Rays at Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are hanging around in the wide-open National League Central race despite being under .500 since mid-April, but can earn their second straight series victory when they host the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of a three-game set Thursday. The Pirates (36-42), who are four games out of first place in the division, recorded four two-out RBIs to even the series with a 6-2 victory on Wednesday night.
Josh Bell snapped out of a mini-slump with a solo homer and scored twice Wednesday for Pittsburgh, which went 0-1-1 in its previous two series against division foes Milwaukee and St. Louis. Jameson Taillon makes his fourth start since returning from testicular cancer surgery (May 8) for the Pirates and will face fellow right-hander Chris Archer, who is second in the American League with 126 strikeouts in 104 1/3 innings. The Rays have dropped three of their last four and left 11 runners on base in Wednesday’s loss, but Corey Dickerson continues to shine with three straight two-hit games to increase his major league-best total to 33 multi-hit contests. Tampa Bay’s Logan Morrison is still one shy of his career high of 23 homers (2011), but has hit safely in nine consecutive games.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), ROOT Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Chris Archer (6-4, 3.88 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (3-2, 3.33)
Archer struck out a season-low four batters and yielded five runs over six innings last time out, but earned his second straight victory in a 15-5 rout. The 28-year-old North Carolina native’s ERA has risen each month this season, but he has completed at least six innings in 11 of his last 12 starts. Archer allowed five runs in seven innings of loss in his only start against the Pirates and is 5-6 with a 2.75 ERA in 14 interleague games.
Taillon is 1-1 in three games since returning from the disabled list, permitting six runs in 16 innings combined while striking out 16 and giving up just one homer. The 25-year-old former second-overall pick in 2010, who has allowed just five blasts in 51 1/3 innings, is 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA at home while going 2-1 with a 2.70 mark on the road. Taillon faces Tampa Bay for the first time and is 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA in four career interleague contests.
WALK-OFFS
1. Tampa Bay will activate RHP Brad Boxberger (back) from the disabled list Thursday after designating RHP Danny Farquhar for assignment.
2. Pittsburgh CF Andrew McCutchen was 0-for-2 with two runs scored Wednesday and is batting .376 with six homers and 22 RBIs in June.
3. Rays SS Adeiny Hechavarria is 3-for-6 with a walk and two RBIs in his first two games since being acquired from Miami for two minor leaguers.