Yankees at Pirates
Right-hander Michael Pineda has plenty to prove coming off a dismal 6-12 season, but he's off to a fast start for the New York Yankees, who continue their six-game road trip at the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday afternoon. Pineda looks to win his third straight start as the Yankees attempt to bounce back from a 6-3 defeat in the series opener.
"I'm working so hard to be consistent every five days," Pineda, who was winless in his last 10 outings in 2016 and won back-to-back starts only once, told reporters. New York had won nine of 10 entering the series but fell to 2-5 away from home despite three hits and a pair of stolen bases from Jacoby Ellsbury, who boosted his batting average to .333. Opposing Pineda will be Jameson Taillon, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft who has been brilliant in his first three starts with two earned runs allowed in 20 innings. Josh Bell has homered in back-to-back games for Pittsburgh, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, WPIX (New York), ROOT (Pittsburgh)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Michael Pineda (2-1, 3.44 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (1-0, 0.90 ERA)
Despite a rough season debut in which he gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings at Tampa Bay, Pineda has put up some eye-catching numbers - striking out 23 against only one walk over 18 1/3 innings. He held St. Louis to two runs over seven innings last time out and was dominant in his previous turn against the Rays with 11 strikeouts and one run allowed in 7 2/3 innings. He struggled on the road with a 2-7 mark in 2016.
Taillon finally cracked the win column last time out with a superb effort on the road against the reigning world champion Chicago Cubs, allowing one unearned run on seven hits over seven innings. He permitted two runs on four hits versus Cincinnati in his previous turn and deserved a better fate after tossing seven scoreless innings versus Boston in his season debut. Taillon owns a 2.88 ERA in 12 career starts at home.
WALK-OFFS
1. Bell is 5-for-15 with two homers, three RBIs and three runs scored during a four-game hitting streak.
2. Yankees 1B Greg Bird is 5-for-41 in 12 games this season, with three of the hits coming in one contest.
3. Pirates 3B David Freese has hit safely in his past three games, going 5-for-12.