Brewers at Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates have slipped into the cellar of the National League Central and they only have themselves to blame. With losses in 11 of 16 encounters versus division mates, the Pirates will look to buck that trend on Friday when they open a three-game series against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.
Pittsburgh suffered its fourth loss in five outings overall with a 4-2 setback to Cincinnati on Thursday and faces a Milwaukee team that shut out the Pirates in two of the last three meetings at PNC Park last season. The Pirates' offense has struggled to find a spark this season, ranking in the bottom third of the majors in runs scored, batting average, slugging percentage and hits. Milwaukee hasn't had that problem, most notably in the home run department (majors-best 49) - with two more coming on Thursday as it posted its third win in four outings with a 5-4 victory over St. Louis. Keon Broxton, who struggled mightily to begin the season, has shown signs of coming around with a solo shot to highlight his four-hit performance versus the Cardinals.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), ROOT (Pittsburgh)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Jimmy Nelson (1-2, 5.34 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Chad Kuhl (1-2, 6.26)
Nelson is looking to put an end to the stretch of three difficult starts, as he permitted a season-high seven runs in a no-decision at the Chicago Cubs on April 18, walked six in a loss to St. Louis five days later and allowed a campaign-worst 11 hits versus Atlanta on Saturday. The 27-year-old has been taken deep three times among the 25 hits in that stretch, with 16 runs the end result in 15 2/3 innings. Facing Pittsburgh has been a favorable matchup for Nelson, who owns a 5-3 mark in 10 career starts while limiting the Pirates to just a .223 batting average.
Kuhl saw his Sunday outing cut short after his knee was on the receiving end of Dee Gordon's comebacker. The 24-year-old allowed two earned runs in four innings of a no-decision, marking the fourth time in five outings that he yielded that total or fewer this season. Kuhl permitted a total of three runs in two starts spanning 12 1/3 innings versus Milwaukee last season, posting a 1-0 mark with a 1.05 WHIP while limiting the Brewers to a .222 batting average.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pittsburgh LF Gregory Polanco is 0-for-9 in his last three contests on the heels of both a five-game hitting streak and four-game run-scoring stretch.
2. Milwaukee 2B Jonathan Villar is 2-for-16 in his last four outings.
3. Pirates C Francisco Cervelli, who returned to the lineup after missing four starts with right foot discomfort, has reached safely in 17 of 20 starts this season.