The Cardinals are headed into their three-game set with the Pirates still piecing together a rotation that has been stretched to the limit.
That reality showed up Thursday, when St. Louis went with a bullpen game against the Orioles instead of handing the ball to a standard starter.
Gordon Graceffo answered the call in his second big league start, blanking Baltimore over three no-hit innings while striking out four. After the Cardinals dropped the first two games of that series, it was exactly the kind of lift they needed.
The rest of the afternoon belonged to the bullpen from there. Justin Bruihl, Luis Gastélum, Caleb Ferguson, George Soriano and Riley O'Brien all followed Graceffo to the mound as St.
Louis got through the day short-handed. The club also promoted Cade Winquest on Thursday, though he did not appear in the game.
With the Cardinals back on the field Friday night, it would not be a surprise to see him factor in.
The rotation picture remains unsettled until Andre Pallante can come off the Injured List, but St. Louis at least has its starters lined up for the Pirates series. Quinn Mathews gets the ball Friday, followed by Michael Leahy on Saturday and Matthew Liberatore on Sunday.
Mathews has made three big league starts this season and is set for his fourth. Two of those outings went well, while one did not. His most recent start was a rough one, as he gave up seven runs in five innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pittsburgh will send young right-hander Jared Jones to the mound in the opener.
Leahy has been the Cardinals’ most effective starter overall this year and has been among baseball’s better pitchers over the last few months. He carries a 3.13 ERA across 25 starts for St. Louis.
Liberatore’s season has gone the other way. The left-hander owns a 5.44 ERA in 26 starts, a line that is not what he or the team likely expected from the 2026 season.
His last outing came on Aug. 25 against the Orioles, when he was tagged for eight earned runs in four innings. That came after back-to-back solid appearances, so the setback was a clear step in the wrong direction.
Still, for a Cardinals staff that has had to improvise so often, simply having the next series mapped out is a welcome change. Against Baltimore, Graceffo was not named as the starter for the finale until Thursday.
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For the Pirates, the question is less about talent than timing and commitment. Any claiming club would take on the rest of Surezs salary, which is just under $3 million, a manageable cost for a player who could deepen the lineup and potentially stabilize a corner-infield spot. Whether Pittsburgh sees enough reason to move now, though, will come down to how it values the bat against the risk of adding another piece before the waiver clock runs out. [Read more 🡒]
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Cruz has still managed to put together a strong 2026 season, hitting .257 with an .833 OPS, 17 home runs, 22 stolen bases and 52 RBIs in 72 games despite the fractures in his left hand that kept him out for a stretch. That production only sharpens the question around the Pirates now, because when a player with that kind of power and speed is healthy, the missed opportunities start to feel even bigger. [Read more 🡒]