Cardinals limp into Pittsburgh looking to play spoiler in late September tilt

The Cardinals roll into PNC Park on Tuesday night with nothing but pride left to play for, while the Pirates are still clinging to faint postseason hopes in a chaotic NL Wild Card race. St. Louis has been sleepwalking through September, and Pittsburgh knows it—they took the last meeting between these two back on August 30th with a 5-4 walk-off that had the Bucs faithful believing anything's possible.

That win wasn't a fluke. The Pirates have owned this season series, feeding off a Cardinals squad that's been maddeningly inconsistent all year. Pittsburgh's bats have shown life at home, and their bullpen—shaky as it's been at times—found a way to lock down late innings when it mattered most last time out. St. Louis, meanwhile, continues to trot out a rotation that's been more batting practice than intimidation, and their offense has gone ice-cold at the worst possible time.

DarkHorse nailed the Pirates at -120 in that August clash, and the trends haven't shifted. St. Louis has zero urgency, Pittsburgh has everything to gain, and PNC Park under the lights in September is a dangerous place for a team that's already checked out. Expect the Bucs to keep the pressure on and send the Cardinals packing with another loss.