Pittsburgh at St. Louis - May 3^rd 2015 2:15 PM ^ET Preview

St. Louis and Pittsburgh are having some trouble figuring things out in nine innings, and the Cardinals are getting the better end of the bullpen performances. St. Louis will go for the sweep when it hosts the Pirates in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday.

The Cardinals took each of the first two games 2-1 in extra innings, with Friday’s affair going 10 and Saturday’s contest lasting into the 11th before Matt Carpenter’s sacrifice fly brought in the winning run. St. Louis did not have a hit in Saturday’s game until Peter Bourjos singled leading off the sixth, and Pittsburgh squandered an eight-inning effort from starter Francisco Liriano. After going 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position on Friday, the Pirates slumped to 1-for-13 in that situation Saturday while leaving 18 runners on base. Pittsburgh is 1-4 in its last five games and has totaled four runs in the four losses.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh) FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Vance Worley (2-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (4-0, 2.42)

Worley has wedged two strong efforts between two tough outings in his four starts this season. The California native was reached for four runs and nine hits in six innings to suffer a loss at the Chicago Cubs on Monday. Worley has not fared well in three career starts against St. Louis, allowing a total of nine runs, 24 hits and five walks in 16 1/3 innings.

Wacha is coming off his worst start of the young season, a 5 2/3-inning stint against Philadelphia on Monday in which he was reached for four runs and six hits. The Texas A&M product had allowed one run and five hits in each of his first three turns. Wacha is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three career games (two starts) against Pittsburgh.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen has hit safely in four straight games to lift his batting average to .198.

2. Cardinals 1B Matt Adams singled in a pinch-hitting appearance on Saturday and is 10-for-19 in his last five games.

3. Pittsburgh has dropped 15 of its last 18 at St. Louis.