Pittsburgh @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 14, 2018 ) Pittsburgh 2, Minnesota 5

The Minnesota Twins won’t likely be in the postseason, but that is not because of their performance at Target Field where they have won 15 of the last 19 and sit 10 games over .500 on the season at 34-24. The Twins look to improve on that impressive mark as they go for a two-game sweep of the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon after rallying from an early two-run deficit for a 5-2 victory in the series opener Tuesday.

Slugger Miguel Sano, who spent six weeks on a conditioning stint in the minor leagues earlier this summer, launched a two-run homer Tuesday and is 14-for-45 in his last 13 contests for Minnesota - which sits 12 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland in the American League Central. Twins ace Jose Berrios gets the call in the series finale while the Pirates turn to newcomer Chris Archer, who is 6-1 in his career against Minnesota and 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA at Target Field. Pittsburgh has lost steam after an 11-game winning streak that straddled the All-Star break, going 8-10 in its last 18 contests to stand five games out of the second wild card in the National League. Josh Bell was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks Tuesday to extend his hitting streak to five games for the Pirates and the first baseman is batting .333 during interleague play in his career.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, FS North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Chris Archer (4-5, 4.36 ERA) vs. Twins RH Jose Berrios (11-8, 3.66)

Archer defeated Colorado in his second start with the Pirates last Wednesday while allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. The 29-year-old North Carolina native yielded three earned runs across 4 1/3 innings of his Pittsburgh debut on Aug. 3 and has walked six in the last two starts with nine strikeouts. Eddie Rosario is 3-for-9 with two doubles versus Archer, who owns a 2.45 ERA in two games against Minnesota this year when he was with Tampa Bay.

Berrios struggled with his control last time out, walking a career-high six batters while permitting four runs on as many hits over four innings in a no-decision against Cleveland. The 24-year-old Puerto Rico native registered his fourth quality start in six outings to win his previous start against Kansas City, giving up two runs across seven innings. Corey Dickerson is 3-for-5 with two doubles and a homer versus Berrios, who is 4-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 10 career interleague starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Pirates are 70-46 in interleague play since 2013 despite the loss and 28-11 in their last 39 games against the AL Central.

2. Minnesota INF Logan Forsythe is 15-for-41 since being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but had his 10-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday.

3. Pittsburgh INF-OF Adam Frazier sat out the series opener, but is 14-for-32 in the nine games he has played this month.

PREDICTION: Pirates 5, Twins 3