Pittsburgh @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 2, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 0, Florida 2

The Pittsburgh Pirates need a win in their final game of the year today against the Florida Marlins to avoid tying a major league record for the worst road record in a season.

The Pirates head into this one at 17-63 away from home, just off the 17-64 road mark the New York Mets put up in 1963.

Offensive production has been a major problem for Pittsburgh since Opening Day. The Pirates (57-104) averaged only 3.63 runs per game overall this year, but that number dipped to 3.15 on the road.

The Pirates couldn’t get anything going at the plate in Saturday’s 2-0 loss, picking up six hits but stranding all nine baserunners.

Lefty Brian Burres (4-4, 5.01 ERA) gets the task of keeping Pittsburgh out of the record book. He has been great since returning to the starting rotation on Sept. 6, going 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA while helping Pittsburgh to four wins in those five starts. He dropped the St. Louis Cardinals in his last trip to the mound, allowing one earned run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Burres has never faced the Marlins, but can finish as the only Pirates starter with a winning record if he can pick up a victory today.

Florida (79-82) answers with right-hander Anibal Sanchez (12-12, 3.62), who is trying to finish on a high note after dropping three straight starts. He has a 6.35 ERA over the slump, but held the Atlanta Braves in check through six innings before they put up three runs in the seventh to secure a 3-2 win on Tuesday.

Sanchez has been a workhorse for the Marlins, making a team-high 32nd start of the year today. He has set career highs in wins, innings pitched (189) and strikeouts (150). Sanchez has only faced the Pirates once before, allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings in a 3-2 loss last year.

Rookie Mike Stanton will try to continue his hot streak at the plate to give Sanchez some support. Stanton is hitting .410 with a pair of home runs and eight RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak. He had three hits and a career-best five RBIs in Thursday’s 11-9 win in the series opener.

The Pirates close out their 18th straight losing season today and haven’t lost this many games in a season since dropping 104 contests in 1984. The Marlins, who are 5-2 against Pittsburgh this season, will finish with their first losing year since 2007.