The Pittsburgh Pirates (6-8), coming off a 2-0 win on Saturday behind a solid A.J. Burnett pitching performance, take the field on Sunday looking for a series win over the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals (10-5).
Burnett threw seven strong innings on Saturday, and Pedro Alvarez, just two for 30 to begin the season, drove in both runs for the Pirates.
Erik Bedard will take the hill for Pittsburgh on Sunday. Bedard is 0-3 on the season, despite an excellent 2.65 ERA. In his last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bedard allowed two earned runs in five innings of work, throwing 97 pitches in those five frames.
St. Louis will counter with Kyle Lohse, 2-1 with a 3.90 ERA in five starts against the Pirates last season. The top of Pittsburgh's lineup - Alex Presley, Jose Tabata, Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker - are 25 for 59 combined against Lohse in their careers.
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