St. Louis @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 23, 2011 ) St. Louis 9, Pittsburgh 1

THE STORY: With the top spot in the National League Central out of their hands, the Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to at least remain above .500. They will try to avoid a sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals as they host the series finale Sunday afternoon. Pittsburgh sends Charlie Morton to the mound against struggling Cardinals veteran Kyle Lohse. St. Louis and Milwaukee lead the Central by one game over Pittsburgh.

TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Kyle Lohse (8-7, 3.45 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Charlie Morton (8-5, 3.62).

A fast start to the season has given way to a string of rough outings for Lohse, who is 0-3 with a 7.64 ERA in three July starts. The 32-year-old righthander was roughed up for four runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings last time out against the New York Mets, and has only one win since May 29. He is 5-2 lifetime against the Pirates with a 3.59 ERA in 11 games (10 starts). Morton has alternated good and bad starts in his last four outings. His last appearance was a good one as he threw three-hit ball over five scoreless innings in a 2-0 triumph over Cincinnati. Morton has not had much success against the Cardinals in his career, going 2-3 with a 6.43 ERA over 28 innings. He did, however, beat them in his first start of the season on April 4.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (53-47): The St. Louis offense has returned to prominence after scuffling earlier in the week. The Cardinals have scored 21 runs over their last three games, capped by Saturday's 9-1 drubbing. As has been the case for most of the season, slugger Lance Berkman was at the center of it all. His three-run homer in the fifth inning was his National League-leading 27th of the season, and his 69 RBIs rank him in the top five in the NL. He has dominated Morton in his career, going 5-for-7 with four walks, two home runs and five RBIs. Cardinals hitters are batting a collective .411 against Morton all-time.

ABOUT THE PIRATES (51-47): Pittsburgh fans may want to put their playoff hopes on hold. The Pirates have dropped three straight, and looked completely overmatched Saturday. Pittsburgh faces a seven-game road trip that will take them to Atlanta and Philadelphia, and while they do own the Central's best road record at 26-22, a solid result in Sunday's series finale couldn't hurt as far as building momentum goes. The Pirates are batting a collective .327 against Lohse, with six different Pittsburgh players having homered off him.

FINAL PITCH: While Pittsburgh faces a difficult week ahead, the Cardinals have a much easier schedule. They open a seven-game homestand Monday that will see them entertain the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs, the two worst teams in the majors.