• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Pirates and Cards resume key set in the Steel City

Jul 23, 2011 - 2:37 PM (Sports Network) - Kevin Correia goes after win No. 12 this evening when the Pittsburgh Pirates continue their three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.

Correia has been as a big of a surprise this season as the Pirates, going 11-7 with a 4.04 earned run average. He is winless in his last two starts, though, and received a no-decision on Sunday in Houston, as he allowed three runs and five hits in six innings of his team's 7-5 win.

He also helped his cause with a two-run double.

"I kind of got back in a little rhythm there at the end and pitched well enough -- with my offensive capabilities -- to keep us in the game," Correia said.

Pitching at home has been a problem for the right-hander, as he is just 2-5 in nine games at PNC with a 5.94 ERA.

Correia beat the Cards with seven scoreless innings earlier in the year and is 2-2 lifetime against them with a 2.79 ERA in 12 games (five starts).

St. Louis, meanwhile, will counter with lefty Jaime Garcia, who had a three- start winning streak stopped his last time out. Garcia pitched well in defeat on Sunday, though, in Cincinnati, as he allowed two runs (one earned) and six hits in seven innings. He also struck out six without walking a batter, but still fell to 9-4 to go along with a 3.11 ERA.

Garcia is 0-1, despite surrendering just a run in 9 1/3 innings in three games (one start) against the Pirates.

St. Louis drew first blood in this key NL Central matchup on Friday, as Albert Pujols and David Freese each hit two- run homers and Chris Carpenter tossed eight innings to lift the Cardinals to a 6-4 victory.

Yadier Molina went 3-for-4 with a solo home run for the Cardinals, who along with the Pirates are one game behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. The Brewers won in San Francisco Friday night.

Pujols finished 4-for-5 for the Cardinals, who have won back-to-back games on the heels of a three-game slide. Carpenter (6-7) earned the victory after allowing four runs on 10 hits and he also went 2-for-4 with an RBI at the plate.

"That was a nice win," said Carpenter. "We scored runs early and I was able to do what I needed to do to get deep in the game and give us a chance."

Fernando Salas allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to record his 18th save.

Paul Maholm (6-10) was charged with the loss, surrendering five runs on 10 hits in six innings. It was just the third loss in eight decisions for Maholm, who had an RBI single in the setback.

"Early in the game he was leaving the rubber a little bit early. He wasn't quite getting the ball down as much as he wanted to," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of Maholm's performance.

Michael McKenry had three hits for the Pirates, while Garrett Jones was 2- for-4 with two RBI. Ronny Cedeno, who was activated from the disabled list prior to the game, finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Pirates have dropped two in a row following a three-game winning streak.

The Pirates took two of three from the Cardinals earlier in the year.