The Pittsburgh Pirates are fresh off of a three game sweep of the Oakland Athletics, but have a harder task at hand in the next four days as they take on the St Louis Cardinals in a National League Central clash.
When looking at the results of the Pittsburgh Pirates last few games, it’s understandable to do a double take. Believe it or not, the Pirates have been playing good baseball of late, winning four games in a row and seven of their last ten.
The Pirates (41-41) are now 10.5 games back in the division race and sit 3.5 games back in the Wild Card hunt. The Cardinals (43-38) trail the Chicago Cubs by eight games in the division, but are one game behind the New York Mets for the second Wild Card spot.
As for any Pirates-Cardinals series, this one will likely be an exciting four game set between two talented teams that have been overshadowed by the almighty Cubs this season. This series also brings with it a ton of matchups that fans get to see often, but likely aren’t going to want to miss. Here are our three key matchups to keep an eye on.
3.) Gregory Polanco vs Carlos Martinez
When it comes to Carlos Martinez, tonight’s starter for the Cardinals, it might be safe to say he is not looking forward to facing Gregory Polanco. Despite having a ton of success this season, Martinez has struggled in his career against Polanco, who is 9-for-16 (.563) with three doubles, one triple, one RBI and seven walks against him. Polanco also sports a .696 On-Base Percentage against the Cardinals right hander.
This season, Martinez is 7-5 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 15 starts. In his last appearance against the Pirates on June 11, Martinez had arguably his best start of the season, giving up one run on six hits while walking three and striking out five in a season high 8.1 innings of work.
On the other hand, Polanco has arguably been the Pirates most consistent hitter this season, hitting .295 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI’s in 77 games. The 24-year old is 3-for-9 (.333) in his last two games, while compiling three RBI’s in that span.
One thing that Polanco has done well over the course of the season is stay patient at the plate. However, he has struck out nine times in his last seven games while only drawing two walks. It will be important for Polanco to get back to his patient approach against Martinez, who has a 0.64 ERA over his last four starts.
2.) Jameson Taillon vs Cardinals for the first time
For the first time in his major league career, Jameson Taillon will get to experience the Pirates-Cardinals rivalry first hand. The 24-year old got his first taste of NL Central hitting when he took on the Cubs in his third start, but was unable to make it beyond the fourth inning.
Taillon, who has compiled two good starts and two less than stellar starts to begin his career, is coming off of another good outing in a win over the Seattle Mariners. In the victory, Taillon allowed one earned run on six hits while striking out six in six innings of work. The rookie did not allow a walk and lowered his season ERA to 3.86.
Taillon will likely face the Cardinals on multiple occasions throughout his career, so Tuesday is just the beginning. It won’t be easy for the young right hander, but the keys to his success rely on having good command and his ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. Taillon has allowed four home runs in five starts and the Cardinals rank third in the NL in team home runs (106).
Struggles are inevitable for any rookie pitcher getting the chance to play in the big leagues for the first time. Taillon has shown progress through five starts and Pirates fans should remain confident that he is only going to get better. It will be interesting to see how he approaches the Cardinals lineup for the first time and if he can continue trending upward as a major league pitcher.
1.) Jordy Mercer vs Adam Wainwright
Adam Wainwright is having a tough year, plain and simple. Due to his consistency over the years, that was a weird sentence type in the month of July. Wainwright, who is in his 11th major league season in St Louis, is 7-5 this season with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 17 starts.
Wainwright, who sports a 3.09 career ERA, has been better in his last seven outings, compiling a 3-2 record with a 3.35 ERA. He is also coming off of a stellar outing against Milwaukee on Saturday in which he allowed seven hits while walking two and striking out five in seven shutout innings. Wainwright has also pitched particularly better at home this season, sporting a 3.16 ERA compared to his 6.23 ERA while pitching away from Busch Stadium.
Wainwright, who will oppose Chad Kuhl of the Pirates in the series finale, has pitched plenty of games against the Pirates and knows them well.
The experience veteran has faced Pirates hitters on many occasions, but he hasn’t exactly been able to figure out Jordy Mercer. Mercer, who is hitting .274 this season with five home runs and 29 RBI’s, is 5-for-19 (.263) with two solo home runs and one walk in his career against Wainwright. However, the most impressive part is that he has never struck out against the Cardinals ace.
Mercer has had an underrated season offensively and he could continue that success against Wainwright. It will be interesting to see if he can continue his stellar play or if Wainwright can continue his dominance while pitching at home.
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