7-22-24 – By Michael Castrignano –@412DoublePlay on X
The Pirates and Cardinals meet for a three game series, each fresh off taking 2 of 3 from an NL East playoff contender and with some high stakes at play.
They’ve taken vastly different routes to get where they are – with the Pirates relying on a youth movement to propel them to success and the Cardinals picking pieces from old folks homes in their quest to return to October baseball; however, they have a similar turning point in the season.
On May 11th, Paul Skenes debuted for the Pirates and since then, the team has gone 32-27 to keep them in the playoff hunt. In that same stretch, the Cardinals have produced a 37-23 record after starting the year 15-24.
Baseball is weird.
7/22
Cardinals – Andre Pallante (R) – 4-4, 51.1 IP, 4.21 ERA, 41 Ks/19 walks, 1.38 WHIP
Pirates – Mitch Keller (R) – 10-5, 114.1 IP, 3.46 ERA, 105 Ks/30 walks, 1.25 WHIP
7/23
Cardinals – Lance Lynn (R) –5-4, 96.1 IP, 4.39 ERA, 92 Ks/37 walks, 1.39 WHIP
Pirates – Paul Skenes (R) –6-0, 66.1 IP, 1.90 ERA, 89 Ks/13 walks, 0.92 WHIP
7/24
Cardinals – TBD
Pirates – Martín Pérez (L) –1-5, 77 IP, 5.61 ERA, 61 Ks/27 walks, 1.66 WHIP
Pirates
Oneil Cruz: Let’s switch it up. Bryan Reynolds has certainly not cooled down by any means but Cruz is starting to play like the superstar we all expected of him. Since June 30, Cruz has a .340/.379/.660 slash line with 4 home runs in this stretch. The strikeouts continue to be a problem but if he can continue to crush the ball when he does make contact, it won’t be a big issue for fans.
Cardinals
Alec Burleson: Burleson has been SCORCHING over the past few weeks with 6 home runs and 21 RBI through 16 games in July while batting .358 in that stretch. The team may be getting diminishing returns from some of their veteran position players but they keep finding players who will mash in St. Louis.
Pirates:
Nick Gonzales: Despite the walk-off winner Friday, Gonzales has experienced a bit of a lull this season, posting a .219/.261/.297 slash line this month with no home runs and just 4 extra base hits through 16 games. He’s gotten some poor batted ball luck as his .255 BABIP is well below average but his .345 mark prior to that was also unsustainable in the other direction. He’ll level out eventually but this is a dry spell for the young slugger.
Cardinals
Paul Goldschmidt: The Cardinals have nine different players with a wRC+ above average over the past month but the former MVP for the Red Birds is not one of them. Although he rebounded from a very sluggish start, his numbers this season have fallen off from his previous marks. With a .658 OPS on the year thus far, he’s become essentially a replacement-level player in his walk year.
Key Injuries
Pirates:
Ryan Borucki (left triceps inflammation) has been on the shelf since early April but is working his way back and currently rehabbing with Indianapolis. It is likely he returns sooner than later, providing another key cog to that bullpen.
Cardinals:
Tommy Edman (right wrist sprain) has been on the IL all season but is working his way back as well
What to Watch
Both the Pirates and Cardinals have negative run differential of -11 and -31, respectively. Only the Tampa Bay Rays have a winning record with a negative run differential. The reasons are in contrast as the Cardinals have the National League’s 3rd highest wRC+ since that May 11th mark at 110 but their starting pitching corps has been lackluster, posting a 4.35 ERA over that stretch. Meanwhile, the Pirates have a below average offense during that stretch (94 wRC+) but posted the best rotational ERA in the league at (3.51).
Look for the battle of Pirates pitching vs Cardinals hitting in this series with potential October implications on the line.
Let’s Go Bucs!
Steel City Pirates 