Pittsburgh @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 4, 2015 ) Pittsburgh 9, St. Louis 3

Starling Marte is starting to heat up after a cold spell, and the Pittsburgh Pirates would like to follow suit. After driving in three runs in the opener, Marte looks to maintain his hot hand as the visiting Pirates attempt to climb back into contention for the National League Central title when they continue their three-game series versus the first-place St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday afternoon.

Marte collected three hits in Friday's 9-3 triumph and is 6-for-14 in his last three contests after a brutal 0-for-17 stretch in his previous five. The 26-year-old Dominican traditionally has feasted on St. Louis pitching (49-for-157, .312) but will face Saturday starter Jaime Garcia for the first time in his career. While Pittsburgh snapped its four-game skid, the Cardinals have dropped two in a row after winning nine of 10 and saw their lead over the Pirates shrink to 5 1/2 games. Rookie Stephen Piscotty is 20-for-47 (.426) with 11 RBIs during his career-best 11-game hitting streak.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FS1, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Charlie Morton (8-6, 4.22 ERA) vs. Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (7-4, 2.03)

Morton has dropped two straight starts and carries a dismal 2-10 career record and 5.58 ERA versus St. Louis into Saturday's start. The 31-year-old pitched well in the last meeting, however, allowing just one hit over seven scoreless innings before settling for a hard-luck no-decision. Morton has kept the ball in the park in three straight outings and six of his last seven.

Garcia improved to 4-0 in his last six starts on Sunday despite allowing four runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 7-5 triumph over San Francisco. The 29-year-old has yielded just nine earned runs and 31 hits during that stretch (39 innings). Like Morton, Garcia has kept the ball in the park throughout much of the season, including in each of his last six starts and 10 of his last 12.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis 1B Brandon Moss is 13-for-28 with four homers, seven RBIs and as many runs scored during his eight-game hitting streak.

2. Pittsburgh CF Andrew McCutchen has recorded 10 multi-hit performances in his last 16 contests.

3. Cardinals 2B Kolten Wong is 10-for-24 during his six-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 6, Pirates 2