St. Louis Cardinals (20-18, second in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (16-21, third in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Friday, 6:35 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Adam Wainwright (4-3, 3.15 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 33 strikeouts); Pirates: Zach Thompson (2-3, 5.47 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 22 strikeouts)
LINE: Cardinals -151, Pirates +129; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates host the St. Louis Cardinals to begin a three-game series.
Pittsburgh is 9-10 in home games and 16-21 overall. The Pirates have gone 6-2 in games when they hit at least two home runs.
St. Louis is 10-8 at home and 20-18 overall. The Cardinals have hit 36 total home runs to rank ninth in the NL.
Friday's game is the fourth time these teams meet this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ben Gamel has three home runs, 13 walks and 15 RBI while hitting .270 for the Pirates. Michael Chavis is 9-for-21 with two doubles, a triple and two RBI over the past 10 games.
Tommy Edman has four doubles, three triples and four home runs for the Cardinals. Paul Goldschmidt is 18-for-41 with seven doubles and four home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 5-5, .198 batting average, 4.30 ERA, outscored by 26 runs
Cardinals: 4-6, .277 batting average, 4.50 ERA, outscored opponents by four runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Roberto Perez: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Jake Marisnick: 10-Day IL (thumb), Kevin Newman: 10-Day IL (groin), Greg Allen: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Blake Cederlind: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Mears: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Cardinals: Tyler O'Neill: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Edmundo Sosa: day-to-day (ankle), Jack Flaherty: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Alex Reyes: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
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