Pirates at Diamondbacks
Gregory Polanco hopes his sizzling bat will keep warm on the plane as the Pittsburgh Pirates open a nine-game road trip with a three-game series versus the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Polanco, who is 11-for-25 with six runs scored in his last seven contests, ripped the go-ahead RBI single to highlight his three-hit performance in Pittsburgh's 5-4 triumph over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday afternoon.
Polanco's torrid play enabled the Pirates to salvage a split versus the Cubs and conclude their 10-game homestand with a promising 6-4 mark. Josh Harrison snapped out of a 1-for-13 funk with a pair of doubles and two runs scored in the series finale, but has struggled mightily versus Friday starter Josh Collmenter (0-for-5, four strikeouts). Arizona has received quality starting pitching this season, with the five hurlers combining to yield only six earned runs in 35 1/3 innings. The bullpen made things interesting on Wednesday, however, before the Diamondbacks escaped with an 8-5 victory over Texas for their fourth win in six outings.
TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), Fox Sports Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (2-0, 2.65 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Josh Collmenter (1-2, 3.38)
Cole has fired off to a strong start to the season, bouncing back from a no-decision in his first start to allow just three earned runs on seven hits over his next two outings. The 24-year-old yielded just two runs on four hits in a 5-2 win over Milwaukee on Sunday and boasts an impressive 20-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season. Cole won his lone career start versus Arizona in 2013, permitting two runs on five hits in six innings.
Collmenter enjoyed quite the night in his last outing, scattering four hits in a 9-0 shutout of San Francisco on Friday while going 3-for-5 with an RBI at the plate. The 29-year-old's second career blanking was certainly welcome after he struggled in his first two starts, allowing eight runs on 19 hits in 9 2/3 innings. Collmenter has pitched significantly better in his five outings (two starts) versus Pittsburgh, yielding five runs in 16 2/3 innings - albeit without notching a decision.
WALK-OFFS
1. Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt saw his eight-game hitting streak come to a halt on Wednesday, but went 8-for-15 in five games versus the Pirates last year.
2. Pittsburgh OF Starling Marte served as a pinch runner on Thursday, one day after he was hit by a pitch on his right hand.
3. Diamondbacks 2B Chris Owings is showing signs of busting out, recording his first homer and triple of the season on Wednesday to improve to 6-for-13 with four RBIs in his last three games.