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Cincinnati • The Pirates couldn't stop Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto, who drove in the go-ahead run and got his 20th victory on Sunday, a 4-1 win that gave the NL Central title to the St. Louis Cardinals and forced Pittsburgh to settle for a wild card.
Pittsburgh needed to beat the Reds and have the Cardinals lose later in the day at Arizona to pull even for first place and set up a one-game tiebreaker Monday. Instead, Cueto (20-9) settled the division race with eight impressive innings.
The Pirates will head home to play the Giants at PNC Park on Wednesday, with the winner facing the Nationals. Pittsburgh also hosted the wild card game last year and beat the Reds before losing to the Cardinals.
Manager Clint Hurdle indicated that Edinson Volquez likely will start the playoff game.