The Pittsburgh Pirates (59-97, 75-79 RL, 68-74-12 O/U) take on the St. Louis Cardinals (90-66, 85-71 RL, 73-78-5 O/U) as the NL foes resume a three-game series on Saturday evening. The Pirates will send Luis Ortiz to the mound. The Cardinals will reply with Jordan Montgomery targeting his ninth win of the season. The Cardinals lead the season series 10-3.
The Pirates will have Luis Ortiz make his fourth start of the season on Saturday. Ortiz was stellar in his latest outing, holding the Cubs to one run on one hit in 4.2 innings, and was tagged with the loss to dip to 0-1. The rookie has looked great in his first career big league action, allowing only three runs (two earned) in 15.1 innings, leading to a 1.17 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. Ortiz posted a 4.54 ERA in the Minor Leagues.
Pittsburgh is in a groove. They collected the three-game sweep of the Reds this week, scoring a total of 16 runs. They have now won four out of their last five games, all occurring at home. The Pirates have lost five consecutive road games.
Oneil Cruz is a solid 5 for 13 with five RBIs against the Cardinals this season. The 23-year-old shortstop has the potential to be a star. He has 17 b ig flies with 53 RBIs and a .743 OPS on the year. Cruz has collected 18 RBIs and a solid .899 OPS this month.
The Pirates are producing an increase in offense and are averaging 3.62 runs per game, ranking them 27th. The pitching staff is carrying a 4.66 team ERA, positioning them 26th in the big leagues.