At 8:15 PM EDT next Friday, the 65-70 Pittsburgh Pirates will test their .252 batting average against the .241 output of the 66-68 St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. It is a rare evening where the "better" team’s offense might look like a highlight reel just because the other side forgot to bring a bat. The Pirates are missing some key bodies, with shortstop Konnor Griffin on the 60-day IL and right fielder Ryan O'Hearn on the 10-day list, which gives the Cardinals a chance to mock Pittsburgh’s lineup depth while pretending they have their own act together.
On the mound, St. Louis left-hander Quinn Mathews (0-2) has a 6.43 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP over 14 innings, effectively serving as a human walk-off machine for the opposition. Pittsburgh counters with righty Jared Jones (2-5), whose 4.76 ERA and 11 home runs allowed suggest his fastball is negotiating a peace treaty with every slugger in the box. With team ERAs sitting at a symmetrical 4.22 and 4.24, these pitching staffs are about as secure as a screen door on a submarine. Drop your pick in StreakChat and let us know if you’re taking the side with the slightly better error rate.