MLB Game Preview - St. Louis at Pittsburgh

Tue Jul 23, 2019 7:05 PM EDT

It seems likely emotions will run high Tuesday as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates move into the second game of a four-game series at PNC Park.

But it might not be the same emotion for each club. That can happen when teams have a 10th inning like Monday's.

St. Louis' Paul Goldschmidt hit a grand slam in the top of the frame that bounced into the Allegheny River for a 6-2 lead. Pittsburgh almost stole the game and the emotional edge with a rally in the bottom of the 10th but came up a run short, falling 6-5 when Kevin Newman was called out at the plate on what would have been the tying run.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, however, dismissed any carryover into the rest of the series, even with his team riding a 2-8 slide.

"I don't rank the losses," Hurdle said. "It's hard. It's tough. You deal with it, then you get ready to play (Tuesday) ... because it's not going to stop, and nobody's going to feel sorry for you along the way."

The Cardinals have won eight of 10.

On Tuesday, St. Louis right-hander Dakota Hudson (9-4, 3.57 ERA) is scheduled to face Pittsburgh righty Chris Archer (3-6, 5.36 ERA).

The road has been a welcome place for Hudson. He is 4-1 in his past six road starts, with the Cardinals winning the only no-decision.

At Cincinnati on Thursday, Hudson dug St. Louis into a 3-0 hole early before holding the Reds scoreless over his last two innings as the Cardinals rallied to win 7-4.

Overall, Hudson has gotten comfortable in his skin since he ended April with a 5.62 ERA.

"I've learned what I need to do a little bit better at the professional level," said Hudson, whose rookie eligibility is still intact after 26 bullpen appearances last year. "The execution is what it came down to. You get out there, have a couple of tough games, then you've got to turn around and still have to figure out how to have success for a long period of time.

"If you have success one time, you know you can do it again. As it's gone along, and I've had success in a few more games, my confidence that I can shut it down is higher."

Hudson is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in five appearances, one start, in his career against the Pirates.

Archer is trying to be something of a renaissance man the second half, after his ERA bloated to nearly 6.00 in June. He has two quality starts since the All-Star break, though he's gone without a decision as Pittsburgh dropped both.

"If you're not happy with your results, there's only one thing you can do: Be better," Archer told the Pirates' website. "I think I learned to be better within yourself and not try to be a different type of pitcher."

That means Archer has dropped the use of a two-seam fastball he added last season.

"I think I went a little too far," he said. "The guys who need to sink it and need to be more crafty, they have a different arsenal than I do. I don't have to be so crafty."

The Pirates have won six of Archer's past nine games, and he is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA in his past four starts at PNC Park, all Pirates wins.

Archer got a no-decision Wednesday at St. Louis when he gave up three runs and five hits in six innings. That continued a theme -- Archer is 0-0 with a 2.82 ERA in four career starts against the Cardinals.

--Field Level Media