Pirates

Pirates Preview: Jake Woodford Returns to Face Former Team

Published

3 weeks ago

September 18, 2024

The Pittsburgh Pirates were again defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals, falling 3-1 at Busch Stadium in the second game of the series on Tuesday night.

Bailey Falter tossed 5.2-strong innings and Nick Yorke recorded his first MLB hit as part of a three-hit performance in the loss.

The Pirates (71-80) will be making a roster move prior to Wednesday’s game as Jake Woodford will rejoin the club to face the Cardinals (76-75), the team he pitched for from 2020-23.

First pitch is set for 7:45 ET and the game will be aired on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Weather

Mostly clear skies with temperatures in the upper-70s at the beginning of the game. Winds SSW at 5-6 mph.

The Pittsburgh Pirates Will Send Out RHP Jake Woodford (0-6, 8.01 ERA)

Woodford totaled six appearances/four starts with the Pirates prior to getting DFA’d on Aug. 26. He combined to go 0-4 with a 6.95 ERA.

In 10 appearances/nine starts with Triple-A Indianapolis on the year, Woodford totaled a 2-2 record with a 2.44 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched.

The right-hander has plenty of experience pitching at Busch Stadium from his days in St. Louis. In 38 appearances there in his career, he’s gone 5-5 with a 4.45 ERA.

This will be the first time Woodford gets a crack at his former team.

The St. Louis Cardinals Will Send Out RHP Sonny Gray (13-9, 3.75)

Gray has been rolling for the Cardinals of late. He hasn’t allowed more than one run in any of his last three starts and is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA and a .136 opponents batting average during that time.

The veteran is tied for eighth in baseball and is fifth in the National League with 195 strikeouts on the year. He also ranks fourth in the N.L. in WHIP (1.05).

Gray has relatively even splits between the top five pitches in his arsenal, which consist of a four-seamer, sweeper, sinker, cutter and curveball. He’ll also mix in a few changeups.

The right-hander was victorious in his lone start against the Pirates this year. In his career against Pittsburgh, Gray is 5-4 with a 3.99 ERA.

Cardinals Hitters vs. Woodford

Pirates Hitters vs. Gray

Yasmani Grandal: 5 for 19, two doubles, four RBIs, seven walks, five strikeouts
Bryan Reynolds: 5 for 17, two doubles, two home runs, three RBIs, eight strikeout
Michael A. Taylor: 4 for 13, two RBIs, one walk, four strikeouts
Andrew McCutchen: 2 for 12, one double, two RBIs, two walks, six strikeouts
Connor Joe: 0 for 6, one strikeouts
Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 1 for 4, one RBI, one strikeout
Rowdy Tellez: 0 for 4, one RBI, one walk, one strikeout
Oneil Cruz: 1 for 3, one double, one strikeout
Nick Gonzales: 1 for 3, one double
Bryan De La Cruz: 0 for 3

Tidbits

Outside of Yorke, the rest of the Pirates’ lineup went a combined 5 for 30 (.167) in Tuesday’s loss.
Pirates’ starting pitchers have combined for a 3.02 ERA over their last 11 games but the team is just 5-6 over that span.
The Cardinals clinched the season series against the Pirates with Tuesday’s win for the 21st time in the last 25 seasons.