Mets at Pirates
The New York Mets received a boost from their ace in the opener of a series at Pittsburgh and the Pirates will hope for a similar effort from theirs when the teams meet again Saturday. Jacob deGrom struck out 10 while allowing one run in 8 1/3 innings to lift the Mets to an 8-1 win in Friday's opener, snapping the club's six-game road losing streak.
Former Pirate Neil Walker went deep twice to lead the offensive attack and he is hitting .345 with 18 RBIs in May. Gerrit Cole will try to mimic deGrom, slow down Walker and recover from his worst start of the year when he gets the nod for the Pirates on Saturday. Gregory Polanco provided all the offense for Pittsburgh in Friday's loss with his second home run of the year in his first game since returning from the disabled list. After recording 42 hits in their previous three contests, the Pirates had six against deGrom and one reliever and they will try to rebound against New York right-hander Zack Wheeler.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Zack Wheeler (3-2, 3.74 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (2-5, 3.36)
Wheeler has allowed five earned runs in 21 2/3 innings over his last four starts, although control has been an issue. He has walked 14 batters in that span, including a season-high five in five frames of a win over the Los Angeles Angels his last time out. The 26-year-old, who has a 2.84 ERA in 32 career road starts, will be facing the Pirates for the first time.
Cole will be taking his second shot at career win No. 50 after suffering the loss Monday at Atlanta, allowing five runs and a season-high 10 hits in a season-low 4 2/3 innings. He owns a 1.67 ERA in four home starts while limiting opponents to a .161 batting average. The former No. 1 overall pick is 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA in three career starts versus New York.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pirates 2B Josh Harrison is batting .365 in 16 games batting second.
2. Mets 1B Lucas Duda has seven hits and four walks in his last four games.
3. Even with Friday's loss, Pittsburgh is 10-4 against New York at home since 2013.