Cardinals Open Crucial NL Central Series in Pittsburgh
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Cardinals Open Crucial NL Central Series in Pittsburgh
St. Louis, Mo. — By Ray Mileur
PITTSBURGH — No easing into this week for the St. Louis Cardinals.
After being swept at home by the Seattle Mariners in a three-game series that exposed bullpen fatigue and offensive inconsistency, the Cardinals travel to Pittsburgh on Monday night to open a four-game National League Central series against the Pirates at PNC Park.
For a club trying to stay afloat in the early-season standings, this series looms large for late April.
The Cardinals (14-12) are fourth in the NL Central, 3½ games behind the leader. The Pirates (16-11) are third, two games back. Both clubs are 6-4 in their last 10 games, but have taken different paths to get there.
Pittsburgh is trending upward, while St. Louis is searching for answers.
Monday offers St. Louis a chance to reset its tone.
GAME AT A GLANCE
First pitch: 6:40 p.m. EDT, Monday
Venue: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
TV: Cardinals.TV, SportsNet-PIT+, MLB.TV (out-of-market)
Radio: KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM, KDKA 93.7 The Fan
Pitching Matchup
Cardinals: Dustin May (3-2, 5.84 ERA)
The Cardinals hand the ball to Dustin May, who remains one of the club’s biggest wild cards in the rotation.
The stuff is still electric — upper-90s velocity, heavy sink, wipeout breaking ball — but command and hard contact have been issues through his first five starts.
May has logged 24⅔ innings with 20 strikeouts, but opponents are hitting him hard, collecting 33 hits against him, while his 1.54 WHIP tells the story of too many baserunners.
His lone prior outing against Pittsburgh did not go well — 5⅓ innings, six runs allowed in 2025 — but this is a fresh season and a fresh opportunity.
If May can work ahead in counts and keep the ball on the ground, he gives St. Louis a chance to quiet a Pirates lineup that has been opportunistic early in the season.
Pittsburgh will send left-hander Mason Montgomery (1-0, 3.97 ERA) to the mound for just his second major league start. Montgomery has struck out 21 in 11⅓ innings, but his 1.50 WHIP indicates he has allowed traffic on the bases. This will be his first appearance against St. Louis. The Cardinals, who have struggled against left-handed pitching, will look to show early plate discipline.
WHAT TO WATCH
Bullpen watch: St. Louis’ bullpen was taxed over the weekend series against Seattle, losing late leads on back-to-back days. May will be counted on for innings to provide relief for the bullpen. Even a steady six innings could make the difference.
Nathan Church: The rookie outfielder has hit three home runs in the past two games, played elite defense in center and delivered in key moments. He is emerging as a key contributor for St. Louis.
Catcher Pedro Pagés is day-to-day with hamstring soreness after exiting Saturday’s game. Medical imaging was encouraging, but his status for Monday is questionable. If Pagés cannot play, Iván Herrera is expected to start behind the plate.
St. Louis is playing in a stretch of 17 games in 17 days, a run with no off days or breaks. The team will be tested for depth and resilience as it seeks to avoid prolonged losing streaks during this stretch of the season.
For three consecutive days, the Cardinals lost games late. As they begin this series in Pittsburgh, St. Louis is seeking steadiness: a strong start from May, improved bullpen performance and timely hitting. To halt their skid, the Cardinals may need to rely on fundamentals and clean play to get back into the win column.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports