The St. Louis Cardinals wrapped up their four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium with a much-needed 4-1 victory on August 28, 2025, providing a glimmer of optimism in an otherwise challenging season. With the win, the Cardinals managed to split the series, thanks to a late offensive surge and a solid effort from both the starting rotation and the bullpen. But behind the box score, the club faces pressing questions about its future, particularly on the pitching front, as it navigates a critical rebuilding phase.
Thursday afternoon’s contest started off in familiar fashion for Cardinals fans: the Pirates struck first. Tommy Pham, who’s been a consistent power threat this season, launched a towering 440-foot home run over the left-field bullpen in the top of the first inning. That blast marked Pham’s eighth homer of the year and gave the Pirates an early 1-0 lead, putting immediate pressure on Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas.
Mikolas, however, showed poise after the early setback. The right-hander worked five innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out five and walking only one. He navigated a couple of dicey moments, including a first-inning jam with runners in scoring position and another threat in the second, but ultimately kept his team within striking distance. "I just wanted to keep us in the game, give the offense a chance to come back," Mikolas said postgame, according to Field Level Media.
The Cardinals’ offense found its footing in the third inning. Lars Nootbaar singled and then came around to score on Ivan Herrera’s sharp double to left, knotting the score at 1-1. The Pirates’ defense prevented further damage by catching Herrera in a rundown between second and third, but the momentum had shifted. Both teams’ starters settled in, with Pirates rookie Braxton Ashcraft matching Mikolas pitch for pitch. Ashcraft delivered a career-best 5 2/3 innings, allowing only one run on four hits and striking out five, continuing his impressive run since joining the rotation on August 9. In fact, Ashcraft now boasts a 1.19 ERA over 19 innings in his last four starts.
As the game moved into the late innings, the tension was palpable. The Cardinals, searching for a spark, got exactly what they needed in the seventh. Masyn Winn led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch from Yohan Ramirez. Thomas Saggese, who had already collected a hit earlier, stepped up and ripped an RBI double to right-center, giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead and igniting the home crowd. Saggese’s performance—going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run—was a much-needed boost for a lineup that has struggled with consistency.
Then came the defining moment of the afternoon. Jordan Walker, the promising young outfielder, wasted no time and hammered the very next pitch into the left-center field bleachers for his fifth home run of the season. The two-run shot stretched the Cardinals’ lead to 4-1 and gave the fans at Busch Stadium a rare chance to celebrate. "It felt great to come through in a big spot," Walker said, according to the postgame interview. "We’ve been grinding all year, so it’s nice to have a moment like that."
With the lead in hand, the Cardinals’ bullpen took over. Kyle Leahy, who has quietly become a reliable arm this season, tossed two scoreless innings with four strikeouts to earn his fourth win. Riley O’Brien handled the eighth, and JoJo Romero shut the door in the ninth for his fifth save, ensuring that the Pirates—who had won six of their previous eight games—would leave St. Louis with a loss.
Despite the win, the broader narrative for the Cardinals remains one of transition. The club sits at 66-69, seven games out of the National League wild-card picture as of August 28. The organization has made it clear that the focus for the remainder of the season is not solely on wins and losses, but on evaluating and developing talent for the future. That approach was evident in the decision to keep Andre Pallante in the starting rotation, even after a disastrous outing against the Pirates on August 26. In that game, Pallante allowed eight runs (seven earned) in the first inning, and the Cardinals ultimately lost 8-3. His struggles have been ongoing, as he carries a 7.91 ERA since the All-Star break and has surrendered at least four earned runs in four of his five August starts.
Manager Oli Marmol addressed the situation candidly. "We have to take a look and figure out what’s best for (Pallante), but also take into consideration all the other variables of what we have below," Marmol said on Tuesday night. After several days of discussion with pitching coach Dusty Blake and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, the club decided to let Pallante make his next scheduled start Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The reasoning? As the Cardinals embark on a rebuild, developing homegrown pitching is paramount, especially with the high cost of acquiring starters on the free-agent and trade markets.
St. Louis does have minor league depth in Aaron Wilkerson and Curtis Taylor, both of whom have performed admirably for Triple-A Memphis—Wilkerson with a 3.27 ERA over 33 innings and Taylor posting a 7-4 record with a 3.30 ERA in 20 starts. However, neither is viewed as a key piece for the 2026 rotation, whereas Pallante, along with Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy, is seen as a possible foundation for the next phase of Cardinals baseball.
The club’s commitment to this approach comes with risks, including the possibility of alienating an already frustrated fan base. Attendance hit a record low of 17,675 in Monday’s series opener, a stark reminder of how much has changed for a franchise accustomed to packed houses and playoff runs. Still, the front office is adamant that patience and internal development are the only sustainable path forward, especially under the new leadership of Chaim Bloom and Rob Cerfolio.
For now, Cardinals fans will have to measure progress in small victories—like Walker’s clutch home run, Saggese’s emergence, or a strong bullpen outing—rather than in the standings. The next few weeks will offer more chances for young players to stake their claim and for the organization to evaluate who fits into the long-term vision.
With a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on the horizon and the focus squarely on the future, the Cardinals are embracing the grind of a rebuild. It’s not always pretty, and it’s certainly not easy, but as Thursday’s win showed, there’s still plenty of fight—and a few fireworks—left in St. Louis.
