St. Louis @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 11, 2016 ) St. Louis 5, Pittsburgh 1

A potent offense has powered the St. Louis Cardinals to wins in four in a row and six of their last seven contests. The red-hot Cardinals will look to keep the scoreboard operator busy Sunday as they attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the host Pittsburgh Pirates.

Brandon Moss has recorded five consecutive multi-hit performances with four homers, seven RBIs and six runs scored for St. Louis, which has outscored the opposition 48-27 over the last seven contests. Fellow veteran Matt Holliday belted a three-run homer in the Cardinals' 5-1 triumph Saturday, with his three-hit effort matching the sum total of his previous seven games. Pittsburgh has been undone by its pitching of late as the club has surrendered 31 runs en route to losing four consecutive contests. Injuries have also played a role for the Pirates, who likely will see Erik Kratz start behind the plate after fellow catchers Francisco Cervelli (broken bone in his left hand) and Chris Stewart (undisclosed) were injured in the first two games of this series.

TV: 5:05 p.m. ET, ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Mike Leake (4-4, 4.22 ERA) vs. Pirates LH Jonathon Niese (6-2, 3.93)

Leake struggled mightily versus his former team Tuesday, surrendering a season-high six runs on 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision against Cincinnati. The 28-year-old had recorded five consecutive quality starts prior to that outing, yielding only six runs in 34 frames to post a 4-1 mark. Leake owns an 8-4 career record against Pittsburgh, but allowed four runs and three walks in 4 1/3 innings of a 5-1 setback April 6.

Niese scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings Tuesday in a 3-1 victory over his former team, the New York Mets. The 29-year-old has permitted six runs on 26 hits in 31 frames to post a 3-0 record in his last five starts. Niese owns a 4-3 career mark versus St. Louis, but struggled in his lone encounter this season as he yielded five runs on as many hits in five innings of a no-decision April 5.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pittsburgh CF Andrew McCutchen is 1-for-10 with four strikeouts in this series after going 9-for-24 with four runs scored in the previous six games versus St. Louis.

2. Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter, who took Saturday off, is 11-for-26 with seven RBIs and eight runs during his seven-game hitting streak.

3. Pittsburgh LF Starling Marte continues to torment St. Louis this season, going 5-for-9 with two runs scored in this series and 14-for-34 this season.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 3, Pirates 2