The Pittsburgh Pirates will take on the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of their six-game MLB series at home on Tuesday (October 4) night. The Cardinals lead the series 12-5.
The Cardinals, who hold the third seed and the NL Central title, will play the sixth seed, most likely the Philadelphia Phillies. There are still two regular-season games left to go before that. The Cardinals have performed better against their National League opponents this season.
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The Pirates will hope to get a consolation win in the last two games of the season. Their regular season came to an early end this year. The Pirates' ball club just couldn't come together as a unit and perform consistently.
The Pirates will start JT Brubaker on the mound. He's 3-12 this season, has a 1.46 WHIP and 145 Ks. He's 0-2 in his last three starts against the Cardinals this season. Brubaker has registered just one win in his last seven starts on the hill.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, will give the ball to Dakota Hudson. He's 8-7 this season with a 1.39 WHIP. This will be his 27th start of the season and first against the Pirates. He's 2-1 in his last five starts on the mound.
Match Details: St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates
Fixture: Cardinals at Pirates
Date and Time: Tuesday, October 4; 6:35 pmET
Venue: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PS
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St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Pick and Prediction
Only a couple of the St. Louis Cardinals players were injured heading into this series. Two of them - reliever Jordan Hicks and right fielder Tyler O'Neill - could return by mid-October. Nevertheless, don't expect them to use all their stars, as some might prefer to rest before the decisive playoff round.
The Pirates have won their last two games to peg the series at two wins apiece. The Cardinals will have home advantage in their first playoff round. They will now look to garner some positive momentum to carry forward into the postseason.
The Cardinals are a complete unit with a good batting average and slugging percentage. So, pick the Cardinals to register a win tonight.