Cardinals swept by Pirates in a 5-0 shutout loss on July 2, 2025. Sonny Gray faltered late as Mitch Keller dominated, leaving St. Louis bats silent. Read more.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Well, that was ugly. There's no other way to put it. The St. Louis Cardinals stumbled into PNC Park with a chance to win a series and instead walked out with a broom mark on their backs, getting shut out 5-0 by the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete a dispiriting three-game sweep. The offense, a source of frustration all series, completely vanished, mustering just five hits and leaving a goose egg on the scoreboard.
The box score tells the brutal truth: The Cardinals went a combined 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Sonny Gray was solid for much of the game, but the wheels came off in a disastrous four-run 7th inning. A pair of RBI singles from former Cardinal Tommy Pham and a back-breaking two-run single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa put the game out of reach. On the other side, Pirates starter Mitch Keller was masterful, carving up the Cardinals' lineup for seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts. The Redbirds had no answers, with Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, and Lars Nootbaar managing lonely singles that went nowhere. The loss drops the team to 47-41, putting them in a precarious third-place spot in the NL Central.
While the big-league club struggled, there was reason for optimism down on the farm. The minor league system posted a strong 4-2 record, led by the continuing power surge of Deniel Ortiz. The reigning Florida State League Player of the Week, celebrated on social media by the Palm Beach Cardinals, smashed his seventh home run of the season. Ortiz wasn't alone; Jose Cordoba had a two-hit day, and pitcher Domenic Picone earned a win in his system debut with four scoreless relief innings. It's a crucial reminder that while the present may be frustrating, the future holds some exciting talent.
The sweep only amplifies the whispers surrounding the upcoming trade deadline. Rumors persist that the front office could look to move starter Erick Fedde for prospects, potentially promoting Michael McGreevy to fill the rotation spot. The bullpen's inconsistency also has many believing a trade for a reliable arm is a top priority. Meanwhile, the injury report remains a lengthy read, with Willson Contreras, Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker, and Zack Thompson all on the mend. The one bit of good news is Nolan Arenado's finger injury seems minor, as he returned to the lineup as DH earlier this week.
This sweep is a gut punch, dropping the Cardinals to 47-41 and raising serious questions about this team's ability to contend. They need to shake this off immediately and find some offensive life. With the trade deadline now less than a month away, every game carries more weight. The front office has some big decisions to make, and fast. Is this team a buyer, a seller, or something in between? The next few series could very well decide the fate of the 2025 season.
