Pittsburgh @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 26, 2011 ) Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 5

THE STORY: A pair of teams that have faded out of the playoff picture in the past month clash Saturday afternoon when St. Louis hosts the third of four games against Pittsburgh. The Cardinals and Pirates were part of a three-way tie in the National League Central on July 25 but now trail Milwaukee by 9 1/2 and 17 games, respectively. St. Louis took the first two games of the series, 8-4 and 5-4.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, Fox (national)

PITCHING MATCHUPS: Pirates RH Jeff Karstens (9-7, 3.09) vs. Cardinals RH Chris Carpenter (8-8, 3.57).

Karstens enjoyed an excellent first half, posting a 2.28 ERA through July 20, but he is 1-2 since with 22 runs allowed in 33 2/3 innings. He lasted 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against St. Louis on Aug. 16, yielding three runs on six hits, but pitched better in his last start (7 IP, 2 ER) despite losing to Milwaukee. Karstens has fared well against the Cardinals, giving up just three runs in 19 1/3 innings over three starts prior to this season. Carpenter has shown flashes of his old Cy Young-winning self recently, following a 10-strikeout effort at Pittsburgh on Aug. 16 by holding the Dodgers to one run in eight-plus innings on Aug. 22. The St. Louis bullpen betrayed him in both games, but he still boasts a 7-1 record since June 17. Carpenter has been outstanding in 18 lifetime starts against the Pirates, going 12-2 with a 2.33 ERA.

ABOUT THE PIRATES (61-70): Pittsburgh has won just eight of 31 games since July 26 to give up any hope of its first playoff berth since 1992. The Pirates rank near the bottom of the National League in most offensive categories, including runs (502), batting average (.244) and OPS (.672). The slide has been particularly tough for closer Joel Hanrahan, who converted 30 of his first 31 save opportunities but is 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA while converting just two of four chances in August.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (69-63): St. Louis has lost 10 games in the standings to Milwaukee since July 27, and it has done a fantastic job of shooting itself in the foot. Defensively, the Cardinals have surrendered 62 unearned runs on 88 errors this season, while the offense is on pace to set a National League record for grounding into double plays, hitting into 141 through 132 games (St. Louis holds the NL mark with 166, set in 1958).

FINAL PITCH: The Pirates have won just three of their last 14 games in St. Louis, where they are also 1-8 in their last nine against Carpenter.