The Pittsburgh Pirates open a three-game series in St. Louis tonight. First pitch is 7:45pm. Pre-game on WISR begins at 7:20pm.
The Bucs begin the night 31-34 overall and are 7-1/2 games behind first-place Milwaukee in the National League Central Division. The Cardinals are 31-33. They are one of three teams in the division that are a half-game better than the Pirates.
After allowing 11 earned runs in two appearances, the Pirates have designated reliever Ben Heller for assignment.
To make room at Indy for Ashcraft, the Pirates have released veteran pitcher Wily Peralta. He was signed to a minor-league deal in the off-season, and had a 7.44 ERA in 17 appearances and four starts this season at Triple-A.