Three Big Goals for Pirates Series Win Over Cardinals
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have little time left in the 2026 season, but there are a few things they can do to end it as best they can.
The Pirates host the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park, Sept. 22-24, marking their final home series of the season and their last against a National League Central Divisional foe.
Pittsburgh trails St. Louis 4-6 in the season series, including a four-game home sweep, April 27-30, so they'll need to sweep to win it.
The Pirates have played much better baseball in September, and have three reasons for a series win against their rival.
Follow the Shining Star
The Pirates have won a number of their games this month by relying on their best players and that's what they'll need against the Cardinals.
Center fielder Oneil Cruz, rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin and second baseman Brandon Lowe all played big roles in the sweep over the Kansas City Royals at PNC Park last weekend, Sept. 18-20.
The Pirates trailed 4-0 in the series opener before Lowe hit a two-run home run and Griffin drove in two runs in the comeback 8-5 victory.
Lowe came through again in the next game, hitting a go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure a 6-5 win for the Pirates.
Cruz hit his 20th home run of the season, tying 1-1 in the series finale, which the Pirates won 4-3.
Cruz and Griffin have each played big roles since returning from injury over the past month, while Lowe is hitting his stride to end the season.
Lowe has hit four home runs in his last six games and is up to 33, one of the best power hitters in baseball this season.
The Pirates needs this trio to come through again and finish off the home slate strong.
Allegheny Electric Company Must Power PNC Park
Jared Jones and Paul Skenes take the mound at PNC Park for the final time this season, with Jones pitching in the series opener and Skenes in the series finale.
Jones has pitched great in September, a 1.50 ERA over three starts, 24 strikeouts to six walks, a .172 batting average allowed and a 0.83 WHIP.
Skenes has been inconsistent this month, with two starts allowing 10 runs and two starts allowing just two, and has struggled against the Cardinals in his career, 0-5 in seven starts.
The Pirates have a bullpen game in the middle between Jones and Skenes, so it's imperative that Jones goes at least six innings to set up the bullpen for the next game.
Skenes also needs to finish off his season strong, get his first win against St. Louis, and start working towards getting better in 2027.
If both starting pitchers have solid outings, the Pirates offense should be able to come through and get those wins.
Pirates Need Struggling Hitters to Get Going
While the Pirates have had a few players who have made their marks in September, not every player has had a great month.
First basemen Ryan O'Hearn and Spencer Horwitz haven't performed particularly well this month, and the Pirates need them to end this season much better than where they are now.
O'Hearn has hit .185/.290/.296 for an OPS of .587 since returning from his left quad strain on Sept. 11, while Horwitz has hit just .255/.327/.255 for an OPS of .582.
Horwitz has been the worst hitter in baseball since returning from his left hamstring injury/concussion on Aug. 2, batting .184/.261/.192 for an OPS of .453, with the lowest slugging percentage and OPS of any qualified MLB hitter.
Injuries have hurt both players this season, incredible before the All-Star break, with O'Hearn hitting .288/.351/.487 for an OPS of .838 and Horwitz batting .280/.386/.455 for an OPS of .841.
O'Hearn and Horwitz will be important parts of the Pirates' lineup next season, so ending 2026 with a couple of great outings will play a big role in improving over the offseason.
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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.