The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals meet for another pivotal series as the N.L. Central's top teams face off Tuesday nigth at 8:15 p.m. ET. Can't watch the game? Keep up with the score as MLB GameDay provides live updates, stats and game summary for this captivating matchup that will have immediate reprecussions in the divisional standings.
The Pirates are on top. They lead the Cardinals by three games. Will this series turn the Pirates' season upside down? It feels like everybody around the baseball world is waiting for the collapse. It's happened before. However, the Pirates are only one of three teams with 70 wins so far in 2013. They also possess the second highest winning percentage as their 70-47 record is good for a .598 winning percentage.
The Cardinals have had issues bouncing back from their weekend at Turner Field when they were swept by the Atlanta Braves. The Pirates pounded the Cardinals with four consecutive wins to take the division lead, finally losing the last game. However, in spite of the Pirates' struggles as of late, the Cardinals have yet to recover their top spot.
On the mound for the Pirates, Charlie Morton. He pitched a gem against the Miami Marlins, going seven innings allowing just two earned runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts. However, the Cardinals come intot his meeting with confidence. They pounded Morton for five earned runs over six innings pitched in the only game the Cardinals were able to win in their last five-game series.
The Cardinals have the advantage in this meeting as Adam Wainwright takes the hill for the red birds. He's 13-7 with a 2.66 ERA in 25 starts this season. He's pitched four complete games and two shutouts. This did not intimidated the Pirates as they got four earned runs off the Cardinals' ace in his seven innings pitched. Wainwright will be looking for his first win sicne July 21.
Who will finish out on top? Will the Cardinals shrink the Pirates' three-game lead or will the Bucs increase their divisional lead to four games? Click here to follow the score of the Cardinals vs. Pirates.
