MLB

Burnett gets bumped from Pirates rotation

PITTSBURGH — A.J. Burnett will be a spectator instead of taking his turn in the rotation when the Pirates face the Cardinals in a NLDS winner-take-all on Wednesday at Busch Stadium.

Moments after the Cardinals’ 2-1 victory on Monday in Game 4 to even the series, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said he will give the ball to rookie Gerrit Cole instead of the veteran Burnett on Wednesday.

“We have one game to win,” Hurdle said. “As I’ve done and I’ve challenged the guys to do, we need to do the best we can to win the next game.”

Burnett was shelled for seven runs over two-plus innings in the Pirates’ 9-1 loss in Game 1.

Cole started the following game and dominated the Cardinals, allowing one run over six innings.

“It’s a very hard decision,” Hurdle said. “It’s a difficult decision because [Burnett] has meant so much. We’ve asked so much of him while he’s been here.”

Burnett posted a 8.10 ERA in three starts at Busch Stadium during the regular season.

“It has been a very challenging park for him,” Hurdle said. “If this was any other venue, he would have gotten the ball. But for me, in this venue, this game, Cole is going to be our guy.”

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Adam Wainwright, who will start Game 5 for the Cardinals, was a candidate to pitch on short rest Monday before manager Mike Matheny informed him Sunday night rookie Michael Wacha would get the ball.

“I’ve kind of been on call for the last few days waiting to see what’s going to happen,” Wainwright said. “[Sunday] I found out after the game that I wasn’t going [Monday].”

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Carlos Beltran, who had two homers and six RBIs in the first three games of the series, went 0-for-2 on Monday, but walked twice.

“Right now I feel I’m swinging the bat well and maybe they don’t want me to beat them,” Beltran said.