Nearly all of the preseason preview magazines picked the Pirates to finish last in the National League Central. The ones that didn't predicted a fifth-place finish.

Sure enough, the Pirates entered play Monday in fifth place, though only 4 1/2 games off the pace of the first-place Chicago Cubs.

Now, the Pirates will find out over the next 3 1/2 weeks if they indeed will be competitive in the division. They begin a stretch of 22 games inside the NL Central beginning Tuesday night when they visit St. Louis for the opener of a three-game series with the Cardinals.

During the stretch, which includes 13 road games, the Pirates will play seven games with St. Louis, six with the Cubs, and three each against Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Houston. The Pirates have gone 4-7 inside the division this season, including 0-6 against the Cubs.

"I know some people will say this stretch is a defining moment in our season," Pirates manager John Russell said Monday. "I wouldn't go that far. It's important because we're playing inside the division. I think it will be interesting to see how we stack up but I also don't want us to put too much importance on this. There is still a lot of season left after this stretch."

PIRATES 5, BRAVES 0 (Game 1), BRAVES 8, PIRATES 1 (Game 2): The Pirates' six-game winning streak, their longest since 2004, came to an end in the second game of a home doubleheader as right-hander John Van Benschoten (0-2) was rocked for seven runs, six earned, and nine hits in four-plus innings. The loss dropped Van Benschoten to 1-12 in part of three major league seasons and he was optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis after the game.

Left-handers Zach Duke, Damaso Marte and Sean Burnett combined on an eight-hit shutout in the opener. Duke (2-2) allowed five hits and five walks in six innings to get the win. Freddy Sanchez's three-run double in the fifth inning broke a scoreless tie and Adam LaRoche hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning.

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