Cardinals at Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates fans have been patient as right-hander Joe Musgrove worked his way back to form after nursing a strained right shoulder that lingered from spring training into the season. Musgrove, who was a key part of the Gerrit Cole trade to Houston, will make his debut on Friday as the Pirates (27-22) begin a six-game homestand with the opener of a three-game series versus the St. Louis Cardinals (26-21).
"I'm tired of traveling. I'm tired of not being here contributing. So I'm ready to do my part," Musgrove told reporters following the conclusion of his four-start rehab assignment. Musgrove's debut will need to be sterling to match the impact of rookie Austin Meadows (11-for-25, five RBIs, four runs scored), who belted his third homer in six games since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis - albeit in Thursday's 5-4 setback in Cincinnati. While Pittsburgh has dropped five of six, St. Louis isn't throwing any parties as it mustered just three runs in losing back-to-back contests to Kansas City to fall to 4-7 over its last 11. Marcell Ozuna overslept and was a late scratch in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Royals, but is expected back in the lineup on Friday versus a Pittsburgh team against which he went 4-for-12 with three RBIs in last month's three-game sweep by the Pirates.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH John Gant (1-1, 4.67 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Joe Musgrove (2017: 7-8, 4.77)
Gant, who is filling in for the injured Adam Wainwright, endured his toughest outing of the season on Saturday as he was gashed for five runs on four hits - including a homer - in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision against Philadelphia. The 25-year-old's lone positive in that contest were his career-best seven strikeouts. Gant had a pair of no-decisions versus Pittsburgh last season, as he tossed one scoreless inning of relief on Sept. 10 before permitting one run on three hits and two walks in three innings two weeks later.
Musgrove was blitzed for six runs on 10 hits in five innings in his last rehab outing with Indianapolis. The 25-year-old aims to recapture the form that saw him in the starting rotation last season with the Astros before being ushered to the bullpen. Musgrove has limited experience versus the current crop of Cardinals, with only small sample sizes against Dexter Fowler (1-for-2, triple) and Ozuna (1-for-3).
WALK-OFFS
1. St. Louis and Pittsburgh have fared well versus National League Central foes, with the former owning a 14-7 mark while the latter is 11-5.
2. Pirates C Francisco Cervelli, who homered on Wednesday, also went deep to highlight a 4-for-10 effort with two RBIs and two runs scored against the Cardinals.
3. St. Louis CF Tommy Pham is 0-for-13 with nine strikeouts in his last three games overall and 2-for-12 in last month's series versus Pittsburgh.