Pirates vs. Cardinals Takeaways: There's One Thing to Clean Up
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had struggled offensively on this road trip, but finally showed the power they once did earlier this season.
The Pirates hit four home runs and won the final two games of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, 6-2 on Aug. 29 and 5-4 in the series finale on Aug. 30, after losing the series opener, 4-1 on Aug. 28.
Pittsburgh finished their road trip with back-to-back series wins, as they also won two of the three games against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Aug. 24-26, coming after suffering a series sweep to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, Aug. 27-29.
The Pirates improve to 67-71 and finish their nine-game road trip 4-5, ending August 12-15 overall.
Pirates Show Off Power Against Cardinals
The Pirates came into the second game against the Cardinals with just two runs in the past three games and needed something to change.
Second baseman Brandon Lowe hit a solo home run in the second at-bat of the game, and then rookie catcher Rafael Flores Jr. hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning, giving the Pirates a 5-1 lead.
Lowe is up to 28 home runs in 2026, the most of any Pirates player and any second baseman in baseball this season, and Flores made it six home runs in August.
Rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez hit a two-run home run in the second inning of the series finale to make it 2-0, and shortstop Jared Triolo hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, increasing the lead to 4-0.
Valdez hit another opposite field home run, showing impressive power throughout his rookie season, while Triolo crushed it to the upper levels in left field, 412 feet and 104.1 mph off the bat.
The Pirates came into the series with just 33 home runs after the All-Star break, fourth-least in baseball, after hitting 125 home runs at the All-Star break, sixth-most in baseball.
Having different players hit home runs, a veteran power hitter in Lowe, rookies in Flores and Valdez, and a more unlikely source in Triolo, makes for a balanced lineup and should help the Pirates going forward, if they can maintain it.
Mlodzinski Helps Pirates Earn Big Win
The Pirates went with a bullpen game in the second contest vs. the Cardinals, and right-handed pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski came through in a big way.
Mlodzinski threw 3.1 innings out of the bullpen, giving up just one hit and no walks and keeping the Pirates in the lead.
He came in with the bases loaded in the third inning and got Cardinals All-Star Jordan Walker to fly out on one pitch.
Mlodzinski also dealt with three straight errors in the fifth inning, scoring a run, but got two pop outs to escape without further runs scoring.
He struggled as a starting pitcher in August, posting a 14.04 ERA in three starts, but he's back in the role he does best, coming out of the bullpen and working through high-leverage and long-bulk roles.
It's just one outing, but Mlodzinski can use this showing as one that spurs him the remainder of 2026.
Pirates Must Clean Up Defensive Mistakes
The Pirates did win the series, but their poor defensive play against the Cardinals is a great cause for concern, especially in the first two games.
Pittsburgh committed three errors in the series opener and then three errors on three straight plays in the fifth inning of the second game.
Center fielder Oneil Cruz committed two errors against. the Cardinals, misplacing the ball in the third inning of the series opener and completely missing a fly ball in the fifth inning of the second game, scoring an unearned run.
Shortstop Jacob Gonzalez made three errors, with an errant throw in the eighth inning of the series opener that scored a run and then back-to-back misjudged plays in the fifth inning.
Triolo made a mistake in the first game of the series, but with him being the Pirates' best infielder defender, it's not too much of a concern.
The Pirates need better defense down the stretch, and especially from Cruz and Gonzalez, who are starting most, if not all, games at this point.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.