Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 7, 2016 ) Cincinnati 7, Pittsburgh 3

The Pittsburgh Pirates' recent eight-game losing streak severely hurt their chances to stay afloat in the National League wild-card race, but the club might have one last gasp. The Pirates begin a long stretch of games against some of the NL's worst teams on Thursday when they open a four-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.

Pittsburgh's 4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday ended the club's season-long skid and gave it some momentum entering 15 straight versus losing teams - including eight against the last-place Reds and seven total between Milwaukee and Philadelphia. Jung Ho Kang's eighth-inning solo homer - his sixth in the last nine games - was the difference in the win over the Cardinals, pulling the Pirates to within 4 1/2 games of St. Louis and the New York Mets for the second wild-card spot. The Reds have lost four straight and at 57-81 are on the verge of clinching their 13th losing season in the last 16 years. Ivan Nova gets the nod for the Pirates, looking to build upon a 4-0 record and an ERA of 2.89 since joining the team at the trade deadline.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati), ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Dan Straily (11-7, 3.83 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Ivan Nova (11-6, 4.34)

Straily has had a rebirth in Cincinnati this season but has struggled in his last two outings, first allowing seven runs in 2 2/3 innings at the Los Angeles Angels before walking seven but letting up just one run in 5 2/3 frames to defeat St. Louis. He has also surrendered five homers in that span and entered Wednesday as one of five NL pitchers to give up at least 25. The 27-year-old ignited a personal four-game winning streak with a solid win at Pittsburgh on Aug. 7 and he has a 2.57 ERA in four games (three starts) versus the Pirates in 2016.

The Pirates lost for the first time in Nova's six starts with the team on Saturday, although he allowed just two runs in six innings. He struck out six and walked one, giving the Dominican Republic native two free passes in 37 1/3 innings since coming to Pittsburgh. He started that stretch with a seven-inning victory over the Reds on Aug. 6.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle needs one win to become the sixth skipper in team history to reach 500.

2. Reds SS Jose Peraza went 4-for-5 on Wednesday and has five multi-hit games in his last eight.

3. Cincinnati CF Billy Hamilton (oblique) will not travel to Pittsburgh for the series.

PREDICTION: Pirates 5, Reds 3