Pittsburgh @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2012 ) Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 3

Pedro Alvarez wouldn’t mind playing every game at Busch Stadium. Pittsburgh’s third baseman has 44 RBIs – 13 of them in five games in St. Louis. The Pirates go for a three-game sweep Sunday after Alvarez’s first-inning grand slam sent them to a 6-2 win Saturday. Alvarez also had four RBIs in Friday’s 14-5 win.

The Pirates have won four straight, scoring 37 runs in the streak. Center fielder Andrew McCutchen is 6-for-9 in the series with five runs scored and four RBIs, but he tweaked his left wrist while making a diving catch Saturday and is day-to-day. Second baseman Neil Walker is 8-for-17 with four RBIs in the win streak.

St. Louis has lost three in a row and is 17-18 at home.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), Root Sports (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH Erik Bedard (4-8, 4.27 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Jake Westbrook (6-6, 3.77)

Pittsburgh has lost Bedard’s last three starts. He’s given up 12 earned runs in that span, covering 15 1/3 innings. Batters are hitting .260 against Bedard, who is with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against St. Louis, including a May 3 road win in which he allowed two runs in five innings while fanning 11.

Westbrook has gone at least six innings in four straight starts, allowing eight earned runs in that streak. St. Louis has won his last three outings. Batters are hitting .268 against Westbrook, who’s 0-5 with a 5.06 ERA in 10 career appearances against Pittsburgh. Westbrook has struggled against Pedro Alvarez (5-for-11) and Andrew McCutchen (6-for-16).

WALK-OFFS

1. Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday has 25 hits in his last 50 at-bats. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI on Saturday.

2. Cardinals reliever Maikel Cleto, just recalled from Triple A-Memphis, struck out the side in the eighth inning Saturday.

3. Pittsburgh hit an National League-high 39 homers in June.