After winning home stand, Pirates shift focus to division rival Cardinals

The Pittsburgh Pirates won four of six games of their last home stand against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins and will now shift their focus to their division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals,
Los Angeles Dodgers v Pittsburgh Pirates
Los Angeles Dodgers v Pittsburgh Pirates / Justin K. Aller/GettyImages
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CARDINALS AT THE PLATE

As previously mentioned, this is a St. Louis offense that has mostly struggled this season. Their 254 total runs ranks 14th in the National League, and their team slash line of .235/.307/.372, totaling a .678 OPS, ranks between 10th and 12th in the NL in each listed stat. That being said, there are a handful of notable Cardinals to know at the plate this week.

SS Masyn Winn

After an impressive rookie season, Winn has shown so far in 2024 that his debut was no fluke. The 22-year old is hitting .306/.355/.435 this season with a .790 OPS. He also has an OPS+ of 125 this season, leading the Cardinals.

2B Nolan Gorman

The power-hitting second baseman leads the Cardinals in home runs with 14 - the only Cardinal, in fact, to have double-digit home runs this season. The 24-year-old is sporting a 120 OPS+ this season, but is slashing just .223/.308/.470. He's a bit of an all-or-nothing hitter but he can do damage.

DH Alec Burleson

Burleson has been the Cardinals' second-best power threat this season, with nine home runs while also picking up seven doubles. He's hitting .273/.305/.448 with a 114 OPS+.

3B Nolan Arenado

It has been a very rough start to the season for the future Hall of Famer. Arenado is hitting .252/.311/.370 this season with six home runs and 30 RBI. His Baseball Savant page has been particularly ugly this season, with most categories showing him to be a well-below average hitter in 2024. On top of a decline at the plate, Arenado is also struggling in the field, posting a defensive outs above average rating of -2 so far this season.

1B Paul Goldschmidt

Perhaps age is finally catching up to the 36-year-old first baseman. This season, in 62 games, Goldschmidt is hitting just .229/.305/.351 with a .656 OPS and 88 OPS+. He still has pop in his bat, with seven home runs and nine doubles while driving in 25, but he is striking out at the highest clip of his career at 29.2% while also walking at the lowest pace of his career (9.1%).