Diamondbacks at Pirates
The Arizona Diamondbacks may be playing the finale of their 10-game road trip on Thursday afternoon by the letter of the law of the official schedule, but they've made themselves at home when they visit the Steel City. The surging Diamondbacks vie for their 10th straight win in Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon when they conclude their four-game series against the Pirates.
Ketel Marte homered twice, Nick Ahmed also went deep and Eduardo Escobar recorded his third consecutive three-hit performance in Wednesday's 11-2 romp for the Diamondbacks, who have outscored Pittsburgh by a 25-7 margin in the series. David Peralta has four hits, six RBIs and three runs in the series for Arizona, which is 8-2 in its last 10 games overall and 7-2 on the trek. The streaky Pirates are singing a different tune, answering a five-game winning streak with losses in four in a row heading into the finale of its seven-game homestand. Josh Bell has provided a presence at the plate with five homers in 2019 after hitting 12 in 148 games last season.
TV: 12:35 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Zack Greinke (3-1, 4.60 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (1-2, 3.12)
Greinke won his second straight start and third consecutive decision on Saturday after scattering three hits over six innings in a 6-0 romp at the Chicago Cubs. The former Cy Young Award recipient has helped himself at the plate, going 5-for-10 with four extra-base hits (two doubles, two homers). Greinke sports an 8-4 record with a 1.03 ERA in 13 career appearances versus Pittsburgh while allowing the Pirates to bat just .042 against him.
Taillon posted his first win of the season on Saturday after allowing one run on four hits in five innings of a rain-shortened 3-1 victory against San Francisco. The 26-year-old won his lone career start versus Greinke and Arizona, yielding two runs on six hits in seven innings in a 5-4 victory on June 13. Taillon allowed a two-run homer to David Peralta in that contest, but he has limited the club to batting 6-for-34 against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pittsburgh SS Jung Ho Kang has three of his four homers in the last seven games.
2. Arizona's last loss in Pittsburgh was a 4-3 setback on May 29, 2017.
3. Pirates 3B Colin Moran has four hits, two RBIs and two runs scored in the series.