Cardinals Probable Starters for Upcoming Series with Pirates

Here is who is pitching for the Cardinals this week in Pittsburgh.

Sep 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals were eliminated from postseason contention this past weekend and now are set to begin their penultimate series of the season on Tuesday night. It's a two-city road trip, and they'll start with a series at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates before heading to American Family Field to potentially play some spoiler on the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Cardinals swept the Pirates at PNC Park back in April but lost each of the following series in St. Louis. So, they'll have a chance to return the favor and finish the season strong. Here are the probable starters for the three games in Pittsburgh.

Tuesday: Andre Pallante

Sep 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pallante had one of his worst starts of the season his last time out against the San Francisco Giants. In his final home start of 2026, the right-hander allowed eight runs, six of them earned over five innings and took the loss.

However, he still has respectable numbers for the season and has been much better than he was last year. He is 12-7 with a 3.70 ERA as he prepares to take on the Pirates. If the rotation stays as is, then Pallante will also be on schedule to start the last game of the season in Milwaukee, but first, he'll look to keep the Cardinals in the win column after they rallied for a comeback on Sunday. He tends to keep the ball on the ground and trust his defense.

Wednesday: Matthew Liberatore

Sep 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) delivers a pitch in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Matthew Liberatore, who drew the start for St. Louis on Opening Day, has been hit or miss all season long. He actually pitched quite well against the Giants last week in his final home start, going six innings and allowing one run in a 6-5 loss. He also allowed just two runs against the Chicago White Sox over 4 2/3 innings in the start prior to Wednesday.

Still, it hasn't been a great year for Liberatore, and his place in the rotation for 2027 is shaky at best. The left-hander is 5-14 with a 5.36 ERA heading into his final start of the season. He'll look for one last glimmer of hope to finish the season strong.

Thursday: Kyle Leahy

Sep 18, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle Leahy (62) delivers against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Perhaps no starter in the Cardinals' rotation needs the offseason more than Kyle Leahy. For most of the year, he has been their most consistent starting pitcher, but he has been on an innings limit since the end of August, and in his last start, he allowed seven runs over three innings against the Washington Nationals.

Fortunately, as we've discussed before, the Cardinals have Cooper Hjerpe ready to back him up after he completes his three innings, so the Cardinals can turn to him to cover the rest of the ballgame once Leahy is out.

Either way, it's a chance for Leahy to finish strong, as he almost certainly will have a place in the 2027 rotation.