Pittsburgh Pirates face Cardinals in crucial 3-game set

Jun 30, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

In game two, Gerrit Cole will square off against Michael Wacha.

Wacha has been marvelous all year, sporting a 13-4 record with a 2.92 ERA. Wacha has never really been chased this year, with a minimum of 5 innings pitched in each of his starts. He is not untouchable by any means, but does sport a 1.08 WHIP (walks+hits/innings pitched) which is a great measure of his ability to get guys out. Wacha is not very overpowering, with 112 strikeouts on the year, but also has great control, as his 3.50 SO/W ratio indicates.

Here are Wacha’s numbers against current Pirates:

Name	PA	AB	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Andrew McCutchen	16	15	5	1	0	0	1	3	.333	.375	.400	.775
Pedro Alvarez	15	12	1	0	1	2	3	4	.083	.267	.333	.600
Neil Walker	14	13	2	0	0	1	0	3	.154	.214	.154	.368
Starling Marte	11	11	3	0	0	1	0	2	.273	.273	.273	.545
Gregory Polanco	6	6	2	1	0	0	0	1	.333	.333	.500	.833
Aramis Ramirez	5	3	1	0	1	2	1	1	.333	.600	1.333	1.933
Francisco Cervelli	3	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
Jung Ho Kang	3	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
Mike Morse	3	3	1	1	0	0	0	1	.333	.333	.667	1.000
Chris Stewart	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	.500	.500	.500	1.000
Travis Ishikawa	1	1	1	0	1	3	0	0	1.000	1.000	4.000	5.000
Total	84	76	19	3	3	9	5	15	.250	.313	.408	.721

For his part, Cole still leads the NL in wins with 14, carrying a 2.85 ERA in his last six starts. Cole has shown excellent control recently, with a three-walk outing vs the Dodgers notwithstanding. In that same span, Cole has held opponents to a .278 on-base percentage.

Cole’s numbers against the Cardinals are listed below:

Name	PA	AB	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Matt Carpenter	21	18	4	0	2	4	3	1	.222	.333	.556	.889
Yadier Molina	16	16	3	0	1	1	0	1	.188	.188	.375	.563
Jhonny Peralta	15	14	4	2	0	0	1	3	.286	.333	.429	.762
Kolten Wong	14	14	3	1	1	2	0	2	.214	.214	.500	.714
Jason Heyward	10	8	2	1	0	0	2	1	.250	.400	.375	.775
Mark Reynolds	7	7	2	1	1	1	0	2	.286	.286	.857	1.143
Brandon Moss	6	6	2	0	1	2	0	1	.333	.333	.833	1.167
Peter Bourjos	5	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	.200	.200	.200	.400
Pete Kozma	5	5	1	0	0	0	0	3	.200	.200	.200	.400
Randal Grichuk	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
Total	108	102	23	5	6	10	6	19	.225	.269	.451	.719

Assuming he is healthy, Francisco Liriano closes out the series against right-hander Lance Lynn.

Next: Game three - Liriano vs Lynn

Schedule