Marlins Set For Surging Pirates In Pittsburgh
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. (SportsDirect Inc.) -- Just as they appeared ready to slide into the Allegheny River, the Pittsburgh Pirates have come alive and surged back into postseason contention in the National League.
Riding a four-game winning streak and coming off a 5-1 road trip, the Pirates will host another wild-card contender in the Miami Marlins on Friday night in the opener of a three-game set.
Former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen is breaking out of his funk at the plate, going 6-for-12 in a three-game sweep at San Francisco to help Pittsburgh pull within one game of St. Louis for the second wild card.
"This last week or two have really been fun for us," Pirates outfielder Matt Joyce said. "It's a make-or-break time of year. It's nice to see some guys turn the corner. It's exciting to be a part of it."
Miami has dropped six of eight after losing the final three of a four-game set at Cincinnati to fall 1 1/2 games behind Pittsburgh.
Marcell Ozuna, batting cleaning following the injury to slugger Giancarlo Stanton, has homered on back-to-back days and is riding a five-game hitting streak.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), ROOT (Pittsburgh)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Tom Koehler (9-8, 3.86 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (7-8, 3.25)
Koehler stretched his unbeaten streak to five starts in a no-decision versus the Chicago White Sox last time out, giving up three runs on six hits over six innings. The 30-year-old Koehler was outstanding in his previous four turns, allowing a combined two runs and only 12 hits over 27 innings. McCutchen is 4-for-7 with a home run off Koehler, who has lost all four career starts and sports a 5.73 ERA against Pittsburgh.
Cole is coming off an ugly performance at the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he was tagged for six runs on a season-high 12 hits over 4 1/3 innings. Cole, who has not surrendered a home run in his last 10 appearances, also lost his previous turn versus Cincinnati after giving up four runs in 5 2/3 innings. He took the loss at Miami on May 31, yielding three runs on nine hits to fall to 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA versus the Marlins.
WALK-OFFS
1. Marlins RF Ichiro Suzuki needs one hit to move past Al Kaline (3,007) and into sole possession of 28th place all-time.
2. McCutchen has multiple hits in three straight games for the first time since August 2015.
3. Marlins 3B Martin Prado is 12-for-28 with seven RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak.
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