St. Louis to respond strongly after struggling offensively in the previous meeting between the two teams.
The opening inning passed without either team doing much damage, but Pittsburgh quickly changed the tone in the second. Matthew Liberatore made a costly mistake when he left a 93 mph four-seam fastball over the middle of the plate, and Lowe punished the pitch immediately. The Pirates slugger launched the ball approximately 434 feet into right-center field for a massive solo home run, giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 advantage and providing the home crowd with an early jolt.
Liberatore, however, did not allow the home run to derail his outing. After surrendering the blast, the left-hander settled down and kept the Pirates from adding to their lead. That became particularly important as St. Louis’ offense began to respond in the third inning and completely changed the direction of the game.
JJ Wetherholt started the Cardinals’ comeback with a one-out single, continuing what was becoming an increasingly productive night for the young infielder. Ivan Herrera followed with a walk, putting additional pressure on the Pirates’ pitching staff. Alec Burleson then delivered an RBI single to bring Wetherholt home and tie the game at 1-1. Herrera advanced to third on the play and soon scored when a wild pitch from Pittsburgh reliever Khristian Curtis allowed him to cross the plate, giving St. Louis its first lead of the night.
The Cardinals were not finished. Leo Bernal followed with another timely single, driving Burleson home and extending the advantage to 3-1. What had started as a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead had suddenly become a two-run Cardinals advantage, with St. Louis showing the kind of timely hitting that had been missing earlier in the series.
The offensive pressure continued into the fourth inning. José Fermín reached on an infield hit to put another runner aboard, and Masyn Winn came through two batters later with a sharply hit double into the right-center-field gap. The extra-base hit brought Fermín home and pushed the Cardinals’ lead to 4-1. Wetherholt then added another run-scoring single, driving Winn home and giving St. Louis a commanding 5-1 cushion.
Wetherholt was especially important throughout the game. After spending time on the injured list earlier in the season and working his way back into form, he looked much more comfortable at the plate, collecting three hits and driving in a run. His performance gave the Cardinals another encouraging sign heading toward the final games of the regular season, while also providing much-needed energy at the top of the lineup.
With the offense doing its part, Liberatore focused on protecting the lead. After allowing Lowe’s towering home run, he kept Pittsburgh off the scoreboard through the fifth inning. There was understandable concern when he returned for the bottom of the sixth, particularly because the sixth inning had been a difficult stretch for him at various points this season. This time, however, Liberatore avoided a major breakdown.
Lowe singled with two outs in the sixth, prompting manager Oli Marmol to turn to the bullpen. Luis Gastelum entered and immediately finished the inning without allowing the Pirates to capitalize. Liberatore ultimately departed after a solid outing in which he limited Pittsburgh to one run and gave St. Louis enough length to hand the game over to the relievers with a four-run cushion.
The Cardinals’ bullpen then took care of business. Gastelum completed the sixth, Ryne Stanek handled the eighth with a clean 1-2-3 inning, and George Soriano was trusted to finish the game in the ninth. The Pirates struggled to generate consistent offense after the second inning, allowing St. Louis to maintain control from the moment the Cardinals moved ahead.
The seventh inning also produced a notable milestone for Herrera. The Cardinals catcher was hit by a pitch by Pittsburgh reliever Colin Kelly, marking his 31st hit-by-pitch of the season. That number tied Herrera with Steve Evans for the Cardinals’ single-season franchise record, dating back to 1910. It was an unusual record, but it highlighted just how frequently Herrera has been willing to stand in and absorb pitches while trying to contribute offensively.
St. Louis had another opportunity to add insurance in the eighth. Nolan Gorman drew a walk and Fermín followed with a single, putting runners on base with the Cardinals in position to create an even larger advantage. The rally stalled, however, when Nathan Church lined out and Gorman was doubled off second base. Victor Scott II later stole second after entering as a pinch-runner, but Winn struck out to end the threat.
That missed opportunity did not prove costly because Stanek and Soriano kept the Pirates quiet. Soriano did encounter some early ninth-inning pressure after walking Bryan Reynolds, but St. Louis managed to avoid allowing the potential rally to develop. A defensive play involving Wetherholt helped produce an out at first, and Soriano followed with another strikeout before Ronny Simon struck out to end the game.
The final 5-1 score reflected a game in which St. Louis responded decisively after falling behind. The Cardinals scored three runs in the third and two more in the fourth, while their pitching staff kept Pittsburgh from producing another meaningful scoring threat. The combination of timely hitting, Wetherholt’s three-hit performance and a steady bullpen allowed St. Louis to close out the victory without surrendering the momentum it had built.
The Cardinals and Pirates will meet one final time this season on Thursday at PNC Park. Pittsburgh is scheduled to send Paul Skenes to the mound, while St. Louis plans to counter with Kyle Leahy, who is expected to work under a pitch-count limitation and could cover only the opening portion of the game. First pitch is scheduled for 11:35 a.m., making the finale an important opportunity for the Cardinals to finish their series against Pittsburgh on another positive note.
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