One might think that the St. Louis Cardinals are due for a fall after nine consecutive series wins.Don’t run that theory by first baseman and MVP candidate Matt Carpenter.“I don’t know why it shouldn’t last the rest of the year CJ Wilson Jersey ,” he said Sunday after a 12-3 win at Colorado capped a 5-1 road trip and made them 22-7 since July 27. “I don’t see why it couldn’t.”Article continues below ...Carpenter and St. Louis will get a chance to test that theory Tuesday night when they welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates for the opener of a three-game series in Busch Stadium.The Cardinals (72-58) own the National League’s first wild-card spot and sit four games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. They also have a home-heavy schedule in the season’s last five weeks, playing 19 of their final 31 games in front of friendly fans. They have just one road trip longer than three games for the year’s remainder.For a team that is 11-4 at home under interim manager Mike Shildt, the chance to spend most of the year’s remainder in familiar surroundings has to be an advantage. Then again, St. Louis fans were last heard turning Coors Field into Busch Stadium West in the last few innings on Sunday, even chanting “MVP” as Carpenter did a postgame interview on FS Midwest.“That was cool to hear the fans, especially as many as we had here today,” Carpenter said. “It was a neat experience.”Watching Jack Flaherty (7-6, 2.97 ERA) pitch has been a neat experience at times. The rookie right-hander, who takes the mound for the series opener http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-julio-urias-jersey , has received the endorsement of none other than Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, who probably likes how Flaherty works inside with purpose.Flaherty had everything going for him in his last start Wednesday night at the Los Angeles Dodgers, although he settled for a no-decision in a 3-1 Cardinals win. Flaherty took a no-hitter into the sixth inning for the third time this year before a Joc Pederson homer knee-capped that bid.In Flaherty’s last four starts, including a 2-1 win on Aug. 5 at Pittsburgh, he was allowed just 10 hits and two runs in 25 innings, walking nine and whiffing 33. He has faced the Pirates four times this year, going 2-1 with a no-decision.Opposing him will be veteran right-hander Ivan Nova (7-8, 4.20), who has pitched well in his last three starts but is just 1-2 despite giving up no more than two runs in each game. Nova permitted only four hits and two runs in six innings Wednesday night against Atlanta at PNC Park but suffered a 6-1 defeat.The former New York Yankees pitcher’s last appearance against St. Louis resulted in an 8-4 loss on Aug. 4 Cody Bellinger Jersey , when he gave up eight hits and four runs in four innings, walking three and fanning three.Pittsburgh (64-67) has lost seven of 10 to fall out of contention in the division and wild-card races. OAKLAND, Calif. — The top two teams in the American League wild-card race meet in a possible postseason preview when the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics hook up in a three-game series starting with a holiday matinee Monday afternoon.San Francisco Bay Area native CC Sabathia (7-5, 3.36 ERA) of the Yankees and fellow 30-something Trevor Cahill (5-3, 3.60) of the A’s draw the starting assignments in the opener of a series that could go a long way toward determining who hosts the AL wild-card game in October.The Yankees (86-51) will take the field with a 4 1/2-game lead over the A’s (82-56) for the top AL wild-card spot with four weeks remaining in the regular season.Article continues below ...New York took two of three from Oakland in an earlier series in May in which neither Sabathia nor Cahill pitched. The A’s blew a 6-2 lead and lost 7-6 in 11 innings in the turning point of the series after having won the opener 10-5.While the A’s were splitting a key four-game series against the Seattle Mariners, the Yankees on Sunday were completing a disappointing 3-4 homestand against the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers.Sabathia pitched one of the losses, allowing three runs and five hits in six innings in a 4-1 loss to the White Sox on Wednesday.The 38-year-old, who attended the same high school (Vallejo High, about 30 miles north of Oakland) as Coney Island hot dog-eating legend Joey Chestnut Chris Taylor Jersey , has started 31 games in his career against the A’s, going 11-11 with a 4.55 ERA.He hasn’t often been at his best in his homecomings, going 5-7 with a 5.20 ERA in 16 starts.The Yankees will feature a different look than when the A’s saw them last with the recent acquisition of Andrew McCutchen from the San Francisco Giants.McCutchen has yet to get a hit in two games since joining New York, going 0-for-7.While they await the return of injured stars Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius and Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees will get one familiar face back in pinstripes Monday when manager Aaron Boone returns from a one-game suspension that resulted from a tirade against umpire Nic Lentz in Friday’s win over the Tigers.Cahill has never beaten the Yankees in his career, going 0-4 in six meetings, including five starts.Before watching Sunday’s 11-7 loss to Detroit from a suite, Boone noted that he’s expecting to see way more than just a starting pitcher when facing the A’s.“They’ve really bolstered their bullpen. It’s a pen that can shorten games http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey ,” Boone said of the recent additions of Fernando Rodney and Jeurys Familia to complement standout Blake Treinen. “They’ve (also) got some young players kind of take that step into stardom a little bit. We know we got our hands full.”The A’s got six solid innings from starter Edwin Jackson in Sunday’s 8-2 win over the Mariners that pushed Seattle 5 1/2 games back in the race for the second AL wild-card spot.A’s manager Bob Melvin was happy his club was able to take care of business against the Mariners, responding to losses Thursday and Saturday with wins Friday and Sunday, with the Yankees headed to town.“Certain times a split feels a little bit better than others,” he said. “This was one of them.”