The Pirates and Cardinals open their weekend series Friday night, August 28, 2026, with Jared Jones scheduled to face Quinn Mathews in a matchup that gives the first game immediate weight.
St. Louis is trying to climb out of a recent tailspin, while Pittsburgh arrives after a three-game set against the Padres. The Cardinals also enter the series with a roster hit by injuries, including Hunter Dobbins being shut down and Blaze Jordan possibly facing a season-ending ankle injury. That matters here because it affects how flexible St. Louis can be if the game gets into the bullpen early.
Friday night sets the tone
Jones has had an uneven stretch, going 2-5 with a 4.76 ERA and 77 strikeouts. His last two outings show the range of his recent work. On August 22 against the Dodgers, he allowed three hits and two earned runs in four innings, but he also walked five. Before that, he threw six innings on August 24 against the Padres, giving up four hits and one earned run while striking out two and walking one.
Mathews brings a very different statistical profile into the matchup. He is 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA and 13 strikeouts, so Friday's opener is a chance for St. Louis to put pressure on a starter still looking for steadier results. The Cardinals may not need a bullpen game in this series, but the health of the roster still makes pitching depth a storyline to watch.
What the recent form says
The Cardinals won the final game of their series against Baltimore to stop the skid, but they are still searching for more consistency. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, was shut out 3-0 on Wednesday and managed just five hits. That leaves both clubs with reasons to treat the opener as more than a routine Friday night game.
Jones against Mathews gives the series a clear starting point. If Jones can build on the better of his last two outings, Pittsburgh has a chance to control the pace early. If Mathews settles in and keeps the Cardinals from getting comfortable, St. Louis can give itself a needed boost as it tries to move past its recent rough patch.
Saturday afternoon’s game is scheduled to feature TBD against Kyle Leahy, and Sunday afternoon’s finale is set for Braxton Ashcraft against Matthew Liberatore.
