Pirates
Pirates Offense Finally Breaks Though in Win Over Cardinals; Mlodzinski Sharp
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates set a season-high in runs to back a strong effort from Carmen Mlodzinski in their 8-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at PNC Park.
How We Got There
Joey Bart quickly got the Pirates (4-7) on the board with a solo home run off Matthew Liberatore (0-1) in the bottom of the first inning, his first of the season.
A Bart Blast đź’Ą pic.twitter.com/893WoexQHz
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 7, 2025
The Pirates scored three more times the following inning. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa plated a pair with a single to right field and scored on a Ke’Bryan Hayes base hit to center field.Â
Mlodzinski (1-1) kept the Cardinals (4-6) off the board until the fifth inning, when Brendan Donovan came through with a two-out RBI single.
Thomas Harrington, who made his second-career appearance, piggy-backed off Mlodzinski and allowed a solo home run to Yohel Poxo in the sixth. He covered the final 4.0 innings and recorded his first-career save.Â
The Pirates added plenty of insurance in the bottom of the seventh, first on Andrew McCutchen’s two-run double. McCutchen’s double was followed by an RBI triple off the fence in right-center. Bart scored on an Oneil Cruz sacrifice fly to give the Pirates an 8-2 lead.
The Cardinals tacked a run in the top of the eighth on a Jordan Walker groundout with runners on the corners. In the top of the ninth, Masyn Winn hit a solo home run but Harrington struck out the next to batters to end the game.
Key Moment
The Cardinals had the tying run at the plate against Mlodzinski in the top of the fifth inning. Facing what was likely his final batter of the night, the Pirates’ starter induced a weak flyout against Alec Burleson to end the threat.Â
Star of the Game
In addition to Joey Bart completing the two hardest legs of the cycle, he did a good job calling the game for a converted reliever making the start and a rookie pitcher tasked with eating innings out of the bullpen.
Notable Pirates’ Performances
- Carmen Mlodzinski: 5.0 innings, five hits, one run, two walks, six strikeouts, 92 pitches/54 strikes
- Joey Bart: 2 for 4, one triple, one home run, two RBIs, one run
- Andrew McCutchen: 2 for 4, one double, two RBIs, one run
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 2 for 4, two RBIs, two runs
- Endy RodrĂguez: 2 for 4, one double one run
Stat to Know
Joey Bart’s triple was the first he’s had since 9/23/20 while with the Giants. It also marked the first time Bart recorded a triple and a stolen base in the same season.
Noteworthy
- The win marked the first time this season the Pirates won back-to-back games.
- Ke’Bryan Hayes extended his hitting streak to six games with his RBI single in the second. It’s his longest streak since hitting safely in six-straight games from 9/30/2023 to 4/1/2024.
- The Pirates promoted INF Tsung-Che Cheng from Indianapolis. INF Jared Triolo (lumbar spine strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list.Â
Up Next
RHP Paul Skenes (1-0, 1.46 ERA) will make his third start of the season and his first at home on Tuesday night. RHP Sonny Gray (1-0, 5.73 ERA) will start for the Cardinals. First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET.Â
I’d love to see Cheng get a shot at shortstop. I like IKF in a utility role, but he just can’t play shortstop everyday. A right handed batter beat out a pretty routine grounder to short last night. He doesn’t have a real strong arm, and his release takes a while. He comes over the top. Harold Reynolds was saying this last night, too on MLB Network. He thinks they should move Cruz back into the infield.