(Photo credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

The St. Louis Cardinals are giving many young players an opportunity to advance themselves during this transition year, and rookie pitcher Michael McGreevy is taking full advantage.

McGreevy (5-2, 4.26 ERA) is 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA in four August starts. The right-hander has worked six innings in each of those outings while meeting the quality start metric in three of them.

He will try to build on that success when the Cardinals host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night to open a four-game series.

McGreevy's development is crucial for an organization that lost pitching prospects Tekoah Roby, Sem Robberse and Cooper Hjerpe to Tommy John surgery this year. Injuries also limited top prospect Tink Hence to 10 2/3 innings at Double-A Springfield this season. The organization's 2024 Pitcher of the Year, Quinn Mathews, missed time with shoulder soreness.

The Cardinals needed McGreevy to step up, and he did. He went 8-3 with a 3.72 ERA at Triple-A Memphis, then moved into the Cardinals rotation to replace Erick Fedde and make a smooth transition to the major leagues.

'I've given you guys repetitive answers, but it's sticking to that routine in the big leagues and learning how to be a big leaguer,' said McGreevy, 25. 'Facing big league teams in big league stadiums. Just feeling comfortable with yourself and let yourself know you can play up here and continue to execute when you can.'

This will be his first career start against the Pirates. McGreevy earned a relief victory against them last season while holding them to two hits in three scoreless innings in a 10-5 game last Sept. 18.

While the Cardinals have lost eight of their past 11 games to fade in the National League wild-card race, the Pirates roll into St. Louis with a four-game winning streak. They swept the Colorado Rockies at home by a combined score of 18-1 during their three-game weekend series.

'It's been a lot of contributions throughout on the pitching staff,' Pirates manager Don Kelly said after his team's 4-0 victory Sunday. 'We've talked a lot about it. It's a foundation for us -- pitching and defense.'

Pittsburgh will counter McGreevy with Johan Oviedo (1-0, 4.50 ERA), a right-hander who will make this third start of the season. Oviedo held the Toronto Blue Jays to one run on five hits in his most recent start, a 2-1 win on Wednesday.

That was his first victory since Sept. 21, 2023. Oviedo missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, then suffered a severe lat strain that set him back this spring.

'It feels amazing,' Oviedo said. 'I want to thank all the people who have been involved in the last year and a half. I just blessed and happy to be back. ... It was a good welcome by everybody.'

The key to his success against the Blue Jays, Oviedo said, was: 'Don't try to let my emotions control me today. Try to stick with the game plan and be positive and execute and focus on the next pitch.'

Oviedo, who started his career with the Cardinals, is 1-3 with a 3.16 ERA in five career starts against his former team.

--Field Level Media--Field Level Media