The St. Louis Cardinals dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Pittsburgh overcame a one-run deficit to walk away with the win in nine innings, with Luke Weaver earning the decision and Mason Montgomery locking it down with three strikeouts in a clean final frame. For St. Louis, Alec Burleson's solo home run accounted for the lone run, but the Cardinals could not scratch across anything else against a Pirates pitching staff that held firm when it counted most in a division matchup that had real stakes attached.

Paul Skenes Controls Cardinals Lineup for Six-Plus Innings

The story of this game started on the mound — specifically, Pittsburgh's mound. Paul Skenes was every bit the problem St. Louis needed him not to be. The Pirates right-hander worked 6.1 innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out eight and walking two. The Cardinals managed only that one run against him, and the lineup never truly solved him from start to finish. When Skenes exited, the Pittsburgh bullpen handled the rest without allowing another Cardinals baserunner to score.

St. Louis sent a committee to the hill in response. Kyle Leahy started and went two innings, giving up three hits and one earned run while striking out three. Cooper Hjerpe followed with 3.1 innings of two-hit ball, walking three but keeping Pittsburgh off the board. Gordon Graceffo and Brycen Mautz each contributed a scoreless frame before Ryne Stanek took the ninth — and that is where things unraveled. Stanek issued two walks and, though he surrendered no hits, Pittsburgh found a way to push two runs across and flip the result. Stanek took the loss.

Burleson Provides Cardinals' Only Offense with Solo Home Run

Alec Burleson gave St. Louis its only lead of the game with a solo shot, going 1-for-4 with one home run and one RBI. That was the Cardinals' lone run. JJ Wetherholt was the most active bat in the St. Louis lineup, going 2-for-4, but none of those hits translated into runs on the scoreboard. As a team, the Cardinals simply could not manufacture anything beyond Burleson's blast.

Pittsburgh's offensive contributions were spread around. Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin each went 2-for-4 for the Pirates, though neither drove in a run directly in the box score highlights. Pittsburgh made the most of the Cardinals' bullpen struggles in the ninth, not with hits, but with baserunners and situational baseball.

The Turning Point: Stanek and the Ninth Inning

The Cardinals had a 1-0 lead heading into the late innings, but Stanek's inability to throw strikes in the ninth opened the door for Pittsburgh. Two walks in the decisive frame gave the Pirates baserunners without making the Cardinals pay in the traditional sense — no hits required. From there, Pittsburgh cashed in twice to overturn the lead and close out the win. Luke Weaver, who threw just 0.1 innings, was credited with the win after bridging the gap to Montgomery. Montgomery's three-strikeout ninth to preserve the lead was the final punctuation mark on a Cardinals loss that stung precisely because St. Louis had the lead to protect.

Cardinals Bullpen Breakdown — Thursday, September 24

  • Kyle Leahy: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 0 BB
  • Cooper Hjerpe: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 3 BB
  • Gordon Graceffo: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB
  • Brycen Mautz: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB
  • Ryne Stanek (L): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 K, 2 BB

What's Next for the Cardinals

St. Louis will need to put this one behind them quickly. Losing a division game 2-1 — especially one where the Cardinals held the lead late — is the kind of result that lingers if you let it. The Cardinals got a legitimate performance from Burleson at the plate and solid stretches from their bullpen arms, but the ninth inning erased all of it. The road does not get easier, and every division game in September carries weight. St. Louis will look to bounce back in their next contest and avoid letting a winnable game snowball into something larger.