Pirates

Pirates Daily: Four More Games Until Curtains

Published

2 years ago

October 2, 2022

Sunday, Oct. 2, the Pittsburgh Pirates (59-99) finish their three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals (92-66). First pitch at Busch Stadium is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. for fans on the east coast.

The Pirates’ offense failed to register a touchdown Saturday night, as they lost 13-3 to the Cardinals. Luis Ortiz got smacked around in the first inning, and before the second inning ended, it was 10-2. The Pirates must win the last four games to avoid a 100-loss season.

The game will be aired on AT&T Sportsnet PIT and heard on 93.7 The Fan. The game is also MLB.TV’s free game of the day.

Weather

Unlike the doom and gloom back in Pittsburgh, St. Louis is due to have sunny skies at first pitch. Temperatures are expected to be 72 degrees with a slight 7 mph northwest wind.

Starters

The Pirates will send out Raonsy Contreras (5-5, 3.72 ERA)

Contreras’ starts have been limited to around four innings in his last three starts. In what is most likely his last appearance during the 2022 campaign, we may see a tad more leash given to Contreras. Then again, the Pirates aren’t known for conventional thinking.

The Cardinals will send out Pirate killer Adam Wainwright (11-11, 3.51 ERA).

In his last start against the Dodgers, Wainwright managed to go just three innings. Wainwright also gave up four earned runs on six hits and three walks in that start. Naturally, Wainwright will pitch eight near-perfect innings against the Pirates now.

Betting Odds

The Cardinals open up as favorites on the moneyline at -210, and the Pirates are +185. St. Louis’ runline of -1.5 can be had at +106 odds, whereas Pittsburgh’s +1.5 is at -128 odds. The O/U opens up at 7 runs.

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not

Who’s Hot: In an absolute shellacking, it’s hard to find a standout, but Cal Mitchell had a nice night at the dish. Mitchell went two for three with a double and a run scored.

Who’s Not: Ke’Bryan Hayes is going to have to make some adjustments. Saturday night, Hayes went hitless in four at-bats and didn’t look comfortable out there. The price of a long season and a nagging injury.

Tidbits

When Junior Fernandez made his Pirates’ debut in the sixth inning, he became the 67th player used this season. The Pirates have now tied the 2019 Seattle Mariners for the second most used players in MLB history. The 2021 Chicago Cubs hold the record at 69.
After this series, the Pirates and Cardinals will face each other again at PNC Park to conclude the regular season. This marks the first time since 1943 that the Pirates and Cardinals played six games in a row against each other.
The Pirates’ average age on the 28-man roster is 25.8. In that active 28-man roster, there are only two players over the age of 30 (Ben Gamel and Manny Banuelos).