Turn off that soap opera, grab your foam finger, and listen up! It's the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals under the big ol' mid-western sky of Busch Stadium. That's right, folks; we're in Cardinal territory today. With its generous park factor, expect the pitchers' stats to shine brighter than your granny's Sunday silverware.
Our moundsmen today are Pittsburgh's Bailey Falter, arranging some notable performances, 4.26 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in his bag this season. As for the Cardinals, it's Lance Lynn, whose lances aren't as sharp as they once were with his 4.05 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. Let's see if the home advantage gives Lance a boost or if he'll sink like a stone in a Missouri lake.
Turning our attention to the marquee players: Pirates are showing up with Yasmani Grandal, Nick Gonzales, and Jared Triolo. Aye aye, Captain, that's a trio to reckon with. But hold your horses, the Cardinals aren't empty-handed. They’ve got the power-packed trio of Paul Goldschmidt, Lars Nootbaar, and Pedro Pages guarding their nest. They've got a better batting performance by just a hair's breadth, as my barber would say.
Regarding their previous duels, Cardinals seem to have come out ahead more than once with the recent 4-0 showdown. It's like that old ghost game of marbles: you got the bigger one, you snag the others. St. Louis is currently performing slightly better in the seasonal win/loss ratio, too, boasting a 74-75 record against Pittsburgh's 71-78.
Looking at the recent results, it's clear that neither team has been able to pin down a consistent winning streak. Pirates went toe-to-toe with the Royals, but came out with mixed results, while the Cardinals are recovering from their Canadian encounter. Interesting times we live in.
With all that said, it's time to put my money where my mouth is, metaphorically speaking, of course. Taking into account the venue advantage, past matchups, and players' performances, the St. Louis Cardinals are the team to bank on.
Albert’s Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals by 2