Milwaukee @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 24, 2012 ) Milwaukee 6, Pittsburgh 5

Milwaukee will not contend for a playoff spot in the season’s final weeks and Pittsburgh is looking to reverse a slide out of the second National League wild-card spot. The race for the NL MVP, however, is focused on PNC Park this weekend as 2011 winner Ryan Braun and Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen are two of the leading candidates for the award. McCutchen leads the majors with a .349 average while Braun is first in the NL with 34 homers.

The Brewers welcome back Shaun Marcum, who will start Saturday’s contest. Marcum has missed the past two months with stiffness in his right elbow. Pittsburgh counters with Jeff Karstens, who has pitched six innings or longer in seven of his past nine starts. The Pirates fell short in Friday’s season opener with a 6-5 setback., The loss was their 12th in 17 games while Milwaukee won its fourth in a row.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Wisconsin (Milwaukee), Root Sports (Pittsburgh).

PITCHING MATCHUP: Milwaukee RH Shaun Marcum (5-3, 3.39 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh RH Jeff Karstens (4-3, 3.79).

Marcum had won three starts in a row before developing stiffness in the elbow June 14 at Kansas City. He threw 71 pitches in a rehab start Monday for Class-A Wisconsin. Marcum defeated the Pirates in Milwaukee on June 2, allowing one earned run on five hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts.

Karstens will seek his first victory since Aug. 1. He is 0-1 in his past three starts but has allowed just nine earned runs in 20 innings with two walks and 12 strikeouts. Karstens gave up two runs on two hits in seven innings in his last start Sunday at St. Louis, a game Pittsburgh won in 19 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Pirates were busy before Friday’s series opener. 1B Jeff Clement was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis and P Jordy Mercer was activated from paternity leave. Pittsburgh sent P Daniel McCutchen and 3B Yamaico Navarro to Triple-A and claimed P Hisanori Takahashi off waivers from the Angels.

2. John Axford could not close out Friday’s game. The struggling Brewers closer walked two and allowed two runs before Kameron Loe came on for the game’s final out.

3. The Brewers have won four of the seven meetings between the NL Central rivals.