The St. Louis Cardinals achieved some ugly history on Thursday with their 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates . It was their 82nd loss of the year, which made back-to-back losing seasons official. They now have finished under .500 iin three of the last four years dating back to 2023.
However, the season is not over yet. Next up is a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. The Brewers have officially clinched the best record in Major League Baseball, so they may be resting some of their regulars. Here are the probable starters for St. Louis in each of the three games.
Sep 7, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) walks to the dugout after a pitching change in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Michael McGreey's first full year in the Cardinals' rotation has largely been a success. He is 7-9 with a 3.84 ERA in 30 starts with the Cardinals this season. He'll go up against Robert Gasser in Milwaukee on Friday.
The Cardinals selected McGreevy in the 2021 draft and he made his debut three years later. His last start against the Washington Nationals did not go according to plan, as he allowed two runs over just four innings.
The Cardinals will hope for a deeper performance from the right-hander on Friday as they try to finish the season strong and win one more series. McGreevy has covered 164 innings and struck out 113 batters this season. With Kyle Leahy's season over , McGreevy is the team's most dependable starter.
Sep 20, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Quinn Mathews (60) delivers against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Each time Quinn Mathews has taken the mound for St. Louis, he has seemingly gotten better . Aside from one blowup outing in Philadelphia , Mathews is showing that he can be counted on as a member of the Cardinals' starting rotation.
In fact, he made it through seven innings in his last start against the Washington Nationals as the Cardinals completed a comeback win. The left-hander continues to show signs of promise and strengthen his case to be part of the rotation in 2027.
For the first time in years, the Cardinals have a lot of promising starting pitching depth, so it will be interesting to see how that is used, but Mathews will have one last chance to finish his season strong and solidify himself as a member of the rotation.
Sep 22, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Andre Pallante was the hard-luck loser on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, though he allowed just one run over six innings. 2026 has been a big bounce-back year for the right-hander after he struggled in 2025. He'll have a chance to close his season strong and go into the offseason with a little extra confidence.
He'll face Jacob Misiorowski in the season finale as the Cardinals try to at least finish with 80 wins. Pallante is a pitcher that is good at keeping the ball on the ground and using his defense to his advantage, and if he can keep that up, Sunday should be a good pitching matchup.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as Cardinals' Probable Starters for Final Weekend vs. Brewers .
