Pittsburgh @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 1, 2012 ) Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 5

The Cardinals resume their nine-game homestand Friday by welcoming Pittsburgh – the team they’re chasing for the second wild-card spot. St. Louis is one game behind the Pirates after the Cards’ stunning 2-1 home loss on Thursday, a game in which Arizona homered twice in the ninth. Despite the heart-wrenching defeat, the Cards have won 15 of their last 19 home games. Allen Craig drove in the Cards’ lone run Thursday with an RBI single, giving him 62 RBIs in just 76 games.

The Pirates, trying to make the postseason for the first time in 20 years, have won just two of their last eight games. They enter off a 10-6 win over Los Angeles in which Garrett Jones hit a pair of three-run homers. The right fielder is on a 7-for-13 tear over his last four games, with three doubles and 10 RBIs. The Pirates face St. Louis in six of their next 12 games.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FS-M (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH James McDonald (10-5, 3.77 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Jake Westbrook (12-8, 3.62 ERA)

The Pirates have lost McDonald’s last four starts. He’s given up 20 earned runs over 21 1/3 innings in that span, so he was given an extra couple days of rest before Friday's start. He has given up eight homers since the All-Star break. In eight career appearances against the Cards, McDonald is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA.

Westbrook has allowed three earned runs over his last two starts covering 13 2/3 innings. On May 8 in Arizona, he tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and walking two, in a 6-1 Cards win. Lifetime he’s 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA against the Diamondbacks.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pirates 2B Neil Walker is day-to-day with a dislocated pinky finger. He won’t go on the DL, but must deal with the swelling and pain that comes with swinging against live pitching.

2. St. Louis leads the season series 5-4.

3. Cardinals SS Rafael Furcal has four extra-base hits in the last three games since dropping down to No. 8 in the batting order.