Milwaukee @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2012 ) Milwaukee 3, Pittsburgh 1
The Milwaukee Brewers have climbed the ladder and passed team after team in their dogged pursuit for the National League's second wild card. The Pittsburgh Pirates have plummeted down the rungs as their once-promising season appears to be headed for an all-too-familiar conclusion. The Brewers will vie for a series sweep and their 23rd win in 29 outings on Thursday when the National League Central rivals reconvene at PNC Park.
Milwaukee, which posted a 3-1 triumph on Wednesday, has won its last six in a row and 10 of 14 meetings against Pittsburgh. Losing has been a familiar refrain for the Pirates, who have dropped 14 of 18 to fall to .500 on the season. Andrew McCutchen's leadoff homer in the ninth was all that prevented Pittsburgh from being blanked for the second time this series.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FSWI (Milwaukee), ROOT (Pittsburgh)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Mike Fiers (9-8, 3.23 ERA) vs. Pirates LH Wandy Rodriguez (11-13, 3.65)
Fiers yielded four earned runs to drop his second start in three outings. The 27-year-old rookie has struggled with his control, issuing nine walks in his last 13 1/3 innings. Fiers did fare well versus Pittsburgh on Aug. 24, matching a season high with 10 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings en route to a 6-5 win.
Rodriguez collected his third win in a row after recording a quality start against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. The 33-year-old Dominican yielded three runs on nine hits in six innings in the 7-6 triumph. Rodriguez fell to 8-9 in his career versus the Brewers after walking four in 6 2/3 innings of a 6-5 loss on Aug. 24.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rookie Norichika Aoki recorded his first career leadoff homer to extend his hitting streak to nine games. The 30-year-old Japan native went 2-for-7 with a double versus Rodriguez earlier this season.
2. McCutchen's 29th homer set a Pirates' record for center fielders. He had been tied with Brian Giles, who originally established the mark during the 1999 season. McCutchen is 3-for-6 with a homer and four RBIs versus Fiers.
3. Pittsburgh's Travis Snider, who had been plagued by a strained right hamstring, started just his second contest since Sept. 4. He went 1-for-4.