Milwaukee @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 16, 2018 ) Pittsburgh 3, Milwaukee 2

The Milwaukee Brewers' magic number to clinch a National League wild-card berth is six as they begin a six-game road trip Friday with the first of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Milwaukee, which trails the Chicago Cubs by 2 1/2 games in the NL Central, hopes to have center fielder Lorenzo Cain back in the lineup as the NL MVP candidate left Tuesday's game after two at-bats and missed Wednesday's 7-0 victory over Cincinnati because of soreness in his right rib cage area.

“I guess when the pain and soreness is out of there, I’ll be back on the field,” Cain told reporters. “I wanted to play but, like I said, they want me to be smart about it, so we’ll see where it’s at on Friday.” The Brewers (87-66) lead the Cardinals by three games for the top wild-card spot and visit St. Louis for a three-game set starting Monday but more importantly are 4 1/2 games clear of Colorado, which sits third in the wild-card standings. Pittsburgh (77-74) continues to play hard down the stretch as it owns a five-game winning streak with the first two coming in Milwaukee last weekend, and has won eight in a row at home. The Pirates' Ivan Nova tries to defeat the Brewers for the second straight start Friday and opposes Jhoulys Chacin, who is 0-3 with a 2.51 ERA in five outings versus Pittsburgh this season.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Jhoulys Chacin (14-8, 3.54 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Ivan Nova (9-9, 4.07)

Chacin has lost his last three starts after allowing two runs, three hits and three walks while striking out four in five innings of a 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. The 30-year-old Venezuelan, who has matched his career high in wins set with Colorado in 2013, has yielded three or fewer earned runs in each of his last eight starts. Chacin is 9-3 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 19 road turns this season, improving his career numbers away from home to 32-41, 4.10, 1.37 in 114 games (97 starts).

Nova permitted one run, four hits and a walk while striking out four in six innings of Saturday's 3-1 victory at Milwaukee for his second straight victory. The 31-year-old Dominican is 7-4 with a 3.46 ERA in 16 starts since coming off disabled list June 10. Travis Shaw is 12-for-19 with three home runs and two walks versus Nova, who is 3-2 with a 2.81 ERA in seven career starts versus Milwaukee, including 1-0, 1.69 in two turns this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Shaw (.240, 29 home runs, 79 RBIs) played Wednesday after leaving Tuesday's game when he was hit in the right knee by a pitch while Brewers LF Ryan Braun (.247, 15, 52) has not started in the last three contests because of back discomfort.

2. Pirates CF Starling Marte (.278, 19 home runs, 67 RBIs, 33 stolen bases) needs one homer to become the third player in team history to record 20 home runs and 30 steals, joining Barry Bonds (1987, 1990-92) and Andy Van Slyke (1987-88).

3. Milwaukee 3B Mike Moustakas (.250, 26 home runs, 88 RBIs this season) is batting .208 with a home run and seven RBIs in 14 September games after hitting .277 in August.

PREDICTION: Brewers 3, Pirates 2