Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals
Official starting lineups are published a few hours before first pitch. They will appear here and on the lineup page as soon as they are posted.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals (2026-08-29). Lake Bachar vs Kyle Leahy at Busch Stadium.
Lake Bachar brings swing-and-miss ability with a 9.25 K/9 rate to the table. Across 73 innings, he holds a 1-3 record, a 3.70 ERA, and a 1.11 WHIP alongside 3.70 BB/9 and 1.48 HR9. His last three outings produced lines of 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB; 2 IP, 1 ER, 1 K, 3 BB; and 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 K, 3 BB, showing a downward trend. Kyle Leahy relies on solid command, demonstrated by his 2.64 BB/9. Through 126.1 innings of work, the right-hander has compiled a 10-4 record, a 3.13 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and an 8.19 K/9. Over his previous three appearances, he recorded 4 IP, 0 ER, 4 K, 2 BB; 5 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB; and 5 IP, 1 ER, 6 K, 0 BB while limiting home runs to a 0.85 HR9 on the season.
The Pirates offense enters with a .732 OPS, 658 total runs scored, and a .252 team batting average, backed by a pitching staff that carries a 4.21 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP after going 4-6 over their last 10 games. St. Louis counters with a .699 team OPS, 604 runs, and a .241 batting average, supported by a pitching unit that has logged a 4.22 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and an identical 4-6 mark over their past 10 contests.
