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Today · 12:35 PM ETLineup pendingNL Central

St. Louis Cardinals   vs   Pittsburgh Pirates Preview

September 24, 2026

Starting pitchers, lineup status, recent form and weather at PNC Park.

12:35 PM ET · PNC ParkStats availableLineups not confirmed
T-Score41
St. Louis Cardinals
76–80 · 4th NL Central · T-Score 41
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First pitch 12:35 PM ET
Pittsburgh Pirates
79–77 · 3rd NL Central · T-Score 54
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T-Score54
First pitch 12:35 PM ET

Matchup at a glance

PitcherStat calculation
CategoryComparisonWhy
Starting pitcherPiratesThe starters are close overall, but Skenes owns the better strikeout and control profile.
Offense vs handPiratesPittsburgh has produced the stronger offense against right-handed pitching.
Team strengthPiratesPittsburgh leads 54–41 in T-Score, driven by stronger offense.
WeatherLow impact64°F, wind 8 mph, no precipitation expected at first pitch.

Starting pitchers

STL
Kyle Leahy RHP
Kyle Leahy
St. Louis Cardinals
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.65
65th
WHIP
1.34
126th
K/9
8.41
96th
BB/9
2.67
63rd
P-Score57i
FIP
3.50
HR/9
0.98
67th
OPS/R
0.588
IP
138.0
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA2.79
Road ERA3.94
Last 5 starts
PIT
Paul Skenes RHP
Paul Skenes
Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.91
90th
WHIP
1.13
40th
K/9
10.29
29th
BB/9
2.52
53rd
P-Score66i
FIP
3.23
HR/9
1.02
78th
OPS/R
0.673
IP
168.0
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA3.70
Road ERA3.87
Last 5 starts
How the starters differ
·Skenes owns a 10.3 K/9 compared with Leahy's 8.4.
·Skenes allows fewer baserunners, with a 1.13 WHIP compared with 1.34.
·Leahy enters with a 3.94 road ERA; Skenes owns a 3.70 ERA at home.
Advanced starter metricsERA−, FIP, WAR, career vs opponent
MetricLeahySkenesNote
ERA−8187Park- and league-adjusted; 100 is average.
FIP3.503.23
WAR2.64.1Season value.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

Leahy arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam26%94.2
Curveball16%83.1
Slider16%89.4
Changeup15%88.6
Sweeper14%84.8
Sinker13%94.2
Skenes arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam41%96.8
Sweeper15%84.3
Changeup13%88.7
Sinker12%96.6
Splitter11%93.2
Slider8%86.7
Curveball0%81.8

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Cardinals vs RHP (Paul Skenes)
27th
in MLB
0.691OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000
Pirates vs RHP (Kyle Leahy)
4th
in MLB
0.755OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000

Lineups

Lineup pendingOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page
Lineups not announced

Neither club has posted a batting order. Handedness composition, H-Score leaders and batter-vs-pitcher samples appear here as soon as the first order is filed — typically two to three hours before first pitch.

Team comparison

ResultsSTLSTL·PITPIT
+20919th
Run differential
+26612th
76–80 Record79–77
Last 10 games
St. Louis Cardinals (0–0)
Pittsburgh Pirates (0–0)
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
0—0
0 Games Played

Frequently asked

Who is starting for the Cardinals?+
Kyle Leahy is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Pirates?+
Paul Skenes is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
12:35 PM ET at PNC Park.
Where is the game being played?+
PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not yet. Orders appear here when they are posted.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Kyle Leahy is at 57; Paul Skenes is at 66. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.