Cardinals at Pirates
The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates have traveled distinctly different paths since exiting the All-Star break, with the former boasting a 10-3 mark while winning five of six meetings against the latter. Fresh off Paul DeJong's first career three-homer performance, the Cardinals bid for a four-game sweep against the Pirates on Thursday afternoon when the National League Central rivals reconvene at PNC Park.
DeJong belted a two-run homer to ignite a nine-run second inning before adding another two-run shot in the fourth and a solo blast in the eighth as St. Louis breezed to a 14-8 romp on Wednesday. Paul Goldschmidt continued his home run barrage by going deep for the third time in as many games and fifth time in the season series versus Pittsburgh, against which he has 15 hits, 17 RBIs and 13 runs scored. While the Cardinals remain a half-game behind NL Central-leading Chicago, the Pirates have lost 10 of 12 since the All-Star break to plummet into last place in the division. Starling Marte drove in three runs on Wednesday to improve to 12-for-22 with a homer, seven RBIs and as many runs scored during his five-game hitting streak, although he is just 4-for-25 versus Thursday starter Miles Mikolas.
TV: 12:35 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS Midwest (St. Louis), AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Miles Mikolas (6-10, 4.17 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Joe Musgrove (7-8, 4.08)
Mikolas fell to 2-8 in his last dozen trips to the mound on Saturday after allowing three runs on six hits in as many innings of a 3-2 setback at Cincinnati. The 30-year-old began that stretch after permitting just two runs on three hits in seven frames of a hard-luck 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh on May 11. Mikolas recorded a shutout in his next encounter versus the Pirates, scattering eight hits while striking out three without walking a batter in a 7-0 romp on July 15.
Musgrove improved to 3-1 in his last six outings on Saturday after yielding one unearned run on two hits in six innings of a 5-1 victory versus Philadelphia. The lone setback in that stretch came against Mikolas and the Cardinals on July 15 after the 26-year-old allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits in 4 2/3 frames. Musgrove was also on the business end of a shellacking in his previous meeting with St. Louis on May 9, surrendering eight runs on six hits with five walks in three innings of a 17-4 loss.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pittsburgh LF Corey Dickerson is 9-for-18 with five doubles and six runs scored in his last six games.
2. St. Louis IF/OF Yairo Munoz has collected three-hit performances in two of his last four contests.
3. Pirates IF Colin Moran has hit safely in 12 of his last 15 games.