Wainwright, St. Louis make trek to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s starting pitching has been a constant source of frustration this season. Now, the club looks offensively challenged, too.
Hoping to avoid their seventh consecutive loss, the Pirates host the Cardinals in a Labor Day matinee. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv, though, give the visitors a slight edge. Clint Hurdle’s club enters PNC Park as a -105 underdog. The over/under run total remains at 8.5.
Milwaukee swept a weekend series from the Buccos, blanking them in two of those contests. As a result, the NL Central stalwarts now sit 3 ½ games back of St. Louis for the second wild-card spot. Chad Kuhl (3-2, 3.70 ERA) will attempt to set a positive tone starting at 4:05 p.m. ET. The rookie draws his 10th MLB assignment.
For the Redbirds, Adam Wainwright’s (9-8, 4.53) drive for consistency continues. He’s winless since July 16, even though last week’s performance at Miller Park seemingly represented a step in the right direction. Wainwright holds a 5-4 record with a 1.53 WHIP in 15 career outings in the Steel City.
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Despite the Pirates’ recent woes, the Cards’ own shaky showing in their just-completed set with Cincinnati makes us leery of recommending Mike Matheny’s troops here. Instead, we’ll be zeroing in on what shapes up as a potentially high-scoring matchup. Expect multiple big blasts on both sides.
MONDAY MLB FREE PICK: CARDINALS/PIRATES OVER 8.5 RUNS