Game time: 8:15PM ET
Probable starters:
PIT: Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.39 ERA)
STL: Michael Wacha (13-4, 2.92 ERA)
Gerrit Cole and Michael Wacha will command center stage in a fitting duel in the middle game of a series between the top two teams in the NL.
"The best way to settle this," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said of the ongoing battle between his Cardinals and the Pirates, "is to get in the middle of the ring and let it fly."
The Pirates' Cole, who has the most wins in the NL, has drawn his share of high-profile mound foes -- his previous start came against the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw -- and always pitches up to the competition.
You can't, however, accuse him of getting prematurely pumped up. Asked how he felt about this latest matchup, he earnestly asked, "Who am I going against?"
Cole may not have been aware of St. Louis' starter, but the other Pirates, including manager Clint Hurdle, have had a couple of days to think about what they're up against.
"It's a guy you like to face, because you know he's a pro and has got skills," Hurdle said of Wacha, who is tied for second in the NL in wins. "Those are guys against whom you've got nothing to lose. Everyone expects those guys to dial it up and do good; maybe we can get in their way."
Three things to know about this game
• Wacha hasn't given up a homer in 26 2/3 regular-season innings against the Pirates, but was taken deep by Pedro Alvarez in Game 4 of the 2013 NL Division Series.
• Aramis Ramirez's 37 homers and 145 RBIs are far and away the most against the Cardinals among active players; Ryan Howard is next, with 21 homers, and Brandon Phillips is next in RBIs, with 70.
• The Pirates have suffered eight walk-off losses this season; six of those have come in NL Central cities (three in St. Louis, two in Cincinnati, one in Chicago).
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/142521578 ... _pk=415356
BEAT 'EM BUCS!!!
