Here are the lineups for today’s game, with some thoughts below:
Pirates
1. Starling Marte, LF
2. Neil Walker, 2B
3. Andrew McCutchen, CF
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Marlon Byrd, RF
6. Pedro Alvarez, 3B
7. Russell Martin, C
8. Clint Barmes, SS
9. A.J. Burnett, SP
Cardinals
1. Matt Carpenter, 2B
2. Carlos Beltran, RF
3. Matt Holliday, LF
4. Matt Adams, 1B
5. Yadier Molina, C
6. Jon Jay, CF
7. David Freese, 3B
8. Daniel Descalso, SS
9. Adam Wainwright, SP
The Pirates go with the same lineup as the Wild Card game. Clint Barmes makes another start, with the team opting to go with the better defender at short. Having Jordy Mercer on the bench gives a good pinch-hitting option against left-handers later in the game, paired with Gaby Sanchez and Josh Harrison. The Cardinals have Randy Choate and Kevin Siegrist as lefties available out of the bullpen.
As I mentioned earlier today when the playoff rosters were announced, the Cardinals will be without Allen Craig. That won’t hurt the lineup as much due to Matt Adams. However, it will hurt the bench production, since Adams obviously won’t be available later in the game.
