PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* ESPN Wednesday Night Winner ~ Won 8 of 9 Days, 22-12-1 Run!
(MLB) St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh,
09/07/2016 3:05 PM, Score: 3 - 4
Money Line: -122.00 Pittsburgh (Home)
Result: Win
Money Line: -122.00 Pittsburgh (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals play the finale of a three-game series Wednesday at PNC Park. The Cards have won the first two by scores of 12-6 and 9-7, as the Cards (with five HRs last night) have extended their streak to 25 straight games of hitting at least one HR, which ties the longest streak in NL history. Tuesday's result was Pittsburgh's eighth loss in a row and leaves the Pirates at 67-70 and 5 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the chase for the final NL wild-card spot. A three game home sweep by the Cards would surely be a major blow to the Pirates run of three straight wild card appearances. "I don't think we'll get any questions about fight and battle," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "That's what we do. We're going to fight. We're going to keep showing up. A lot of things went well (Tuesday) to get us back in the game to get us on top."
The pitching matchup: Mike Leake (9-9, 4.56 ERA) heads to the hill for the Cards and Jameson Taillon (3-4, 3.25 ERA) gets the nod for the Pirates. Mike Leake returns from the DL after having shingles to get Wednesday's start for St. Louis. It will be his first start since August 21, when he threw seven scoreless innings with a walk and eight strikeouts in a 9-0 win at Philadelphia. Leake was reached for five runs in six innings to suffer a loss against Pittsburgh on July 5 and is is 1-2 with a 5.71 ERA against Pittsburgh this season (he's 9-5 with a 3.28 ERA in 27 career starts against the Pirates / teams are 12-15). The Pirates counter with rookie Jameson Taillon, who will be making his 15th start. Taillon found himself on the wrong end of a 1-0 final against Milwaukee last Friday, when he allowed one run and three hits in six innings.
The pick: The Pirates almost find themselves in a "must win" situation in this game. They get a mediocre Mike Leake as a mound opponent who hasn't pitched in two weeks plus counter with a rookie pitcher who is justifying his stature as a former No. 2 overall draft pick. He's recorded a quality start in nine of his last 10 outings, allowing just 19 ERs in those 10 starts. Taillon has pitched at least six innings in nine of his last 10 starts and has given up one or zero walks in 11 of his 14 starts in 2016. Pittsburgh is a 10* play.
The pitching matchup: Mike Leake (9-9, 4.56 ERA) heads to the hill for the Cards and Jameson Taillon (3-4, 3.25 ERA) gets the nod for the Pirates. Mike Leake returns from the DL after having shingles to get Wednesday's start for St. Louis. It will be his first start since August 21, when he threw seven scoreless innings with a walk and eight strikeouts in a 9-0 win at Philadelphia. Leake was reached for five runs in six innings to suffer a loss against Pittsburgh on July 5 and is is 1-2 with a 5.71 ERA against Pittsburgh this season (he's 9-5 with a 3.28 ERA in 27 career starts against the Pirates / teams are 12-15). The Pirates counter with rookie Jameson Taillon, who will be making his 15th start. Taillon found himself on the wrong end of a 1-0 final against Milwaukee last Friday, when he allowed one run and three hits in six innings.
The pick: The Pirates almost find themselves in a "must win" situation in this game. They get a mediocre Mike Leake as a mound opponent who hasn't pitched in two weeks plus counter with a rookie pitcher who is justifying his stature as a former No. 2 overall draft pick. He's recorded a quality start in nine of his last 10 outings, allowing just 19 ERs in those 10 starts. Taillon has pitched at least six innings in nine of his last 10 starts and has given up one or zero walks in 11 of his 14 starts in 2016. Pittsburgh is a 10* play.
