Game 157: Cardinals at Pirates

First of three HUGE games versus the Cardinals in Pittsburgh.
Probables: Lance Lynn (12-10, 3.16) vs. JA Happ (10-8, 3.88)
Preview:
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/201509...game_pk=415991
"Central issue: Cards-Bucs set to go head-to-head
By Tom Singer / MLB.com | @Tom_Singer | + 2 COMMENTS
Clint Hurdle playfully parodies the concept of a big series.
"They're all big series. It is the big leagues," the Pirates' manager likes to say.
But by any definition, the three-game set beginning Monday night between the Cardinals and the Bucs is not only big, but the biggest regular-season games in the 15-year history of PNC Park. The Pirates have been in this contending position each of the least two seasons, too, but for the first time, the last-week schedule brings them together with the team they are chasing. The Cardinals hold a three-game lead in the National League Central, and their Magic Number for clinching a third straight division title is four.
Pittsburgh lefty J.A. Happ will face Cardinals righty Lance Lynn as the series opener pits two guys who had strikingly different results in their last appearances in this rivalry. Earlier this month in St. Louis, Happ piched seven shutout innings in a 9-3 win; on Aug. 13, Lynn didn't get out of the first inning as he allowed seven runs in an eventual 10-5 loss.
Things to know about this game
• The Pirates begin their final six-game homestand 139,626 short of breaking the season attendance record of 2,442,564, which they set last season.
• A baseball season is 181 days long; the Cardinals moved into first place on Day 12, on April 16, and have been there ever since.
• Anticipated crowds at least close to sellouts all three nights could translate into a home-field advantage for the Pirates, who this season are 31-10 in front of home crowds of 33,000-plus.
Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog Change for a Nickel. He can also be found on Twitter @Tom_Singer and on his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs."