Pirates at Brewers
The Pittsburgh Pirates began the month at the break-even mark and very well could end it there, but their path from one to the other has been anything but normal. The Pirates hope to move within one game of .500 on Saturday, when they attempt to defeat the host Milwaukee Brewers a second straight time after dropping six of their first seven meetings this season.
After opening June with a 28-28 record, Pittsburgh (39-41) fell eight games below .500 multiple times - the most recent instance coming on June 18 against Detroit for the club's 12th loss in its first 16 contests of the month. The Pirates have been one of the hottest teams in the NL since and won for the sixth time in seven contests on Friday behind the contributions of two rookies as Kevin Newman homered to extend his hitting streak to 18 games while Bryan Reynolds went 3-for-4 for his fourth multi-hit effort in six contests. The Brewers (43-39) are headed in the opposite direction, as they are 4-10 since a 7-3 start to June allowed them to match a season high by moving 10 games over .500. Reigning National League MVP Christian Yelich went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the series opener and is hitless in three of his last four games.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, FOX
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Jordan Lyles (5-3, 3.64 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Brandon Woodruff (9-2, 4.01)
Lyles will return to the mound for the first time since June 8, when left hamstring tightness ultimately sent him to the injured list. The 28-year-old, who faces Milwaukee for a third consecutive start, did not fare particularly well in either of the previous two turns, yielding four runs in six frames en route to a loss on June 2 before giving up three runs over as many innings six days later. Yelich is 1-for-9 versus Lyles, who is 3-4 with a 4.10 ERA in 14 career appearances (nine starts) against the Brewers.
Woodruff posted his third double-digit strikeout performance over his last six starts in Sunday's victory against Cincinnati, registering a career-high 12 strikeouts while permitting three runs in seven innings. The 26-year-old hasn't lost at home since 2017, going 7-0 with a 3.69 ERA in 17 appearances (nine starts). Elias Diaz (4-for-7, four RBIs) is among the Pirates with some success against Woodruff, who defeated Pittsburgh at home on June 7 after allowing three runs and striking out 10 batters in six frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. With a hit on Saturday, Newman can set the club record for the longest hitting streak by a rookie currently shared by Rennie Stennett (1971) and Neil Walker (2010).
2. The Brewers, who saw their five-game winning streak against the Pirates come to an end on Friday, have lost each of the last 16 contests in which they have scored fewer than three runs.
3. Pittsburgh leads the majors with 64 doubles and a .294 team batting average in June.