Preview: Pirates at Cardinals

[September 04, 2015]  The St. Louis Cardinals are doing their best to pull away in the National League Central while the Pittsburgh Pirates aren't doing much to stop them. Winners of nine of their last 11, the Cardinals look to add to their 6 1/2-game lead atop the division when they open a three-game home series against the second-place Pirates on Friday.

Brandon Moss is 11-for-24 with four homers, seven RBIs and six runs scored during his seven-game hitting streak and is a blistering 6-for-8 versus Friday starter J.A. Happ. Moss has gone deep in back-to-back contests for St. Louis, which is 48-20 at Busch Stadium - with victories in five of six meetings with Pittsburgh this season. As for the wild card-leading Pirates, they suffered their fourth straight loss Thursday and fell to 7-21 on the road against NL Central rivals after being swept by Milwaukee. A sputtering offense has plagued Pittsburgh, which has mustered 11 runs and 26 hits during its losing streak.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, MLBN, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH J.A. Happ (7-7, 4.10 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Carlos Martinez (13-6, 2.91)

Happ recorded his third straight victory on Saturday after allowing one run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 4-3 triumph over Colorado. The 32-year-old has fared well in five starts with Pittsburgh, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.98 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 27 1/3 frames. Happ is making his first appearance versus the Cardinals since June 2012 and is 1-8 with a gaudy 6.79 ERA against them.

Martinez will be pitching on eight days' rest after he experienced back discomfort following his last outing versus Arizona on Aug. 27. The 23-year-old Dominican owns a 2-1 mark this season versus Pittsburgh, with a scoreless performance on July 9 and a strong eight-inning effort in a 4-3 win on Aug. 5. Martinez would be wise to pitch carefully to Gregory Polanco, who is 8-for-11 in his career versus the hurler - with five hits coming this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis rookie OF Stephen Piscotty is riding a career-high 10-game hitting streak.

2. Pittsburgh OF Andrew McCutchen sat out Thursday's contest with tightness in his left Achilles, but manager Clint Hurdle expects him to be ready for the series opener.

3. Cardinals OF Jon Jay (wrist) is expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to Friday's game.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Pirates 2

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