Cardinals at Pirates
Considering a 1-7 stretch over the previous 1 1/2 weeks dampened their spirits following an 11-4 start, the Pittsburgh Pirates picked a fine time to post their first two walk-off wins of the season in succession. The Pirates take aim at a fourth straight victory overall on Saturday, when they continue their three-game series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Pittsburgh dropped a 13-10 decision on Wednesday for its fifth straight loss in the first game of a doubleheader against Detroit before stopping its slide in the nightcap. The Pirates notched their second straight win over the Tigers the next day, when Corey Dickerson ended a scoreless tie with a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Pittsburgh kept the good late-inning vibes going in Friday's opener when Starling Marte delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the bottom of the 11th to complete a late rally and beat the Cardinals. The setback for St. Louis was only its third in 13 contests, but the club has to be a bit concerned about its bullpen after closer Greg Holland coughed up a three-run lead in the ninth while failing to record an out. Marcell Ozuna has settled into a nice groove recently for the Cardinals, however, going 6-for-15 with five RBIs over his last three games.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Jack Flaherty (0-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Trevor Williams (3-1, 2.15)
Entering his seventh big-league start, Flaherty will try to nail down his first career victory while taking his second turn of 2018 in place of the injured Adam Wainwright. The Cardinals' 2014 first-round draft pick was sharp in his season debut at Milwaukee on April 3, allowing one run and six hits while striking out nine over five innings. Flaherty won all three of his starts at Triple-A Memphis since his demotion on April 4, posting a 2.25 ERA and 22 strikeouts across 20 innings.
Williams allowed only one hit and tied a career high with seven strikeouts in six frames Sunday at Philadelphia, but he was tagged for two runs in a no-decision in large part because he issued five free passes for the second time this season. The 26-year-old Arizona State product is tied for 12th in the majors in walks (15), offsetting the fact he has produced four quality starts in five tries so far. Williams had no luck in solving the Cardinals last season, going 0-2 with an 8.78 ERA in three starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Cardinals are the only team in the majors that has failed to hit a triple.
2. The Pirates on Friday won for the first time in 11 tries this season when trailing after eight innings.
3. Pittsburgh is hitting .300 as a team with 18 homers and 79 runs scored in its last 14 home games against St. Louis.