Cardinals at Pirates
The St. Louis Cardinals need every win they can get in a tight race for the second National League wild card spot and are taking advantage of the teams at the bottom of their division. The Cardinals will try to win their fifth straight game and keep the pressure on the Colorado Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers when they visit the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
The last four wins have come against the last-place Cincinnati Reds and the Pirates, who sit in fourth place in the NL Central. After piling up 25 runs in the three-game sweep at Cincinnati, St. Louis had to push two runs across in the top of the ninth on Friday at Pittsburgh to escape with a 4-3 win - moving a half-game ahead of the Brewers and staying within 1 1/2 games of the Rockies. The loss was the eighth in nine games and the 13th in the last 15 contests for the Pirates, who have scored three or fewer runs in each of those 13 setbacks. Pittsburgh's offense will try to provide some support on Saturday for ace Gerrit Cole, who goes up against Cardinals righty Lance Lynn.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (11-7, 3.09 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (11-11, 4.13)
Lynn made it through only four innings at the Chicago Cubs on Sunday and allowed three runs on five hits and four walks without factoring in the decision. The 30-year-old failed to complete six innings in either of his last two turns and yielded a home run in each. Lynn tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings at Pittsburgh on July 15 and held the Pirates scoreless in two of three starts this season.
Cole is 0-3 in his last four starts and surrendered at least four runs in each of the losses. The former No. 1 overall pick allowed four runs at Cincinnati on Sunday on just three hits - two home runs - and four walks. Cole yielded at least one home run in each of his three starts against St. Louis this year, but held the Cardinals to a 2.50 ERA while going 1-1 in those three turns.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cardinals CF Dexter Fowler is 13-for-25 with three homers and 11 RBIs over his last six games.
2. Pittsburgh 1B Josh Bell is 2-for-21 with eight strikeouts in his last six contests.
3. St. Louis RHP and former Pirate Juan Nicasio has tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings against his former club since being released at the end of August.