Brewers at Pirates
Christian Yelich has been a season-long nuisance for a Pittsburgh Pirates club that is mired in a disastrous 15-game run. Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers aim to continue to pummel the Pirates on Tuesday when the National League Central rivals play the second contest of their three-game series in Pittsburgh.
Yelich belted a pair of solo homers to highlight his four-hit performance in Monday's 9-7 win to improve to 18-for-47 with 10 extra-base hits (four doubles, two triples, four homers), nine RBIs and 10 runs scored versus the Pirates this season. The reigning NL Most Valuable Player is 4-for-11 with a homer in his career against Tuesday starter Steven Brault. Milwaukee snapped a four-game skid to improve to 10-5 this season versus Pittsburgh, which has dropped 13 of its last 15 to make itself comfortable in the division's cellar. Rookie Bryan Reynolds went deep among his three hits in the opener to improve to 21-for-46 with eight extra-base hits (six doubles, two homers), seven RBIs and nine runs scored against Milwaukee this season.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Chase Anderson (5-2, 3.73 ERA) vs. Pirates LF Steven Brault (3-1, 4.15)
Anderson extended his streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer to eight straight starts on Thursday after permitting one on two hits in six innings of a no-decision at Oakland. The 31-year-old owns a 1-0 mark in three starts against Pittsburgh this season, yielding six runs on 15 hits in 15 frames while striking out 15 in that stretch. Starling Marte is 15-for-34 with six extra-base hits (three doubles, triple, two homers) in his career versus Anderson, who in turn has limited Josh Bell to batting just 3-for-21 against him.
Brault is hoping to return to his stellar pitching ways on Tuesday after coming back from a month-long absence due to a shoulder injury. The 27-year-old sported a 3-0 mark with a 2.54 ERA in his previous nine starts, although he received three no-decisions against Milwaukee despite permitting just four runs on 13 hits in that stretch (15 innings). Although Brault has struggled versus Yelich, he has kept Hernan Perez (3-for-17) and Lorenzo Cain (2-for-12) under wraps in his career.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pittsburgh SS Kevin Newman ripped a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning on Monday to eclipse his sum total in RBIs over his previous 16 games.
2. Brewers SS Orlando Arcia had three hits in the opener to improve to 14-for-42 with three homers, eight RBIs and 10 runs scored versus the Pirates this season.
3. Bell is 4-for-29 over his last eight games.