Miami @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 15, 2014 ) Pittsburgh 2, Miami 3

The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to be without center fielder Andrew McCutchen when they begin an eight-game homestand against the inconsistent Miami Marlins on Tuesday. McCutchen reportedly suffered a left oblique injury during Sunday's 3-2 loss in 10 innings to Arizona and could miss 3-to-4 weeks. Despite a 5-5 road trip, Pittsburgh pulled within 1½ games of National League Central Division frontrunner Milwaukee and is one-half game back of St. Louis for the NL’s second wild card spot, but will be hard-pressed to continue progress toward a second straight postseason appearance after a 20-year hiatus without the reigning NL MVP.

While McCutchen (team-best 17 homers, 67 RBIs) appears headed for the disabled list, the Pirates could get outfielder Starling Marte back from a concussion after he missed two weeks. Pittsburgh faces a Miami team that lost four of its last five after winning a season-high six straight. Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton had a five-game stretch in which he went 6-for-17 with three homers and five RBIs before striking out in all four at-bats in a 7-3 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins LH Brad Hand (2-3, 4.15 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Charlie Morton (5-10, 3.54)

Hand has allowed three or fewer runs in each of six starts since rejoining the rotation, going at least seven innings in the last three. The 24-year-old Minnesota native gave up three runs over seven frames to lose his last outing against Washington after winning two in a row. Hand, who owns a 3.21 ERA on the road as compared to 4.96 at home, will face Pittsburgh for the first time in his career.

Morton is winless in his last five starts while yielding 15 runs in 24 innings over his last four, including a no-decision in a 7-5 loss at San Francisco on Wednesday. The 6-5 New Jersey native has allowed only three homers over his last seven outings. Christian Yelich is 4-for-6 and Stanton 5-for-13 versus Morton, who is 5-3 in nine career starts with a 4.41 ERA against the Marlins.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pittsburgh INF-OF Josh Harrison is 16-for-36 with five homers, four doubles and seven RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak.

2. Miami 1B Garrett Jones, who belted 100 homers from 2009-2013 with the Pirates, has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 contests.

3. Pittsburgh took two of three at Miami from June 13-15 after going 4-2 against the Marlins in 2013 while winning all three at home.

PREDICTION: Marlins 5, Pirates 4