Pittsburgh @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 7, 2018 ) Pittsburgh 10, Colorado 2

Pitcher Chris Archer, one of several new arrivals for the Pittsburgh Pirates, takes the mound Wednesday in the rubber match of a three-game series against the host Colorado Rockies. Archer was acquired from Tampa Bay at last week’s non-waiver trade deadline to bolster the impressive Pirates’ pitching staff, which leads the National League with a 3.09 ERA since July 8.

Jameson Taillon recorded his second complete game of the season and Josh Harrison belted a two-run homer in Tuesday’s 10-2 victory as the Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 18-8 over the past month. Starling Marte ended a 0-for-14 hitless streak with a solo home run in the first inning while Jordy Mercer added a three-run blast to help Pittsburgh bounce back from a 2-0 loss in the series opener. The Rockies have lost six of their last nine and could use a strong outing from German Marquez on Wednesday after Chad Bettis lasted just 4 2/3 innings in Tuesday’s loss. Charlie Blackmon provided one of the few Colorado highlights with his 1,000th career hit, but Chris Iannetta grounded into two double plays and has one hit in his last 24 at-bats.

TV: 3:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Chris Archer (3-5, 4.40 ERA) vs. Rockies RH German Marquez (9-8, 4.70)

Archer struggled in his Pirates’ debut last Friday, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits across 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision against St. Louis. The two-time All-Star has given up 10 runs with 22 strikeouts over his last three starts covering 16 1/3 innings. Archer last faced Colorado on July 20, 2016 and earned the victory after striking out 11 batters over six strong innings.

After going 3-0 with a 3.65 ERA in four starts last month, Marquez yielded two runs over seven innings in a no-decision against Milwaukee last Friday. The 23-year-old native of Venezuela owns a 3.09 ERA in 11 starts on the road compared to a 6.63 mark in 11 outings at Coors Field. Marquez is 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three career starts versus Pittsburgh, including six strong frames in a victory at PNC Park on April 16.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pittsburgh 1B Josh Bell (oblique) could be activated from the disabled list prior to Wednesday’s contest.

2. The Rockies activated Bettis (blister) from the 10-day disabled list and optioned C Tom Murphy to Triple-A Albuquerque.

3. The Pirates placed INF/OF Sean Rodriguez on the 10-day disabled list with a left abdominal strain and added recently acquired SS Adeiny Hechavarria to the active roster.

PREDICTION: Pirates 7, Rockies 5