St. Louis at Pittsburgh

The Pirates never came back from the All-Star break, having gone just 2-14 and displaying absolute futility in both pitching and hitting. They have now been out-scored 93-53 in their last 16 games, or by 2.5 runs per game. The last week things have gotten worse. The team is hitting just .241, and the Pitching has posted a 7.13 ERA. A struggling offense must now face a pitcher that has dominated them top to bottom. Brandon Looper has amazing numbers against this Pirate roster. Collectively the Pirates are 5-70 against Looper, good for a .071 team average. The Cards are on a roll, winning four straight and 5 of 6. The offense has led the way, producing 38 runs in the 5 wins. Tony Armas will make his first start since May. Armas pitched to an 8.46 ERA, and lost his spot in the rotation. It will be doubtful if Armas can get through five innings, as he has not worked more than three innings since May. That exposes a Pirate pen that has been kerosene for opposing hitters. Armas teams have gone 21-35 with him on the mound over the last three years, and these are teams playing at completely different levels right now, with a clear-cut pitching mis-match. Cards go up 2-0 in this series.