Cole, Pittsburgh confront division foe St. Louis
Even though the curious case of Andrew McCutchen persists, the Pirates feel just fine entering their third series of the season vs. NL Central rival St. Louis.
Clint Hurdle’s club hosts the Redbirds in tonight’s opener of a three-game set, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch at PNC Park. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI prefer Pittsburgh, while the visitors come in as +152 underdogs. The over/under run total sits at eight.
Sixty contests into the campaign, McCutchen holds an uncharacteristic .251 mark at the dish. The homers (nine) and RBIs (25) aren’t there either. Hurdle’s guys keep motoring along, however, thanks largely to another outfielder’s steady production. In addition to hitting .302, Gregory Polanco boasts 39 runs batted in.
Aside from Thursday’s disastrous showing at Colorado, the rotation also seems to be in solid shape. Ace Gerrit Cole (5-4, 2.85 ERA) takes the ball this evening, having already dispatched the Cardinals several weeks ago. The 2015 Cy Young Award finalist owns a 5-3 career record with a 2.91 ERA in 11 outings against Matheny’s crew.
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As for his counterpart, Michael Wacha (2-6, 5.16), things can’t get much worse. The righty’s last victory occurred on April 23 in San Diego. Most recently, the former Texas A&M sensation allowed six base knocks and four runs to the Giants.
St. Louis (32-28) has won six of its past nine tilts. Cole, of course, is a different animal. Expect Wacha’s rocky road to continue, with the Pirates (32-28) securing sole possession of second place in the process.
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