St. Louis @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 26, 2014 ) St. Louis 2, Pittsburgh 5

The Pittsburgh Pirates host the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon in the rubber match of a three-game series, but will likely do so without center fielder Andrew McCutchen. The reigning National League MVP appeared to re-aggravate a rib injury and left Tuesday's 5-2 victory after five innings. Pittsburgh, which was 5-9 in the 14 games McCutchen missed while on the disabled list earlier this month, is 1 1/2 games behind San Francisco for the final NL wild card spot.

St. Louis' Adam Wainwright isn't pitching like a Cy Young candidate or the NL starter in the All-Star Game but he'll try to become the first 16-game winner in the major leagues when he opposes Jeff Locke, who is unbeaten in his last four starts. "For a month and a half it's been just frustrating baseball on my part," Wainwright told reporters. "I haven't been able to make pitches like I want to. I've been talking myself blue in the face. Now I just have to go out and pitch." Wainwright was 12-4 with a 1.83 ERA entering the All-Star break, but alternated losses and wins in seven starts since while his ERA increased by more than one-half run.

TV: 12:35 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (15-8, 2.52 ERA) vs. Pirates LH Jeff Locke (5-3, 3.69)

Wainwright yielded five runs (four earned) and six hits while walking three in six innings of a 5-4 loss in Philadelphia on Friday. The Georgia native, who turns 33 on Saturday, is 9-5 with a 1.74 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 15 road starts this season but has dropped his last two turns away from home. Wainwright is 10-5 with a 4.18 ERA in 25 games against Pittsburgh - 5-2, 5.15 in 12 contests at PNC Park, but hasn't won there since 2010 and is 0-2 with a no-decision in three starts since.

Locke allowed two runs and two hits but walked six in six innings of an 8-3 victory at Milwaukee on Friday and is 3-0 with a 3.42 ERA in his last four starts. The 26-year-old New Hampshire native issued 25 free passes in 97 2/3 innings this season, but nearly half of those - 12 - in 18 2/3 frames over his last three turns. Locke, who is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts against St. Louis - all in 2013 - is 3-1 in eight home outings this season, with the Pirates 6-2 in those contests.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pittsburgh 1B Pedro Alvarez left Tuesday's game after the sixth inning with a foot injury.

2. The Cardinals, who trail Milwaukee by 1 1/2 games in the NL Central but are 3 1/2 clear in the wild card race, lead the major leagues with 210 two-out RBIs.

3. The Pirates on Tuesday recorded their 18th victory of the season in their last at-bat when Ike Davis delivered a pinch-hit three-run homer with two out in the eighth inning after registering 17 such victories in 2013.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 3, Pirates 2