Miami @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 6, 2014 ) Miami 3, Pittsburgh 7

The Pittsburgh Pirates are down one All-Star with Andrew McCutchen banged up, but another, Josh Harrison, is doing his best to pick up the slack. Harrison looks to extend his hitting streak to 11 games when the Pirates host the Miami Marlins in the rubber match of their three-game series on Thursday. Harrison has recorded multiple hits in six of his last 10 games and went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored as Pittsburgh grabbed a 7-3 win on Wednesday.

The Pirates are in the middle of a pair of playoff races as they trail first-place Milwaukee by 1 1/2 games in the National League Central while sitting one-half game behind St. Louis for the second wild-card spot. The Marlins (55-58) are three games below .500 and have dropped five of their last seven to make their fledgling postseason chances seem even more unlikely. The offense is the big problem at the moment for Miami, which has scored more than three runs once in its last seven contests and sits 6 1/2 games behind first-place Washington in the NL East.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins LH Brian Flynn (0-0, 6.00 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Edinson Volquez (8-7, 3.91)

Flynn is getting the start in place of recently acquired right-hander Jarred Cosart, who was scratched due to a sore oblique. Flynn was recalled on Tuesday when the team designated Jacob Turner for assignment and will be making his first major-league start of the season and the fifth of his career. The 24-year-old came out of the bullpen against Oakland is his lone previous major-league appearance of 2014 on June 27 and was reached for two runs on four hits in three innings.

Volquez allowed a total of three earned runs in 30 innings over his four starts prior to the All-Star break but has not been able to find that form since returning to action. The Dominican is 0-1 with 13 runs allowed - 10 earned - on 23 hits in 15 2/3 innings over his last three outings. Volquez never has lost to Miami, going 5-0 with a 1.95 ERA in six career starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pirates 2B Neil Walker (back tightness) has missed three of the last four games.

2. Marlins INF-OF Enrique Hernandez is hitless in five at-bats over three contests since being acquired from Houston.

3. Pittsburgh C Russell Martin has hit safely in his last five games and has recorded six RBIs and five runs scored in that span.

PREDICTION: Pirates 7, Marlins 4