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Cards, Bucs Meet In Rubber Match

Alex H. MLB News
Adam Wainwright will look to win his 16th of the season as the Cardinals meet the Pirates in a matinee game on Wednesday.

Adam Wainwright will look to win his 16th of the season as the St. Louis Cardinals meet the Pittsburgh Pirates in a matinee game on Wednesday.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates meet in the rubber match of a three-game series between the division rivals on Wednesday afternoon.

First pitch at PNC Park is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET.

The matinee matchup represents a chance for both clubs to improve on their current standing, and gain ground in the National League wild card race.

20140826_NL_CentralSt. Louis (71-60, 32-34 road) enters the contest just one game in the loss column behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

The Cards, who currently occupy the first wild card berth, would love to catch and overtake the Brewers, and ultimately eliminate any worry about a playoff game.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh (68-64 home) sits 3 1/2 games back of the Cardinals within the division, and a game and a half back of the second wild card berth. That means the Pirates are well and truly in the fight for the postseason.

St. Louis took the series opener on Monday, trumping Pittsburgh by a 3-2 scoreline. The Bucs bounced back on Tuesday, winning the middle game 5-2 and moving within one game of leveling the season series.

The Cardinals are 7-6 against the Pirates this season. The two division rivals have just three head-to-head games left after Wednesday’s matinee, which could make it very hard for the Bucs to take the division title.

Pitching matchup

Adam Wainwright (15-8, 2.52 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals, looking to become the first in the majors to 16 wins this season.

The 32-year-old right-hander has flip-flopped wins and losses over his last eight starts. He’ll look to bounce back from a loss with Wednesday’s matinee game, which looks promising. Wainwright is 9-5 with a 1.74 ERA on the road this season, and is 7-2 with a 2.57 ERA in nine day games.

  • Wainwright is 10-5 with a 4.18 ERA in 25 career games (21 starts) vs. Pittsburgh
  • Wainwright is 5-2 with a 5.15 ERA in 12 career games (10 starts) at PNC Park
  • Wainwright is 1-1 with a 0.82 ERA in 3 games (3 starts) vs. Pittsburgh this season
  • Wainwright is 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 1 game (1 starts) at PNC Park this season

Jeff Locke (5-3, 3.69 ERA) will start for the Pirates.

The 26-year-old left-hander has allowed 20 hits, nine runs and posted a 3.42 ERA over his last four starts, yet has gone 3-0 during that stretch. He’ll look to record a fourth win in five games as he faces the Cardinals for the first time this season.

  • Locke is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 3 career games (3 starts) vs. St. Louis
  • Locke is 9-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 31 career games (29 starts) at PNC Park
  • Locke has yet to face the Cardinals this season
  • Locke is 3-1 with a 3.78 ERA in 8 games (8 starts) at PNC Park this season

Injury report

St. Louis is without 2B Mark Ellis, C Yadier Molina and OF Shane Robinson, all of whom currently reside on the 15-day DL.

Pittsburgh OF Andrew McCutcheon (ribs) and 3B Pedro Alvarez (foot) are both listed as day-to-day.

Andrew McCutcheon is listed as day-to-day with injured ribs.

Andrew McCutcheon is listed as day-to-day with injured ribs.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates odds for 08/27/2014

With Wainwright taking the mound, St. Louis (-135) opened as the favorite over Pittsburgh (+125) on the moneyline.

The Cardinals are 5-2 in their last seven head-to-head games against the Pirates, but just 6-13 in their last 19 games played at PNC Park. The Cards are 3-5 in Pittsburgh this season.

Some other trends to consider:

  • St. Louis is 26-21 in day games
  • Pittsburgh is 16-26 in day games
  • St. Louis is 31-20 vs. NL Central opponents
  • Pittsburgh is 25-32 vs. NL Central opponents
  • St. Louis is 14-15 vs. left-handed pitching
  • Pittsburgh is 53-52 vs. right-handed pitching
  • St. Louis is 14-10 since August 1
  • Pittsburgh is 11-13 since August 1
  • St. Louis is 19-16 since the All-Star break
  • Pittsburgh is 19-18 since the All-Star break

The total opened at 7 but has subsequently jumped to 7 1/2.

The total has gone under in four of Pittsburgh’s last six games at home, as well as five of St. Louis’ last six on the road.

The total has also gone under in four of the last six head-to-head meetings between the two clubs, as well as four of the last six the two sides have played in the Steel City.

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After Wednesday’s series finale, the Pirates will welcome another division rival this weekend, as the Cincinnati Reds arrive in the Steel City for three games (Fri-Sun).

Meanwhile, the Cardinals return home for a four-game series – including a day-night double header on Saturday – with the Chicago Cubs, starting Friday.

Following the weekend schedule, the Cardinals will then host the Pirates for the final head-to-head games of the season next week (Mon-Wed).

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For a full list of today’s Major League Baseball odds, click here.

For MLB Futures odds, courtesy of Bovada, click here.

For team prop bets, click here.

For player prop bets, click here.

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