Pirates at Braves
Coming off a disheartening three-game sweep in Milwaukee, the Pittsburgh Pirates continued to shuffle their pitching staff prior to kicking off a three-game series at the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. The Pirates traded left-handers Francisco Liriano and Jon Niese in separate deals while acquiring Ivan Nova from the New York Yankees on Monday.
Pittsburgh beat the trade deadline with a minute to spare in sending Liriano and minor-league prospects Harold Ramirez and Reese McGuire to Toronto in exchange for right-hander Drew Hutchison. Niese, acquired from the Mets in the offseason, was sent back to New York in return for ex-Pirates reliever Antonio Bastardo, while Nova was brought in for a pair of players to be named later. While the Pirates are treading water with respect to the wild-card standings, the National League East cellar-dwelling Braves have showed some gumption of late with wins in four of their last six. Veteran outfielder Matt Kemp is expected to make his debut with Atlanta after being acquired from San Diego for outfielder Hector Olivera and $10.5 million on Saturday night.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSSE (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (6-6, 2.78 ERA) vs. Braves RH Mike Foltynewicz (4-4, 4.30)
Cole recorded his first career complete game in masterful fashion on Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits while tossing 70 of his 94 pitches for strikes in a 10-1 rout versus Seattle. The 25-year-old ace won't have a hard time convincing Atlanta of his talent, as Cole improved to 2-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.71 after a dominating performance last season. Cole scattered six hits and struck out seven over as many scoreless innings in a 3-0 win versus the Braves on June 7, 2015.
Foltynewicz picked up the win on Wednesday despite yielding season highs in runs (seven) and hits (12) in 5 1/3 innings of a 9-7 triumph over Minnesota. The 24-year-old didn't have much fun in his previous encounter with Pittsburgh, against which he permitted five runs on seven hits to earn an early exit after three innings. Foltynewicz will look to settle down at Turner Field, where he owns a 1-0 mark with a 2.83 ERA as opposed to a 3-4 record and 5.40 ERA on the road.
WALK-OFFS
1. Atlanta OF Jeff Francoeur belted a two-run homer in Sunday's 2-1 victory over Philadelphia, marking the veteran's second blast in three games.
2. Pirates RF Gregory Polanco went 9-for-19 in a four-game set versus Atlanta in May, including a a two-run homer off Foltynewicz.
3. Pirates RHP Ryan Vogelsong (facial fractures) is expected to return from a two-plus-month absence and start Thursday's game versus the Braves.