The Pittsburgh Pirates open a four-game series on the road Thursday against National League Central rivals the St. Louis Cardinals.
Pittsburgh lost its fourth straight on Tuesday falling to the Chicago Cubs 8-6. Starling Marte had three hits for Pittsburgh in the loss along with three RBIs and Austin Meadows belted his fourth homer since his May 18 call up, while Elias Diaz also went yard for the Pirates.
The Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday 6-1 behind a strong performance on the mound by Michael Wacha who allowed two hits over 6 2/3 innings. The Cardinals hit three home runs in the game off Brewers pitching.
Corey Dickerson leads the Pirates with a .309 batting average and has a team high in hits with 59 and RBIs with 31. Gregory Polanco has the team lead in home runs with eight. Pittsburgh has a team batting average of .256 while opposing hitters are averaging .254 at the plate against Pirates pitching. On Thursday, the Pirates will send Trevor Williams to the mound. The right-hander this season is 5-3 with an ERA of 3.43, 43 Ks and 20 BBs.
Jose Martinez leads the Cardinals with a .305 batting average and team highs in hits with 57 and RBIs with 21. Tommy Pham leads the team in home runs with nine. St. Louis has a team batting average of .240 while opposing hitters are averaging .237 at the plate against Cardinals pitching. On Thursday, the Cardinals will send Jack Flaherty to the mound. This season the right-hander is 2-1 with an ERA of 2.15, 31 Ks and 9 BBs.
