Miami @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 15, 2018 ) Pittsburgh 7, Miami 3

Returning home to face a last-place club helped the Pittsburgh Pirates snap out of a funk and they will look to extend their momentum against another last-place club. The Pirates have won three in a row after sweeping National League Central rival Cincinnati and continue their six-game homestand with the first of three against the Miami Marlins on Friday night.

Pittsburgh had dropped 14 of 19 before outscoring the Reds 15-6 to draw within two games of reaching the .500 mark. Gregory Polanco was 6-for-12 with a home run and five RBIs in the three-game sweep of Cincinnati to extend his hitting streak to six games for the Pirates. The Marlins have alternated wins and losses over their last six, and now open a 10-game road trip - they are an NL-worst 22-43 away from home. Miami's Starlin Castro has multiple hits in four of his last seven games and is 8-for-23 against Pittsburgh right-hander Chris Archer, who will oppose Dan Straily in the series opener.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Miami), AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Dan Straily (5-6, 4.13 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Chris Archer (4-7, 4.56)

Straily is coming off a pair of stellar efforts, settling for a no-decision last time out despite limiting Toronto to one run and four hits over a season-high eight innings. The 29-year-old blanked Atlanta on three hits over six innings in his previous turn to halt a five-start winless drought. Starling Marte is 6-for-15 and Josh Bell 4-for-11 against Straily, who is 2-5 with a 4.31 ERA on the road.

Archer is coming off his best outing in nearly three months, although he did not factor in the decision after yielding one run and two hits over six innings while pitching exclusively from the stretch. "When I was 10 years old and first pitched in my life, my dad taught me to keep things simple, so I kind of went back to that," he told reporters. Archer struck out 13 in a no-decision against Miami on July 22.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pirates LHP Felipe Vazquez earned his 30th save Wednesday and hasn't blown a save since May 31.

2. Marlins OF Lewis Brinson is 10-for-28 during a seven-game hitting streak.

3. Pirates 2B-OF Adam Frazier has hit safely in three straight games, going 6-for-11 with five runs scored.

PREDICTION: Pirates 4, Marlins 3