PITTSBURGH PIRATES (78-82-1) vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (85-76) OCTOBER 2, 2016 at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO --- GAME #162/ROAD #81 RHP RYAN VOGELSONG (3-7, 5.00 ERA) vs. RHP ADAM WAINWRIGHT (13-9, 4.67 ERA) THE PIRATES... have gone 2-7-1 in their last 10 games after winning six-of-seven...Have gone 15-9 in their last 24 road games...Scored a season-high 15 runs on 9/15 in Philadelphia...Won a season-high seven straight games from 6/29 to 7/6...Were a season-high nine games over .500 following their win against the Rangers in Texas on 5/27 (28-19)...Were 97-64 after 161 games in 2015 (98-64 after 162). BUCS WHEN... SPECIAL K: Ryan Vogelsong enters today’s start one strikeout shy of 900 in his Major League career...He recorded his first big league K on 9/7/00 in his second career game with the Giants. Last five games ...............1-3-1 TAKING A WALK: The Pirates lead all Major League teams with 231 walks received since 8/1 and rank fourth among National Last ten games ................2-7-1 League teams with 557 overall this season, their highest single-season total since the 2000 season (564). Leading after 6 ................64-4 LOOKING AHEAD: Pittsburgh is scheduled to open the 2017 regular season against the Red Sox in Boston on Monday, April Tied after 6 ................... 8-10 3...Following a three-game series at Fenway Park, the Pirates’ Home Opener is slated for Friday, April 7, against Atlanta. Trailing after 6 ................6-68 AWARD WINNERS: The Pittsburgh chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America named Starling Marte the winner of the Clemente Award (team MVP)...Marte received 10 out of 11 first-place votes and snapped Andrew McCutchen’s four-year Leading after 7 ................68-7 run as the winner...RHP Jameson Taillon won the Steve Blass Award, which is given to the Pirates’ top pitcher and reliever Jared Hughes won the Chuck Tanner Award, which is given to the team’s most media- and fan-friendly player. Tied after 7 ....................7-8 RAKING AGAINST THE REDBIRDS: In 14 games against the Cardinals this season, Jung Ho Kang is hitting .318 (14-for-44) Trailing after 7 ................ 3-67 with six home runs and 14 RBI...He homered twice at Busch Stadium in his first game of the 2016 campaign on 5/6 and also went deep twice on 9/6 at PNC Park...In 29 career games vs. St. Louis, Jung Ho has gone 31-for-96 (.323) with four doubles, Leading after 8 ................ 70-2 a triple, eight home runs and 21 RBI. Tied after 8 ....................6-7 SAVING THE DAY: The Bucco bullpen has recorded 51 saves this season...Since saves became an official statistic in 1969, Trailing after 8 ................ 2-73 Pittsburgh has now had five seasons of 50 or more saves; also 2013 (55), 2015 (54), 1979 (52) and 1991 (51). RUNNING BUCS: The 110 stolen bases by the Pirates this season are the most by the Bucs since the 1999 squad stole 112... Scoring first ................54-27-0 Starling Marte will finish the season ranked third with his 47 stolen bases, the highest total for a Pittsburgh player since Opp. score first ..............24-55-1 Tony Womack in 1998 (58)...Jacob Stallings recorded his first Major League SB on Saturday. LOOK AT ME, I CAN BE CENTER FIELD: Andrew McCutchen made his 150th start of the season in center field Friday night Scoring 4+ ................ 68-30-0 and has now made 150 or more starts at that position in six of the last seven seasons...Since the start of the 2010 season, Scoring less than 4 ...........10-52-1 McCutchen leads all Major League players with 1062 starts in center field and his 1172 hits as a centerfielder in that time rank first in the National League at that position. Outhitting Opp. .............53-13-0 HOME/ROAD: The Pirates wrapped up the home portion of the 2016 schedule with a 1-1 tie against the Cubs Thursday night... Being out-hit ...............17-63-1 The Bucs posted a 38-42-1 record at PNC Park, their first losing season at home since 2011 (36-45)...With a victory today in St. Louis, Pittsburgh would assure itself of a winning record on the road...It would mark the first time in team history (since Hits are equal ..................8-6 1887) that the Pirates produced a winning record on the road and a losing record at home. Comeback wins .................32 HOT ROD ON THE ROAD: Sean Rodriguez has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 road games, going 16-for-46 (.348) with six home runs and 15 RBI...In his last 20 games played on the road, dating back to 8/14, Sean Rod has gone 21-for-59 (.356) Wins in final AB ................. 13 with seven homers, 19 RBI, a .435 on-base percentage and a 1.147 OPS. Walkoff Wins ....................4 THE BUCS AT BUSCH: The Pirates have won four of their last seven games played in St. Louis and are 5-4 at Busch Stadium Losses in final AB ................ 13 this season...A victory this afternoon would give the Bucs their first winning season series at Busch since going 5-4 in 2012 and would give Pittsburgh six wins in St. Louis for the first time since posting an 8-1 record in 1992. Walkoff Losses ...................4 WADE PUTTING UP BLANKS: Lefty Wade LeBlanc tossed 2.0 scoreless innings Tuesday night, retiring six of the seven Extra Inning Games .............8-4 Chicago batters he faced...Since being acquired from Seattle on 9/7, LeBlanc has made seven scoreless appearances (11.0ip) and has struck out 10 while holding opposing batters to a .139 average (5-for-36). Playing errorless ............45-39-1 POWER SURGE: The Pirates connected for 28 home runs in September, falling four shy of their record for the month...The Homered ................... 56-38 club record for most home runs hit during the month of September remains 32 (in 2013). 2+ homers ...................27-12 CATCH THIS: Francisco Cervelli has reached base safely in 12 of his last 13 games and ranks first among all Major League catchers with a .371 on-base percentage this season...In his two seasons with the Pirates, Cervelli has produced a .371 OBP Series (W-L-T) ..............23-24-5 in his 222 games as a catcher; the best mark among all Major League backstops. Series Sweeps ....................6 STRIKING NUMBERS: Pittsburgh’s bullpen enters today’s action with 532 strikeouts, which is a single-season club record for relief pitchers...Juan Nicasio set a club record by striking out at least one batter in 33 consecutive games, the third-longest Swept in a Series .................8 streak in Major League history behind Bruce Sutter (39 with Cubs in 1977) and Aroldis Chapman (37 with Reds in 2014). Interleague ...................9-11 GUNG HO FOR JUNG HO: Jung Ho Kang has hit 21 home runs this season and is the first Asian-born infielder to hit 20 or Before the break ........... 46-43-0 more home runs in a Major League season...Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo (Korea) has hit 20 or more four times in his big league career, which included a career-high 22 with Cleveland in 2010 and with Texas in 2015...Outfielder/DH Hideki Matsui (Japan) After the break ..............32-39-1 is the only other Asian-born player to hit 20 or more home runs in a Major League season, having done so five times between Starter goes 6.0ip+ ..........47-25-0 2004-2010 with the Yankees and Angels...Matsui hit a career-high 31 homers as a outfielder in 2004. Starter goes less than 6.0ip ......31-57-1 JOYCE IS IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Matt Joyce walked for the 21st time as a pinch hitter on 9/17 in Cincinnati, setting the Major League record for most walks as a pinch hitter in a season...The previous mark of 20 was held by Atlanta’s Greg Norton in 2009 and Matt Franco, who walked 20 times as a pinch hitter with the Mets in 1999. LEANING ON THE LEFTY: Tony Watson has made 403 appearances in his career with the Pirates and now ranks eighth on the club’s list for all-time games pitched... The only other left-handed pitcher with more games than Watson is Wilbur Cooper, who made 469 appearances (368 starts) with Pittsburgh between 1912 and 1924. ON THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY October 1, 1903: In the first World Series game ever played, Pirate hurler Deacon Phillippe threw a complete game, allowing two earned runs while striking out 10. Phillippe’s effort propelled the Pirates to a 7-3 victory over the Boston Americans at Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston. The Pirates banged out 12 hits against Boston’s Cy Young. Pittsburgh’s Jimmy Sebring hit the first Fall Classic home run. 14 - RHP RYAN VOGELSONG YEAR W-L ERA G GS CG SHO IP H R ER BB SO 2015 9-11 4.67 33 22 0 0 135.0 140 76 70 58 108 2016 3-7 5.00 23 13 0 0 77.1 76 50 43 37 60 M.L. CAREER 61-75 4.49 288 178 2 1 1185.0 1200 640 591 468 899 vs. ST. LOUIS: 3-7 with a 6.02 ERA (80.2ip/54er) in 23 career appearances (12 starts)...Is 0-0 in two appearances (one start) in 2016, tossing 0.1 scoreless inning of relief on 5/8 at St.