Greetings and best wishes for a fantastic 4th of July from all of us at Bucs Dugout!
We wish you a joyous, healthy, and safe day filled with family, friends, and baseball.
Today, the Pittsburgh Pirates are hosting the St. Louis Cardinals in the final game of their three-game series at PNC Park. The game is set to start at 12:35 p.m.
Martin Perez, a left-handed pitcher, will be starting for the Pirates, while Andre Pallante, a right-handed pitcher, will be starting for the Cardinals. Perez, with a record of 1-4 and an ERA of 5.28, recently returned from the injured list and had a challenging outing against Atlanta, giving up six runs in four innings.
Historically, the Pirates have a record of 110-108 on the 4th of July.
This is the first time since 1996 that the Pirates and Cardinals are facing off in Pittsburgh on the 4th of July. In 1996, the Cardinals defeated the Pirates 7-1 at Three Rivers Stadium.
The Pirates’ offense, under Derek Shelton, has been struggling to bring runners in, going three for 37 with runners in scoring position, including a 1-10 performance in the last game. Oneil Cruz’s hit in the 10th inning, bringing home Andrew McCutchen, was crucial for their victory.
To strengthen their roster, the Pirates have called up outfielder Joshua Palacios from Triple-A Indianapolis and placed right-handed starter Jared Jones on the 15-day injured list due to a right lat strain.
The Pirates are aiming to win the series against St. Louis today and narrow the gap to two games behind the final NL wild-card spot.
