Baltimore @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( May 1, 2014 ) Pittsburgh 5, Baltimore 6
Even as the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to win when he takes the mound, the record of Francisco Liriano remains unchanged. The Pirates eye their sixth straight victory in games in which the left-hander pitches on Tuesday when they host the first of two interleague contests against the Baltimore Orioles. Liriano posted a career-high 16 victories and Pittsburgh went 19-9 in his 28 starts (including playoffs) in 2013, but he is winless through nine turns this season.
Pittsburgh (18-25) also hasn’t come close to matching last season’s early success after recording a 25-18 mark through 43 games in 2013, but it has won each of Liriano's last five outings and is 6-3 overall when he starts. Baltimore enters this series with losses in two straight and six of its last eight since completing its five-game winning streak on May 10. However, the Orioles got the better of the Pirates when the teams squared off nine days earlier when they swept a doubleheader in Baltimore.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Baltimore), ROOT (Pittsburgh)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Miguel Gonzalez (1-3, 4.76 ERA) vs. Pirates LH Francisco Liriano (0-3, 4.25)
Gonzalez, who worked two innings in relief against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, will make his first start since a 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros on May 10. The 29-year-old gave up two runs – the sixth straight turn in which he allowed three or fewer earned runs - and struck out six over seven innings but did not factor into the decision. Gonzalez is 0-2 with a 6.86 ERA in four road outings, but owns a 3.46 ERA in two career interleague starts entering his first career matchup against Pittsburgh.
Despite delivering one of his best outings of the season, Liriano saw his winless streak extended to 12 starts following Wednesday’s 4-1 triumph over the Milwaukee Brewers. The 2006 All-Star, who fanned seven and yielded one run on four hits over six frames in his fifth straight no-decision, is 12-6 with a 3.28 ERA in 24 career interleague games (23 starts) and was 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA in four such turns for the Pirates last season. Liriano is 2-3 with a 4.21 ERA in seven career starts versus the Orioles, but hasn’t faced them since 2012.
WALK-OFFS
1. Baltimore has won five in a row against Pittsburgh.
2. The Pirates are 3-5 against the American League in 2014 after posting the best record in interleague play last season (15-5).
3. The Orioles are 17-9 in night games (5-11 during the day).
PREDICTION: Pirates 4, Orioles 3