An argument can be made that the Pittsburgh Pirates just played their most important series of the season. After being swept by the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, the team was looking to bounce back against the St. Louis Cardinals in an effort to get back on track. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
After being swept by the Cubs the Pirates fell to 44-48 on the season, and dropped to 5.5 games out of first place in the National League Central and 3.5 games out in the NL Wild Card race. The team needed to pick up a series victory against the Cardinals, or risk starting to fade in the NL race.