6-30-2025 – By Drew Cagle – @_dcagle on X
Spirits are high on the North Shore after a three-game drubbing of the New York Mets inside PNC Park. The Pirates brought their A game on the mound and at the plate, outscoring the team from the Big Apple 30-4 en route to a sweep.
Now, it’s back to division play for a battle with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Redbirds may be seen as overachievers, but currently hold the final National League wild card spot and are just 2.5 games back in the division.
Both teams enter the series off of a sweep against a playoff contender. St. Louis kicked off their 9-game road trip with a convincing sweep of the Cleveland Guardians. They’ve won 11 of their last 15, beating the Brewers, Reds, and Cubs in that span.
In the last meeting, the Cardinals swept the Buccos out of Busch Stadium in what proved to be Derek Shelton’s final series as manager. Pittsburgh was held to 4 runs in 3 games, and St. Louis improved to 19-19.
6/30
Cardinals: RHP Erick Fedde – 87.2 IP, 3-7, 57 K/38 BB, 4.11 ERA, 1.36 WHIP
Pirates: LHP Andrew Heaney – 86.1 IP, 3-7, 64 K/30 BB, 4.48 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
7/1
Cardinals: RHP Andre Pallante – 87.1 IP, 5-4, 60 K/29 BB, 4.43 ERA, 1.35 WHIP
Pirates: RHP Paul Skenes – 106.0 IP, 4-7, 110 K/29 BB, 2.12 ERA, 0.91 WHIP
7/2
Cardinals: RHP Sonny Gray – 93.2 IP, 8-2, 101 K/17 BB, 3.36 ERA, 1.09 WHIP
Pirates: RHP Mitch Keller – 99.1 IP, 2-10, 77 K/25 BB, 3.90 ERA, 1.22 WHIP
Cardinals: Sonny Gray has turned the clock back to his early days of dominance for the Oakland Athletics. Last time out, he tossed a dominant complete game against the Guardians, striking out 11 and allowing a single hit. Sporting a career ERA of 1.47 at PNC Park in 3 starts, he’ll be looking to continue his success. Of note, fellow Vanderbilt product Bryan Reynolds has hit .292 with 3 home runs against Gray in his career.
Pirates: He got off to a slow start this season, but Ke’Bryan Hayes has kicked it into overdrive lately. Along with his typical Gold Glove defense (league-leading 2.91 range factor), the bat has heated up. After an 8-game hitting streak, his batting average has risen to a respectable .246. On Sunday, he turned in a 3-for-5 day with 2 RBIs.
Cardinals: On-field drama aside, this hasn’t been a banner season for catcher Willson Contreras at the plate. His .249 average is down from last season’s .262, his 1.4 WAR is the lowest it’s been since 2020, and he hasn’t made up for it with stellar fielding behind the dish. He was 2-for-4 with an RBI double on Sunday in Cleveland, but is still looking to hit his stride.
Pirates: Jared Triolo was the only Pirates starter who didn’t join in the hit parade on Sunday afternoon against the Mets. He’s just 2 for his last 26 at the plate (.076 average) in sporatic playing time. It’s likely that he’s used as a defensive replacement or spot starter in this series, but let’s hope seeing a division rival helps him out.
Cardinals: Jordan Walker, Ivan Herrera, Zack Thompson
Walker started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Saturday. He has been on the 10-day IL due to an appendicitis.
Pirates: Colin Holderman, Johan Oviedo, Ryan Borucki, Endy Rodriguez
Holderman (thumb injury) started his rehab assignment with the Bradenton Marauders at A-ball last Friday.
Notes
- St. Louis leads the season series 4-2. Pittsburgh took 2 of 3 in their first homestand of the season, but the Cardinals punched back with a sweep just a month later.
- The Cardinals’ once-struggling pitching staff has held the Pirates to 5 or fewer runs in all but one meeting.
- PNC Park has been friendly to the Buccos under Don Kelly, to the tune of a 16-9 record. St. Louis sports a middling 21-21 road record on the year.
- Pittsburgh is in a good spot to keep the positive vibes going in this series. Game 1 looks pretty even pitching-wise, Paul Skenes starts in Game 2, and then St. Louis has the edge in Game 3. On paper, Monday night’s contest is the swing game, but short series have a weird way of working out sometimes.
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