The St. Louis Cardinals have the National League Central title within reach. The team continues to deal with injuries to the roster, but it is not stopping them from notching wins with the playoffs around the corner. Weather has forced the team into a double-header situation as they prepare to face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a tough matchup in the National League.
The Cardinals and Pirates have been battling it out for the Central division crown all season and now St. Louis has a chance to clinch on the road in PNC Park with their magic number down to two. The Pirates sit in second place after giving up a win on Monday night. However, that came at a cost for the Cardinals with Stephen Piscotty suffering an ugly injury after colliding in the outfield which caused him to be carted off the field and sent to the hospital. The Cardinals are confident that he returns sometime soon after being released.
Michael Wacha will take the mound on Wednesday with a 17-6 record and 3.15 ERA on the season. He is taking the place of Charlie Morton who was supposed to pitch on Tuesday, but saw his game get rained away. Wacha has struggled lately. He has a 6.75 ERA in his last four starts with the team while giving up 14 walks during that stretch. He is 4-0 against the Pirates with a 1.80 ERA in seven games played. Although Andrew McCutcher is 5 for 9 against the pitcher with a home run this season.
Gerrit Cole will get the starting nod for Pittsburgh as the team can still earn the wild card spot. He is 18-8 with a 2.60 ERA on the season. This will likely be his last start until he takes the mound in the wild card game. Cole has been thriving lately with a 3-0 record and 2.30 ERA in his last four starts. The Pirates want to make sure they keep him healthy and fresh and likely will not have him pitch late in the game. He got a win over St. Louis back on Sept. 6 and the Pirates would love for him to spoil the Cardinals chances of clinching the division in their stadium.
