Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scoreboard - Live Odds - Sporting Events - Live Lines

(Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals hope to complete a week-long homestand on a positive note with tonight's finale of a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates from Busch Stadium.

St. Louis has gone 4-2 thus far on the seven-game residency, which includes a pair of wins in three tries against Pittsburgh over the weekend. The Cardinals rebounded from Saturday's 14-4 shellacking at the hands of the Bucs to come through with a 7-4 decision yesterday afternoon, with Skip Schumaker driving in three runs to lead the way.

The Cardinals scored five times in the second inning off Pirates starter Ian Snell, capped by a two-run single by Schumaker. Braden Looper made the early lead stand by holding Pittsburgh to three runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Looper (7-4) also aided his cause at the plate with a pair of singles in two at-bats, and drove in a run while scoring twice. Troy Glaus went 3-for-4 with a solo homer to help St. Louis win for the fourth time in its last five games.

Snell (2-5) was tagged for six runs and eight hits over four-plus innings of work.

Jose Bautista led the Pirates offensively by going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Xavier Nady collected a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to eight games, with the outfielder batting .387 (12-for-31) with two homers during the tear.

St. Louis will send out its best starter in the team's attempt to earn a series win tonight. Adam Wainwright brings a 5-2 record and an outstanding 2.86 season earned run average into this evening's test, and his last two starts have been excellent ones.

Wainwright defeated the Dodgers on May 23 with seven innings of one-run ball, then topped that effort by limiting Houston to one run and three hits over eight frames in Wednesday's 6-1 victory. The right-hander also racked up a season-high eight strikeouts against the Astros.

The 26-year-old has been terrific at Busch Stadium this year, having compiled a 4-0 record with a 2.42 ERA in six home starts.

Wainwright is 3-1 with a 4.50 ERA in nine lifetime appearances (5 starts) against Pittsburgh.

Tom Gorzelanny, who takes the mound tonight for the Bucs, has been going in the opposite direction as Wainwright. The young left-hander, a 14-game winner for Pittsburgh last season, has an ugly 7.38 ERA after 10 starts and has walked a startling 37 batters over 46 1/3 innings of work.

It appeared as if Gorzelanny may have turned the corner when he won three times in a four-start stretch from April 30-May 22. However, the 25-year-old had a forgettable performance at Cincinnati on Wednesday, lasting just two- thirds of an inning and surrendering six runs on four hits and a pair of walks.

Gorzelanny faced the Cardinals in Pittsburgh on April 24 and was handed a loss after giving up three runs and issuing a whopping seven walks over five innings. He is 1-3 with a 3.41 ERA in five career starts against St. Louis.

These NL Central foes have split eight meetings so far this season. The Pirates took two of three from the Cards at Busch Stadium earlier this month.