After dropping three games in a row to the Seattle Mariners, the St. Louis Cardinals traveled to Pittsburgh and dominated the Pirates in a rare, four-game sweep
By Ryan K Boman | April 30, 2026 | RYANKBOMAN on X
It’s been a storybook start to the season in St. Louis, as the youthful Cardinals have been playing with a poise and discipline that far exceeds their ages. Perhaps that’s why they keep on winning, despite dealing with adversity during the first month of the 2026 season. That has yet to be more evident than in the Redbirds’ four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Coming off their worst series of the year by losing three straight to Seattle, the Cards traveled to Pittsburgh for a long showdown. In those four games, the young Cards club could have folded up following the way they were manhandled by the Mariners. Instead, they dominated the series with the Pirates, including breaking up a perfect game bid. They could have mired in mediocrity, in contrast, they answered the bell and hit the back at the Bucs.
In Thursday’s game, St. Louis faced the Pirates’ Cy Young winner, Paul Skenes. The righty entered the afternoon affair with a record of 4-1, but the Cardinals jumped all over the ace in the first inning. Rookie of the Year contender JJ Wetherholt started things off with a first-inning homer, as the ‘Birds chased Skenes from the game fairly early.
It was the starting pitcher’s worst outing this far in 2026, with St. Lou tagging him for four earned runs in five innings pitched. Later in the contest, outfielder Jordan Walker added his ninth home run of the year, as the Cardinals won going away, 10-5.
Bryan Reynolds had two hits and drove in three runs, and Brandon Lowe hit his eighth homer for Pittsburgh, who fell to 16-16. They are currently the basement dwellers in the NL Central.
Cards set to battle baseball’s Goliath
Despite their great play in the Steel City, there won’t be much rest for these young ‘Birds when they roost back at Busch Stadium this weekend.
St. Louis (18-13, 3rd in NL Central) moves on to a truly titanic test now, as they face the two-time defending World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. As usual, the guys from Tinsel Town are back at it again, pacing the National League West Division with a 20-11 mark through April.
It will be interesting to see how Los Pajaritos perform against the most successful and glamorous team in the game today. Lefthanded ace Matthew Liberatore (0-1, 4.75 ERA, 19 strikeouts in 2026) is slated to face righty Emmet Sheehan, who is 2-0 with a 4.78 ERA to begin the year.