Two division rivals who’ve been neck and neck all season meet again in October.
Believe it or not, for as familiar as these two teams are–having both being in the NL Central they’ve never met in the playoffs before. While it seems too easy to paint this matchup as one that instantly favors the Cardinals, I say ‘not so fast’, this matchup is a lot more dynamic than it would appear.
The Pirates surged in their Wild Card game victory over the Reds. Their homefield advantage was flat out scary, and proved to be a force to be reckoned with from here on out. The Pirates come in red hot and clearly showing no fear of the big stage.
As for the Cardinals, this is a position they know all too well, unlike the Pirates. The Cardinals come in with momentum, as well, going 13-2 in Busch Stadium in September, which helped them finish with the best record in the NL.
The Cardinals led the league in scoring last month, and had a team batting average of .330 with runners in scoring position. But the Pirates hold the advantage of power hitters–with Pedro Alvarez, the oft clutch Russell Martin and Andrew McCutchen–they should have no problem driving the ball out.
Pitching wise, the Cardinals can breathe easily knowing Francisco Lirano pitched on Tuesday and will only face them once. Liriano went 3-0 this season vs the Cards and gave up just 2 runs in 24 innings. The Cards gain another advantage with their ace Adam Wainwright who is nearly unbeatable at home and averages long innings.
For the Pirates, Gerrit Cole and AJ Burnett are their two standout pitchers. Cole went 4-0 in the month of September and posted just a 1.69 ERA. Burnett will likely see two starts if the series goes 5 and they’ll need his veteran leadership to get them through against a battle tested Cardinals.
From top to bottom the matchup is even, but a slight edge for the Cards for having been here and done that. For the Pirates their one decisive edge may not even fall on the players themselves but on the fans. Yes, we know St Louis is the unofficial baseball capital of America, but PNC Park may be the MLB equivalent of of a college football home field. Could it be the deciding factor?
Prediction: Cardinals defeat the Pirates in 5
