There is still hope for the Pittsburgh Pirates to catch the St. Louis Cardinals atop the National League Central. The Pirates’ chances of doing just that are very slim, though, as they’re four games behind St. Louis. Still, Charlie Morton will have to bring his best stuff later tonight, when he steps on the mound to face St. Louis, against whom he has struggled for most of his career. Will the Cards put another dent on Pittsburgh’s attempt to take their spot? Or will the Pirates make the NL Central race a little bit more interesting?
[sc:MLBArticles ]St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
When: Tuesday, September 29, 2015, 7:05 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (+102) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (-112); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
[sc:MLB240banner ]Michael Wacha (17-6, 3.15 ERA) hasn’t been at his best of late, but it might be a bad idea to bet against the Cardinals later tonight. For one, Wacha has the Pirates under a spell thus far in his young career.
Wacha is just 2-2 with a towering 6.75 ERA across four starts thus far this September, which includes a subpar performance against Milwaukee last Thursday. Against the Brewers, Wacha lasted just five innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while also issuing three walks, albeit in a 7-3 win. Wacha, however, may get his confidence up again, when he faces Pittsburgh’s lineup anew. That’s because Wacha is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three starts opposite the Pirates thus far this year.
If it weren’t for the Cards’ offense in the Milwaukee game, though, Wacha would likely head into the Pittsburgh matchup on the heels of back-to-back losses. The Cards are averaging 4.44 runs over their last nine outings.
Among those expected to provide activity at the plate for the Cards later tonight are Jon Jay, Jhonny Peralta, and Mark Reynolds. Jay is 9-for-22 (.409) in his career against Pittsburgh starter, Charlie Morton. Peralta, on the other hand is 4-for-11 (.364), while Reynolds is 4-for-9 (.444) in the same career matchup.
St. Louis is 5-2 in its Wacha’s last seven road starts.
Wacha sports a 10-3 record and a 3.12 ERA in 16 road starts this season.
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Betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates
It wasn’t a nice trip to Mile High City for Charlie Morton (9-8, 4.54 ERA). In his most recent start, Morton was knocked around by the Colorado Rockies, as he gave up six earned runs on 10 hits in only four plus innings of mound duty. If anything, Morton escaped with a no-decision, as the Pirates’ offense had his back in a 13-7 road win at Coors Field on September 23.
Now back home, Morton is hoping that he could deliver a much better performance when he takes on the Cardinals. That’s going to be easier said than done, though, as he’s often found himself on the losing side in his career against St. Louis. In fact, Morton is just 2-11 with a 5.30 ERA in 17 career starts opposite the Cardinals. That said, Morton didn’t embarrass himself the last time he took on the Cards, allowing just one earned run on four hits in six innings of work, albeit in a 4-1 loss at Busch Stadium on September 5.
While Wacha has dominated Pittsburgh’s hitters this season, there are others Pirates that have seemingly good reads of the pitcher’s stuff. Take for example Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco. Cutch is 7-for-15 (.467) with a double, triple, and homer in his career against Wacha. Polanco, on the other hand, is 5-for-9 (.556) lifetime against the Cards’ ace.
Morton has been pitching significantly well at PNC Park than on the road. He has a 6-3 ledger and a 3.49 ERA in 11 home starts this year—better numbers than his 3-5 record and 5.70 ERA in as many road starts.
Pittsburgh is 4-2 in Morton’s last six home games.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis wins, 6-3.
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