It’s ace versus ace tonight, as Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates (80-54) lock horns with John Lackey and the St. Louis Cardinals (87-48) for the conclusion of their three-game set at Busch Stadium. With the series tied at one game apiece, expect both clubs to play their hearts out and provide us an exhilarating rubber match between the top two teams in the National League Central division.
Read on below for a comprehensive analysis of this crucial rivalry matchup. And if you’re craving for other sports action, indulge yourself with some of our Week 1 previews for the upcoming 2015-16 NFL season: Panthers vs. Jaguars, Packers vs. Bears and Colts vs. Bills.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Preview
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
When: Sunday, September 6, 8:05 PM ET
Line: Pittsburgh Pirates (-105) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (-105); total: 7.0—View all MLB Lines
Betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates seem to have lost their way lately, losing five of their last six games. Despite this, they still have a three-game advantage over the Cubs for the first wild card spot in the National League. The Pirates will look to put an end to their slump when they send their ace pitcher, Gerrit Cole (15-8, 2.64), on the mound this evening for series finale opposite the St. Louis Cardinals.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Cole was simply terrible in his previous start at Milwaukee Tuesday, during which he surrendered five earned runs on eight hits across four innings for the inevitable 7-4 defeat. Before this game though, the 24-year-old righty was his old dominant self in the previous two, where he only gave up two runs in 14 innings of work to capture two-straight resounding wins.
Moreover, the Bucs shouldn’t worry too much about Cole’s recent poor outing as he seems to be on track for a bounce back performance later at St. Louis. Cole has been quite successful on the road this season with a 7-5 record and a quality ERA of 2.55 and 1.17 WHIP in 14 career starts. Pittsburgh went 8-6 in that stretch.
As for the offense, it’s safe to say that the pair of Andre McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez will carry most of the load at the plate. McCutchen leads the team in batting average (.304) and is 14-for-35 in his past 10 games. Alvarez, meanwhile, boasts a team-high of 22 homers thus far this season and has gotten the best of John Lackey, going 4-for-8 lifetime against the Cards’ starter.
Pittsburgh is 3-5 in its past eight road games.
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Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
After losing their series opener with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-3, the St. Louis Cardinals immediately returned the favor in the second meeting, 4-1. They still reign supreme in the National League Central division with a 6.5-game edge over the Bucs. The Cards will try to extend that advantage even more by gaining the victory in Game 3 tonight.
Pitching for the Cards is going to be John Lackey, who is 11-8 with a 2.87 ERA thus far on the year. Lackey is fresh off a solid performance in his most recent start, where he tossed six frames of two-run ball, while registering eight K’s to pick up the 8-5 win despite the no-decision.
The 36-year-old veteran will look to keep this up and start off September with a smile later against the Pirates. That may just be the case, as Lackey is 8-3 with a 1.89 ERA and .241 opponents’ batting average across 14 home starts.
But no matter how brilliant Lackey’s pitching is at Busch Stadium, he’ll still need some runs support from his teammates, who have been providing him 4.29 RS/9 this season.
Expect none other than the duo of Jason Heyward and Jhonny Peralta to spark up the plate. Heyward is hitting .317 at home this year and .300 versus the Pirates throughout his career despite going hitless in the first two games of their current series. Peralta, on the other hand, is 7-for-20 in his previous five contests and is a career 6-for-17 (.353) with two doubles off the Bucs’ ace Gerrit Cole.
St. Louis is 5-5 in Lackey’s past 10 starts.
Writer’s Prediction:
The Cardinals (-105) win, 3-1.
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