The set-up: The Pirates have played in three consecutive NL wild card games, each season finishing behind the Cards, who have won the NL Central each of the last three years. Here in 2016, the Cubs have run away with the NL Central, so both the Cards and Pirates have been left to fight for one of two NL wild card spots. As of Labor Day morning, the 73-63 Giants own the top wild card spot with the 71-64 Cards holding down the second spot, 1 1/2 games back of San Fran. The 71-66 Mets are one game back of St. Louis and the 67-67 Pirates, in the throes of a season-worst six-game losing streak, sit 3 1/2 games back of the Cards. The two division rivals open a three-game series this afternoon at PNC Park and it's fair to say that the Pirates are getting desperate.

The pitching matchup: Adam Wainwright (9-8, 4.53 ERA) will open the series for the Cards with Pittsburgh handing the ball to rookie Chad Kuhl (3-2, 3.70 ERA), who will be making his 10th major league start. Wainwright has spent the season trying to prove he's still relevant. He opened the season poorly, going 2-3 with a 6.30 ERA in seven starts but then went 7-2 over a 12-start stretch (team was 9-3), while cutting more than two runs off his ERA (was down to 4.15 after a July 16th start). However, he enters this game winless in his last eight starts (he's 0-3, the Cards are 4-4). Pittsburgh's Kuhl is winless in his last three starts but he's allowed three runs or less or in each of his last six starting assignments.

The pick: Wainwright has a long history vs. the Pirates, going 14-7 with a 3.75 ERA in 28 all-time starts (Cards are 18-10), while Kuhl faces the Cards for the first time. I like what I've seen from Kuhl and believe he's up to the challenge. The problem is, the Pirates have been shut out three times during their six-game slide and come off a three-game weekend series in Milwaukee in which they plated just four runs. The Under is a 10* play.