Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction for Thursday May 21 2026

By: Eddie Kline Published 05/21/2026, 12:40 AM ET
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Pirates Preview

NL Central Division rivals will clash on Thursday afternoon, when the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals conclude their series from Busch Stadium. Be ready for the baseball season with all of our MLB predictions. The Pirates (25-24) are a game above .500 on the road and are trying to climb out of last place. Last night, rookie SS Konnor Griffin collected four of Pittsburgh’s 15 hits and scored three times during a 7-0 road triumph against St. Louis.

Twenty-six year old righty Braxton Ashcraft (2-2 3.09 ERA) will take the mound for the Pirates in this matchup. In his last start, Ashcraft (6.2 IP) gave up seven hits and four runs during an 11-9 home loss versus Philadelphia.

Cardinals Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals are a game above .500 at home and trail division leading Milwaukee by 1.5 games. During Wednesday’s home loss, St. Louis batters went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. SP Michael McGreevy (3-3) was roughed up for ten hits in five innings and took the loss for the Cardinals (28-20).

St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol will give the nod to twenty-eight year old righty Dustin May (3-4 4.81 ERA) on Thursday. Last time out, May (6 IP) allowed four hits and three runs during a 5-4 home victory versus Kansas City.

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Pirates vs Cardinals Pick

Pittsburgh OF Ryan O’Hearn has landed on the 10-day injured list with a right quadriceps strain and could miss four weeks. Through 49 games, Pittsburgh ranks 10th in OPS and 6th in runs scored. For the season, St. Louis ranks 11th in OPS and 11th in runs scored. Take the Pirates to win on the road. Final Score Prediction, Pittsburgh Pirates win 4-3.

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