Pittsburgh @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( May 10, 2013 ) Pittsburgh 7, NY Mets 3
Offense and wins have been hard to come by lately for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but they enjoyed their biggest outburst in May in their last victory. The Pirates, who will continue their four-game road series against the New York Mets on Saturday, halted a stretch in which they dropped four of five with their 7-3 victory Friday. Pittsburgh scored as many as four runs only twice during that span, but Garrett Jones’ three-run homer helped to halt the team’s offensive struggles.
After securing their fourth walk-off win of the year in the series opener, the Mets’ offense went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position in Friday’s loss. Backup catcher Anthony Recker and Jordany Valdespin went deep for New York, but Shaun Marcum became the first player in franchise history unable to last five innings in any of his first three starts with the team. Not including Matt Harvey (4-0, 1.28 ERA), the Mets’ starters have a combined 4-11 record with a 5.21 ERA.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), WPIX (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH Francisco Liriano (2012: 6-12, 5.34 ERA) vs. Mets LH Jon Niese, (2-3, 4.66)
Liriano, who has been sidelined all season after suffering a broken right arm during an offseason mishap at his home in the Dominican Republic, is scheduled to come off the disabled list Saturday. The left-hander struck out 33 over 21 2/3 innings during his five-start rehab stint, going 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA. The longtime Minnesota Twin, who joined the Pirates as a free agent in February after finishing last season with the Chicago White Sox, will face the Mets for the first time.
Niese was 2-0 and guided the Mets to victories in each of his first three starts, but is winless over his last four turns. The left-hander did not help himself with a season-high six walks in Sunday’s 9-4 loss at Atlanta, surrendering seven runs and seven hits over four frames. New York’s seventh-round selection in the 2005 draft has been dominant at Citi Field this season, however, going 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA. Niese is also 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three career starts against the Pirates.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Pirates went 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position Friday – a dramatic improvement over the 4-for-45 mark they posted over the previous six games.
2. New York is 13-4 all-time against Pittsburgh at Citi Field.
3. Pirates 2B Neil Walker (right hand laceration) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Thursday and is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday.
PREDICTION: Pirates 5, Mets 4