Pirates at Marlins
Both teams have quietly kept pace in their respective divisions — the Pirates are third in the National League Central, just four games back of St. Louis, while the Marlins are three and a half games behind Washington in the NL East. Pittsburgh won four of six to close its recent nine-game homestand, while Miami has won 10 of 12 this month to bounce back from a disappointing 8-14 April.
Pittsburgh acquired veteran starters Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett to shore up its starting rotation, and it has paid off — the Pirates are tied for third in the National League with 119 runs allowed. Offense has been a problem, though — Pittsburgh is easily the lowest-scoring team in the majors with just 97 runs. Miami’s offense has had its share of struggles, but like the Pirates, the Marlins have gotten good pitching — their 25 quality starts are one shy of the major league lead.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Pittsburgh), Fox Sports Florida (Miami)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Brad Lincoln (2-0, 0.63 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Anibal Sanchez (2-0, 2.01 ERA)
Lincoln, who has been excellent in relief, earns a spot start filling in for Bedard, who left his May 9 outing against Washington with back spasms. Lincoln allowed just one unearned run in three innings of that contest, and he has allowed only one other run in 14 1/3 frames all season. He has thrown one career inning against Miami, striking out all three hitters.
Sanchez has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his six starts. A lack of run support has cost him some wins — Miami lost Sanchez’s last start at Houston on May 8 despite allowing no earned runs over seven innings. Sanchez is 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA in three starts against Pittsburgh, including a one-hit shutout last Sept. 10.
WALK-OFFS
1. Miami has won the last eight meetings between the teams dating back to October 2010. Pittsburgh was shut out in four of those.
2. Sanchez is fifth in the major leagues in strikeouts per nine innings, and he has fanned 27 in his last 21 innings, setting down a career-high 14 in an April 28 game against Arizona.
3. Pittsburgh C Rod Barajas is 3-for-7 with two doubles and a homer against Sanchez, but the rest of the Pirates are 6-for-45 (.133) with 13 strikeouts.