Pirates at Brewers
The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to hang around in the National League Central and have a chance to make up ground with 16 straight division contests beginning Friday against the host Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee, though, has won six of the first seven meetings this season, including a three-game sweep at Miller Park by a combined 20-9 earlier this month.
Pittsburgh (38-41) has won six of its last seven games after defeating Houston 10-0 on Thursday, handing the Astros their first home series loss of the season after winning 14-2 on Wednesday, and are five games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs. Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman is riding a 17-game hitting streak - the longest active run in the majors and one shy of the club rookie record set by Neil Walker (2010) and Rennie Stennett (1971) - during which he is batting .390 with three home runs, 13 RBIs and 11 runs scored out of the leadoff spot. The Brewers (43-38), who trail the Cubs by one game, defeated Seattle 4-2 on Thursday to salvage the finale of their three-game series and win for only the fourth time in the last 13 contests. Pittsburgh's Chris Archer enters Friday's start off a promising effort and opposes Jhoulys Chacin in a matchup of right-handers who squared off last month during disappointing seasons.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Chris Archer (3-6, 5.56 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Jhoulys Chacin (3-8, 5.88)
Archer received a no-decision after allowing one run, two hits and three walks while striking out five over five innings of Pittsburgh's 6-3 victory over San Diego on Saturday. The 30-year-old North Carolina native yielded 11 runs over 11 innings in his previous two starts - a no-decision in the Pirates' 5-3 victory at Miami on June 16 and a 7-5 loss at Atlanta on June 11. Milwaukee's Travis Shaw is 6-for-17 with two solo home runs while Christian Yelich is 2-for-12 with a home run and four strikeouts against Archer, who is 1-2 with a 6.14 ERA in four starts against the Brewers after a 9-4 victory May 31 when he permitted four runs with seven strikeouts across seven innings.
Chacin received a no-decision after allowing five runs and six hits while striking out five in 4 2/3 innings of Milwaukee's 6-5 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday in his second start since coming off the injured list (back). The 31-year-old Venezuelan is 0-5 with a 6.55 ERA over his last seven starts. Pittsburgh's Josh Bell is 4-for-15 with a home run and three walks against Chacin, who is 2-7 with a 4.96 ERA in 13 starts against the Pirates after yielding seven runs, six hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings May 31.
WALK-OFFS
1. Yelich (.335, major league-most 29 home runs, 63 RBIs) went 2-for-4 on Thursday and is one hit shy of 1,000 for his career.
2. Bell (.311, 22 home runs, major league-high 70 RBIs) has homered in two straight games and drove in four runs after not recording an RBI in his previous five contests.
3. Brewers INF Mike Moustakas has a 20-game on-base streak and is batting .315 with 13 home runs and 22 RBIs in his last 35 contests.