Cardinals vs. Pirates online LIVE stream: watch as the race heats up for the top spot in the N.L. Central and the National League in general.

With a 1 1/2 lead, the Pirates vs. Cardinals matchup Friday night at 8:15 ET will be a chance for St. Louis to cut a game from Pittsburgh's lead in the division. Watch the live stream online of what has become one of the top rivalries of the summer.

The Cincinnati Reds will be watching the scoreboard because they are three games back from the lead in the division. Cincy vs. L.A. Dodgers will be a tough one for the Reds as a new series begins between the Pirates and Cardinals, which fans can watch both games live online with only 22 games left on the schedule.

Pitching for Pittsburgh is a revived A.J. Burnett. He tossed seven innings of one-run ball against the Cardinals on Saturday in Pittsburgh. He is going for his fourth win of the season against the Cardinals, who have hit only .188 against him in five prior starts -- a mark that swelled to .310 in two Busch Stadium meetings, according to MLB.com.

"That's a pretty good lineup, so I'm just trying to keep the ball down, get ahead ... then expand the strike zone a bit," Burnett told MLB.com after his last start. "But you can't let down against that lineup, because that's when they get you."

On the hill for St. Louis will be Joe Kelly, RHP (7-3, 2.82 ERA). He's been the best pitcher on the staff over the last two months and looks to continue his great pitching to get the Cardinals back atop the division. The Cards are 9-1 in his starts since moving Kelly into the rotation, and he's finished six innings in his last four games.

These games mean so much because the team that doesn't win the division will likely play the other team that didn't win the division in the wild card-one-game playoff to advance.

WATCH THE GAME HERE, HERE, OR HERE