The Pirates will try to salvage the second series in their six game road trip Wednesday afternoon, taking on the St. Louis Cardinals at 1:15 p.m..
Pirates starter Chris Archer (3-6, 5.42) has been in a bit of a groove of late, recording a 4.05 ERA in his four starts since ditching the two-seam fastball. That includes his last outing on Friday where he spun six masterful innings before being charged for his only three runs allowed in the seventh.
The Cardinals will turn to youthful starter Daniel Ponce de Leon (1-0, 1.99). The rookie has been bouncing between AAA, the bullpen and rotation this season, but he is stretched out for a long outing if necessary. He tossed 105 pitches over 6.2 strong innings of one run ball in his last outing on July 12 against the Diamondbacks.
Lineups
Pirates
2B Kevin Newman
RF Bryan Reynolds
CF Starling Marte
1B Jose Osuna
LF Melky Cabrera
3B Colin Moran
SS Jung Ho Kang
C Jacob Stallings
P Chris Archer
Cardinals
2B Tommy Edman
RF Jose Martinez
1B Paul Goldschmidt
LF Tyler O’Neill
CF Dexter Fowler
SS Paul DeJong
3B Yairo Munoz
C Andrew Knizner
P Daniel Ponce de Leon