The Pittsburgh Pirates shut out the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at PNC Park behind a dominant seven-inning performance from Jared Jones. Jones allowed just one hit and walked nobody while striking out nine Cardinals batters, and the Pittsburgh bullpen finished the job without yielding a single run. The win came in a division matchup that matters in the final stretch of the 2026 regular season, with the Pirates getting exactly the kind of complete-game effort they needed.

Jared Jones Delivers a Near-Flawless Start Against St. Louis

Jones was sharp from the first pitch. Over seven innings, he held the Cardinals to one hit, issued zero walks, and punched out nine — a performance that kept St. Louis completely off-balance. When your starter gives you seven innings of one-hit ball without putting a single runner on base via a free pass, you don't need much offense. The Pirates gave him just enough.

Konnor Griffin was Pittsburgh's most productive bat on the night, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Griffin's hits were part of a Pirates offense that scratched out two runs against Cardinals starter Andre Pallante, who allowed one earned run over six innings on three hits and two walks. St. Louis turned to Justin Bruihl in relief, and that's where Pittsburgh added its second run — Bruihl gave up one hit and one walk across two-thirds of an inning while surrendering an earned run.

Pittsburgh Bullpen Slams the Door in the Eighth and Ninth

With Jones's night done after seven, manager handed the ball to Luke Weaver for the eighth. Weaver was electric — three strikeouts, no hits, one walk in a clean inning of work. Gregory Soto then closed it out in the ninth, striking out two of the three batters he faced while allowing one walk. Soto earned the save. The Pirates pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts and held St. Louis hitless over the final eight innings of the ballgame.

Pirates Pitching Staff Combined Line

  • Jared Jones (W): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
  • Luke Weaver: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
  • Gregory Soto (SV): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Turning Point: Jones Cruises Through the Cardinals Lineup

There wasn't a single dramatic moment that shifted this game — Jones simply never let it get competitive. By the time he exited after seven with a two-run cushion and a Cardinals lineup that had mustered one hit all night, the outcome felt locked in. The turning point was the complete absence of one. Pittsburgh got out to an early lead, Jones protected it, and the bullpen didn't let St. Louis back in the door.

Pallante took the loss for St. Louis after giving up the game's first run across six innings. Bruihl surrendered the second run in relief, and while Cade Winquest worked a scoreless 1.1 innings to finish the game for the Cardinals, the damage was already done.

What's Next for the Pirates

Pittsburgh continues this home series against St. Louis at PNC Park. The Pirates got an outstanding starting pitching performance on Tuesday night and will look to build on it as the 2026 regular season winds toward its conclusion. For Jones, Tuesday's line — seven innings, one hit, nine strikeouts, zero walks — is the kind of outing that defines a pitching staff's identity when it matters most.