St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Pick & Prediction APRIL 9th 2025
Preview and Prediction
Erick Fedde and Mitch Keller both had unremarkable starts in their previous outings.
They will have the opportunity to redeem themselves when they face off on Wednesday afternoon, as Fedde's St. Louis Cardinals take on Keller's Pittsburgh Pirates in the deciding game of their three-game series.
The Cardinals were able to even the series and break a four-game losing streak with a 5-3 win on Tuesday night, as Pirates' ace Paul Skenes gave up a career-high five runs.
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St. Louis may need their bats to stay hot if Fedde continues to struggle.
Fedde (1-1, 7.00 ERA) allowed six runs on five hits and four walks in just three innings in his last start against the Boston Red Sox on Friday. This was a stark contrast to his previous start, where he only gave up one run in six innings against the Minnesota Twins on March 29.
"I mean, it would be nice to get some strikeouts, but they just haven't been there for me lately. It's something I need to work on," Fedde said after his poor outing. "I just have to put this one behind me and focus on getting better."
In his career, Fedde has a 1-0 record with a 2.81 ERA in three games against the Pirates.
Keller (1-1, 7.45 ERA) also struggled to follow up a quality start in his last outing. After pitching six strong innings and only allowing one run against the Miami Marlins on March 28, Keller lasted just 3 2/3 innings against the New York Yankees on Friday. He gave up seven runs on eight hits and four walks in a 9-4 loss.
"I need to throw more strikes earlier in the count. That was the main issue. I was getting behind, then a couple walks, hit-by-pitches, and some broken-bat singles and ground balls up the middle. It's just frustrating because I wasn't getting hit hard," Keller said after the game.
In his 13 starts against the Cardinals, Keller has a 2-3 record with a 3.72 ERA.
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St. Louis' offense came alive on Tuesday after being held in check on Monday during an 8-4 loss. Victor Scott II's two hits, including a two-run triple off Skenes in the third inning, helped spark the team's resurgence.
Scott, who has a .297 average this season, is looking for more consistency after a 2024 season where he bounced between the minors and majors.
"I took a lot of my failures to heart and had to look at myself and ask, 'How can I improve? What do I need to work on? And how can I elevate my game?" Scott said. "The product that everyone saw in spring training and will continue to see throughout the year is a different player."
The Pirates are hoping to see a different Jack Suwinski in the series finale. The outfielder batted leadoff for the second time this season on Tuesday, but went 0-for-2, bringing his average down to .130 (3-for-23) with no home runs and one RBI.
"We just need to get him to be more aggressive," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We need to continue to push him to be more aggressive and get his swing going. Because when he gets his swing going, he hits the ball hard."
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Recap APR 9TH 2025
Joey Bart's walk-off single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 13th inning lifted the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 2-1 comeback victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon.
Bart lifted a deep fly ball, which landed just out of the reach of left fielder Lars Nootbar to allow Alexander Canario to score easily.
It was Bart's first career walk-off hit.
The Pirates loaded the bases after Canario and Bryan Reynolds drew walks, moving automatic runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa to third. Andrew McCutchen grounded to second and Kiner-Falefa was retired on a force out at the plate. But then Bart delivered one batter later off reliever Chris Roycroft (0-2).
The Pirates took two of three from their National League Central division rivals and won despite being no-hit for 6 2/3 innings and one-hit for 8 2/3 innings.
Cardinals' starter Erick Fedde, who walked four and struck out two, was pulled after six no-hit innings and 88 pitches.
Reliever Phil Maton came in to replace Fedde and picked up a pair of strikeouts, but then Endy Rodriguez singled to right to end the no-hit bid.
Pirates starter Mitch Keller put together his own stellar outing, allowing four hits and one walk over 7 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out six.
Wednesday's game was the first to reach the 12th inning scoreless since the automatic runner in extra innings rule was instituted.
Jordan Walker's RBI single in the top of the 12th off Justin Lawrence (1-0) gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. The Pirates answered, however, in the bottom half when Tommy Pham singled to score Ke'Bryan Hayes to tie the game.
Bart's heroics came after he was involved in a scary moment in the top of the eighth.
Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras popped up near the plate. Rodriguez came racing in from first base to try and catch it and collided with Bart, allowing the ball to drop in fair territory. Hayes, however, made a heads-up play and tagged out Thomas Saggese before he could cross the plate to end the inning.
Both Bart and Rodriguez were down for a few seconds but remained in the game.