Pirates bullpen allows 3 homers in walk-off loss to Cardinals as skid reaches 4

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 19, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ST. LOUIS — For much of the game, it seemed the Pirates’ weakness against lefties would cost them the decision.

When that flipped, it was their weakness in the bullpen that proved decisive.

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pirates, 9-6, in 10 innings on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium, as Ivan Herrera’s walk-off, three-run homer off Mason Montgomery sent the Pirates to their fourth consecutive loss. Three Pirates relievers allowed homers — directly resulting in six St. Louis runs — in another deflating defeat.

At first, lefty starter Matthew Liberatore dominated the Pirates through four innings until Pittsburgh took a 4-3 lead in the fifth, but the bullpen issues started immediately.

Don Kelly pulled Mitch Keller with two outs, a runner on first and lefty Nolan Gorman due up, but Evan Sisk left a sinker down the middle for a go-ahead two-run homer. Brandan Bidois allowed an Alec Burleson solo homer in the eighth, albeit on a pitch far out of the strike zone. Then came Herrera’s walk-off blast, on an 0-2 curveball Montgomery left in the middle of the zone.

With the loss, the Pirates dropped to 24-24 on the season. They’ve lost seven of their past 10. They’re now 1-17 when trailing after six innings.

Keller wasn’t his sharpest, but he kept the Pirates in the ballgame. He was charged with four runs on four hits and a walk, striking out three. If he had been kept in and had retired Gorman, he would have recorded his seventh quality start, tying him for the second most in the league.

The Cardinals took a 3-0 lead against Keller through four innings. Mars product JJ Wetherholt continued his early dominance of his hometown team with a two-run homer, then consecutive singles in the fourth put runners on the corners for Gorman. Gorman grounded into a double play, but brought in a run.

The Pirates finally found answers against Liberatore in the fifth. Liberatore struck out five of the first six batters he faced and finished with a career-high nine, but the Pirates batted around against him in the fifth and chased him from the game. Brandon Lowe and Jared Triolo singled, with Lowe coming home on a Liberatore wild pitch. Bryan Reynolds scored Triolo and Nick Gonzales with a double before Oneil Cruz singled home Reynolds.

Three Pirates had multiple hits against the lefty Liberatore: Cruz, Triolo and Lowe. Triolo finished 3 for 4 with three singles.

The Pirates scored two runs off Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien in the top of the ninth to tie it, although they couldn’t do more after loading the bases with no outs. Marcell Ozuna grounded into a double play before Spencer Horwitz’s pinch-hit RBI single, then Gregory Soto struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras.

It was over when ...

… the Pirates couldn’t score in the 10th. Jake Mangum struck out on three pitches as the automatic runner, Endy Rodriguez flew out and Nick Gonzales grounded out before Herrera’s game-winner.

On the mound

The run Sisk allowed was the first he allowed in May, but it’s certainly one he’ll want back. He left a 91-mph sinker directly over the middle to Gorman, one Gorman hit 437 feet.

Bidois made his first road appearance and struck out Herrera on three pitches, getting Sisk out of a seventh-inning jam, before the homer.

At the plate

The Pirates had 12 hits, encouraging after consecutive shutouts during the weekend, but the Cardinals did more with less (nine runs on nine hits).

The Pirates went 3 for 17 with runners in scoring position. Jhostynxon Garcia, making his Pirates debut, went 1 for 4 but left three runners in scoring position.

Most valuable player

Burleson, who went 2 for 3 and scored three of the Cardinals’ six runs.

Up next

The Pirates will look to stop their slide at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday with Carmen Mlodzinski (3-3, 4.40 ERA) on the hill. The Cardinals will counter with right-hander Michael McGreevey (3-2, 2.10).