Pittsburgh @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( May 9, 2010 ) St. Louis 11, Pittsburgh 4

Given that their road record is the worst in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates enter the weekend a considerable underdog.

Considering the pitcher they're facing in Friday's opener, they don't figure to have much of a chance at all.

Coming off an unlikely road series win, the Pirates will have their hands full when they take on Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of their three-game set at Busch Stadium.

Having won just three of its previous 28 road games, Pittsburgh took two in a row from Colorado at Coors Field before falling 9-3 in the series finale on Thursday. Paul Maholm was tagged for eight runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings as the Pirates were denied their first road series sweep since July 21-23, 2008 at Houston.

Still, Pittsburgh left Denver with just its second series win on the road in its last 11 tries. If they want to make it two in a row, the Pirates will have to conquer a formidable foe in Carpenter (11-3).

Entering with a 10-game winning streak against the Pirates, Carpenter is 11-1 with a 2.29 ERA in 14 career starts vs. the club. The 35-year old has not lost to Pittsburgh since June 29, 2004.

In his last start against the Pirates, Carpenter received a no-decision despite yielding just two runs over seven innings in a 4-3 Cardinals victory on May 7.

Carpenter, whose 11 wins against Pittsburgh are his most against any team, appears to have straightened himself out of late. After losing consecutive starts at the beginning of the month, the right-hander has gone 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in his last three outings.

Carpenter allowed three runs and nine hits in seven innings Sunday but did not factor in the decision as St. Louis posted a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The Cardinals certainly could use another strong performance from Carpenter as they return home following a 2-4 road trip in which both their victories came in extra innings. St. Louis was limited to just four hits in a 4-0 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday, their fifth loss in seven games following an eight-game winning streak.

It also marked the third time in the last five losses the Cardinals were shut out and their 10th blanking of the season, with nine of them coming on the road. Thursday's setback dropped St. Louis a half-game behind first-place Cincinnati in the National League Central.

Also losers of five of their last seven, the Pirates will send Jeff Karstens (2-6) to the mound to face the Cardinals. The right-hander is 0-4 with a 4.72 ERA over his last six starts but has allowed three earned runs or less in four of those outings.

Karstens last pitched on Saturday, when he gave up four runs – two earned – and seven hits over six innings in a 9-2 loss to San Diego. It was the 13th start of the year for the 27-year old, who is 2-6 with a 4.54 ERA as a member of Pittsburgh's rotation but has allowed two earned runs or less seven times.

In two career outings against St. Louis, Karstens is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA. He limited the Cardinals to three hits over six innings en route to a 2-0 victory on May 8.

Karstens still is searching for his first road win of 2010, having gone 0-4 with a 4.81 ERA in 10 games – including three relief appearances.

Pittsburgh, which has homered in a season-high five straight games, hopes to have Andrew McCutchen back in the lineup. McCutchen, who hit safely in each of the six contests in which he appeared since the All-Star break, missed Thursday's loss to Colorado with a sore right shoulder.