The Cardinals close out the Pirates series with a 2-1 loss

The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on September 24, 2026, to close out their series. Alec Burleson provided the lone run for the Cardinals with a solo home run in the first inning. Pittsburgh answered back in the bottom of the frame to level the score at 1-1 before Paul Skenes and the Pirates bullpen kept St. Louis scoreless the rest of the game.

Skenes pitched into the seventh inning, striking out eight batters to record his 200th strikeout of the season. The Pirates capitalized on a walk, wild pitch, error, and a sacrifice fly by Spencer Horwitz against Cardinals reliever Ryne Stanek in the eighth inning to score the decisive unearned run, after which Colin Montgomery struck out the side to secure the victory.