Pittsburgh @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 17, 2014 ) Pittsburgh 5, Washington 6

The struggling Washington Nationals may have to start a three-game home series against the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday without slugger Bryce Harper. The 22-year-old, who boasts 22 homers and 53 RBIs, suffered what was deemed a mild hamstring strain before leaving in the sixth inning of Thursday’s 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay and will be re-evaluated Friday.

The Nationals have dropped 14 of their last 20 games and managed just three runs in their last two games after scoring 16 at Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Injury-plagued Washington must find a way to raise its level of play against the Pirates, who have won a season-high eight straight contests after a 3-2 victory against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Pittsburgh has allowed only six earned runs during its streak and owns a major league-best 1.75 ERA in June. Josh Harrison has hit safely in eight straight contests (16-for-35) and Andrew McCutchen is 9-for-23 during a six-game run for the Pirates.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), MASN2 and WUSA 9 (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH A.J. Burnett (6-2, 1.89 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Joe Ross (1-1, 3.46)

Burnett has been quite unlucky in his last two starts, allowing one run and 10 hits combined over 16 innings without gaining a victory, after winning the previous six. The 38-year-old Arkansas native, who owns 161 career wins, is 4-0 with a 2.51 ERA in seven road starts in 2015. Anthony Rendon is 7-for-16 with three homers and nine RBIs against Burnett, who is 12-5 in 23 appearances (22 starts) with a 3.19 ERA versus the Nationals.

Ross has yielded five runs and 13 hits in his first 13 innings in the big leagues, splitting a pair of starts. The 22-year-old California native struck out eight and threw 108 pitches while permitting two runs over eight frames to beat Milwaukee last Saturday and has walked one batter overall. Ross, who was drafted in 2011 by San Diego in the first round, was 2-2 in nine starts with Double-A Harrisburg before being recalled.

WALK-OFFS

1. Washington 3B Yunel Escobar recorded his third five-hit game of 2015 on Thursday; entering this year, he did not have a five-hit game in 1,074 contests over his first eight big-league seasons.

2. Pittsburgh 2B Neil Walker (stomach ailment) missed the last two contests and his status is uncertain.

3. Nationals CF Denard Span has recorded multiple hits in five of his past eight contests, including the last two.

PREDICTION: Pirates 5, Nationals 3