Pirates Reveal Starting Pitcher vs. Cardinals
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates look to bounce back against the St. Louis Cardinals and know who will take the mound first.
Pirates manager Don Kelly said right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar will start against the Cardinals in the second game at Busch Stadium on Aug. 29, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The Pirates didn't have a starting pitcher listed for this game, as Jared Jones started the series opener, a 4-1 defeat on Aug. 28, and then the coaching staff decided on the next starter.
Bachar will take on right-handed pitcher Kyle Leahy and hope that he can level up the series for the Pirates.
How Pirates Will Approach Game vs. Cardinals
It will be a bullpen game for the Pirates regardless, as they never named a starting pitcher after Mitch Keller suffered a season-ending injury in early August.
This marks Bachar's second start in the new Pirates bullpen game and his third start in his five appearances, with the last start coming vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 23 and his first Pirates' start coming against the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park on Aug. 16.
Bachar threw three scoreless innings vs. the Red Sox, working out of a couple of jams, and gave up one run over two innings vs. the Dodgers, where he issued three walks.
He will likely go two or three innings vs. the Cardinals, depending on how effective he is and how long the Pirates think he should pitch, after throwing 1.1 innings vs. the San Diego Padres in the series finale at Petco Park on Aug. 26.
The Pirates will most likely turn to Carmen Mlodzinski to come in after Bachar, as they are utilizing him in the bulk role for the remainder of 2026.
Mlodzinski started the first three bullpen games after Keller's injury, but posted a 14.04 ERA in those outings.
The Pirates then made Bachar their starting pitcher for bullpen games, hoping Mlodzinski would have more success coming out of the bullpen.
He came in for that bulk role against the Dodgers after Bachar on Aug. 23, but struggled again, giving up five hits and three earned runs in the 4-0 defeat.
The Pirates will hope Mlodzinski can come in and provide at least three or four solid innings against the Cardinals and buck his trend of poor outings in August.
Who Else May Pitch vs. the Cardinals
The Pirates had three other relief pitchers throw in the loss to the Cardinals, with left-handers in Evan Sisk doing so for 1.1 innings and Soto pitching the seventh inning, while right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramírez threw the eighth inning.
Pittsburgh has three pitchers who haven't thrown or aren't scheduled for this game: left-hander Mason Montgomery and three right-handers, Camilo Doval, Luke Weaver and Kirby Yates.
All four of those options will most likely pitch against the Cardinals, but the Pirates could still go with Sisk, Soto, or Ramírez because the team had a day off on Aug. 27.
The Pirates will likely choose the rested relief pitchers, but manager Don Kelly and his staff will have a few options on how to approach this game.
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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.