Cardinals, Giants still battling, but playoff hopes fading

Two prospects contributing to their teams in different ways will be in the spotlight again Tuesday night when Jose Fermin and the St. Louis Cardinals take on Drew Gilbert and the San Francisco Giants in the continuation of a three-game series.

Fermin had two hits, scored a run and drove in another as the Cardinals opened the set with a 6-5 win Monday night that drew St. Louis (77-80) even with San Francisco (77-80) in the National League wild-card race.

Each team finds itself 3 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot with just five games remaining.

Fermin helped keep the Cardinals alive with a pair of doubles in the series opener. One of baseball's most traveled men between Triple-A and the majors this season, the 26-year-old utility infielder has made the most of his most recent call-up, doubling three times and driving in four runs in two games since rejoining the big club from Memphis on Wednesday.

The two hits on Monday raised Fermin's major league season average to .315 in 25 games. He hit just .155 for the Cardinals last year, but he batted .300 in 65 games at Triple-A this season.

"I'm super happy for him," teammate Victor Scott II said about Fermin. "He works his but off, so to see him come through is awesome."

Now a third-year major-leaguer, Fermin has never faced Giants ace Logan Webb (14-11, 3.27 ERA), who on Tuesday will be seeking to match his career high in wins, set in 2022, and snap a personal two-game losing streak. He was a hard-luck, 2-1 loser in Los Angeles against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing just two runs (one earned) on four hits in seven innings.

The right-hander did not pitch in the Giants' trip to St. Louis earlier this month. Webb owns a 3-3 lifetime record with a 5.30 ERA in seven starts against the Cardinals.

The Cardinals are scheduled to counter with right-hander Andre Pallante (6-15, 5.29 ERA), who will be attempting to end a personal eight-game losing streak that dates back to the start of August.

The only start among his past nine in which he did not get tagged with a loss was when he opposed the Giants on Sept. 6. Pallante limited San Francisco to two runs and five hits over six innings in a no-decision, though the Cardinals went on to earn a 3-2 victory.

One of the runs off Pallante was delivered by Giants rookie outfielder Gilbert, who hit an RBI double in one of his two at-bats in their head-to-head meeting.

Acquired from the New York Mets as part of a package for Tyler Rogers at the trade deadline, Gilbert has made starts in both right and center field for the Giants. He hasn't hit much -- his 0-for-2 effort on Tuesday left him at an even .200 -- but his defensive play has amazed Giants manager Bob Melvin.

In fact, Gilbert's entire approach to playing the outfield is dizzying, Melvin admitted following his team's Monday defeat.

"He's always prepared," the veteran skipper said of Gilbert's pre-pitch routine. "He's watching every pitch. It's exhausting to watch him jump on every pitch. But he gets excellent acceleration off of that. It's really good. It's elite level."

Pallante has faced the Giants seven times in his career, including three starts, going 1-0 with a 4.95 ERA.