McGreevy Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Keep Heat on Pirates

The Cardinal Chronicle
McGreevy Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Keep Heat on Pirates
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The Cardinals did not ease into their divisional gauntlet Tuesday night. They kicked the front door open.

After beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-6 in 10 innings on Iván Herrera’s first career walk-off home run, St. Louis returns to Busch Stadium on Wednesday night looking to secure the series and keep building momentum in a stretch that will help define the final days of May. Herrera’s three-run shot in the bottom of the 10th finished a wild opener and gave the Cardinals another reminder that this club has found a knack for answering late. (Reuters)

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at Busch Stadium, with Pittsburgh sending right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski to the mound against Cardinals right-hander Michael McGreevy. The Pirates entered the day at 24-24, while the Cardinals came in at 28-19, continuing to hold their place among the National League Central’s early-season contenders. (MLB.com)

For St. Louis, this is more than simply trying to follow one dramatic win with another. This is about stacking games against division opponents while the schedule gives the Cardinals a chance to create separation. Pittsburgh has already seen St. Louis enough this season to understand the Cardinals are no longer playing like a club trying to find itself. They are playing like a team expecting to win.

McGreevy gets the ball at the right time.

The right-hander has been one of the more quietly effective arms in the Cardinals’ rotation, entering Wednesday with a 3-2 record, a 2.10 ERA and 36 strikeouts. He is not overpowering hitters with radar-gun theater, and that is part of what makes him interesting. McGreevy has been succeeding the old-fashioned way — throwing strikes, changing speeds, working both sides of the plate and forcing hitters to beat him on his terms. (MLB.com)

There is still danger in this Pittsburgh lineup. The Pirates showed that Tuesday night when they erased an early Cardinals lead and later forced extra innings. Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz remain the kind of hitters who can change a game quickly, and Pittsburgh has enough athleticism to make a club pay for extra outs or missed locations.

But the Cardinals also showed something in the opener. They got power from JJ Wetherholt, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson and Herrera. They absorbed Pittsburgh’s counterpunch. They played without Masyn Winn in the starting lineup. And they still found a way to finish the night with the stadium shaking.

That matters.

Herrera’s walk-off was the headline, and rightly so, but the broader takeaway was that the Cardinals are getting production from several parts of the roster. Wetherholt continues to look like a rookie who does not scare easily. Gorman’s power remains capable of changing the shape of a game in one swing. Burleson continues to provide steady left-handed production. Herrera is turning himself into one of the more important bats on the roster.

Now the Cardinals need the rotation to give them a calmer night.

Matthew Liberatore struck out nine in the opener but could not escape the fifth inning cleanly, allowing four runs in 4 2/3 innings. That put the bullpen into the game earlier than preferred and forced St. Louis to navigate a long night. McGreevy’s assignment Wednesday is simple enough: pound the zone, work deep, and keep the Cardinals from having to empty the relief drawer before Thursday’s afternoon series finale.

The Masyn Winn situation remains one to watch. Winn was held out Tuesday after leaving Sunday’s game with left knee discomfort, though the Cardinals received encouraging news when imaging came back clean. If he returns to the lineup Wednesday, it gives St. Louis back one of its most important defensive pieces and one of the players who helps set the tempo for this club.

The Cardinals have already taken the first game. Now comes the harder part — not giving it back.

Good teams win emotional games. Better teams come back the next night and handle business again.

Wednesday gives the Cardinals that chance.

Game Info
Matchup: Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals
When: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
First pitch: 6:45 p.m. CT
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Probable pitchers: Carmen Mlodzinski vs. Michael McGreevy
TV: Cardinals.TV / SportsNet Pittsburgh

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.