Pirates Shut Out Cardinals

Michael McGreevy throwing a pitch. His Cardinals were shut out by the Pirates Wednesday.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

May 20, 2026

Pirates 7, Cardinals 0

The Pittsburgh Pirates evened the series with a decisive 7–0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night. Pittsburgh collected 15 hits, controlled the game from the mound, and broke it open with a four‑run eighth inning. Carmen Mlodzinski set the tone with five scoreless innings, and Konnor Griffin led the offense with a four‑hit performance.

Mlodzinski Silences the Cardinals

Mlodzinski held the Cardinals to four hits across five scoreless innings on 95 pitches. He walked one and struck out one, but the key was his ability to avoid hard contact. Cardinals hitters rarely squared him up, and the Pirates relief unit finished the job. Evan Sisk, Dennis Santana, Justin Lawrence, and Yohan Ramírez combined for four scoreless innings and allowed one hit.

McGreevy Overwhelmed by Contact

Michael McGreevy kept the game within reach early, but the Pirates eventually caught up to him with steady contact. He allowed three runs on 10 hits in five innings with one walk and one strikeout. The Pirates put the ball in play throughout his outing, and McGreevy struggled to generate swing‑and‑miss.

Matt Svanson entered in the eighth and the game unraveled immediately. He allowed five hits and four earned runs in 2/3 of an inning, turning a manageable 3–0 deficit into a 7–0 margin. Pittsburgh sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning.

What Went Right for the Cardinals

Wetherholt Stays Productive

JJ Wetherholt recorded two of the Cardinals’ five hits, finishing two‑for‑four. He has now reached base in consecutive games and continued to put the ball in play on a night when the lineup struggled.

Bruihl Gives Needed Stability

Justin Bruihl delivered two scoreless innings with two strikeouts on 23 pitches. With the relief corps taxed after Tuesday’s extra‑inning win, Bruihl’s efficiency prevented the deficit from growing even larger.

What Went Wrong for the Cardinals

Offense Never Threatened

The Cardinals cracked five hits and went 0‑for‑5 with runners in scoring position. Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Cesar Prieto were all held hitless.

The Disastrous Eighth

With the Cardinals trailing 3-0, Svanson immediately lost control of the game. Five hits and four earned runs in 2/3 of an inning erased any remaining chance of a comeback. The inning shifted the game from competitive to out of reach.

McGreevy Allowed Too Much Contact

One strikeout in five innings left McGreevy with little margin for error. Ten hits allowed is a clear indicator that Pirates hitters were consistently on time. He will need to find ways to induce weaker contact as the season progresses.

Quick Hits

Konnor Griffin went 4‑for‑5 with three runs scored — the top individual performance of the night.
Nick Gonzales drove in two runs, and Bryan Reynolds added two RBI on a double.
The Cardinals fell to 26–19.
The Pirates improved to 25–20 and evened the series.