Pirates at Diamondbacks
Neil Walker looks to continue his blistering stretch as the Pittsburgh Pirates vie for their second series sweep of the season when they conclude their three-game set at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. Walker ripped a pair of doubles to extend his hitting streak to eight games and scored both Pirates' runs in Saturday's 2-1 triumph.
Starling Marte's RBI single in the ninth accounted for the sixth run of the series with two outs in an inning for Pittsburgh, which has won a season-high four in a row and seven of its last nine. The Pirates are excelling despite seeing former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen mired in an 0-for-15 rut in the last five games. While Pittsburgh is finding ways to win, Arizona has mustered only two runs in the series and dropped four of six overall. Chris Owings had a pair of singles Saturday to improve to 9-for-21 with five RBIs during his five-game hitting streak.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH Francisco Liriano (0-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Jeremy Hellickson (1-2, 4.58)
Liriano is searching for his first win despite pitching well in all three outings this season. The 31-year-old Dominican has surrendered six earned runs on nine hits in 18 innings while owning a 23-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Liriano settled for a no-decision after allowing three runs on as many hits while striking out nine in five innings versus the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.
After limping out the blocks to start the season, Hellickson recorded his first win with his new team after a solid performance in a 5-1 triumph over San Francisco on Sunday. Acquired from Tampa Bay in November, the 28-year-old allowed one run on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings to subdue the struggling Giants. Hellickson, who has yet to face Pittsburgh in his career, has only issued one homer in 17 2/3 innings this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pittsburgh OF Gregory Polanco is 0-for-8 in the series after riding a torrid 11-for-27 run versus Arizona during his rookie season last year.
2. Diamondbacks 1B Paul Goldschmidt followed an eight-game hitting streak with a 1-for-10 stretch in his last three contests.
3. The Pirates recorded their previous sweep this season by outscoring Milwaukee 17-7 on April 17-19.