Pittsburgh @ Houston preview

Pittsburgh at Houston

Last Meeting ( Sep 21, 2012 ) Pittsburgh 1, Houston 7

The Pittsburgh Pirates are plummeting out of contention - and a lack of offense is the primary reason for their troubles. Pittsburgh suffered its fourth straight loss and 15th in 19 outings with a 7-1 setback to the lowly Houston Astros on Friday. The Pirates, who have mustered just nine runs during the losing streak, will look to rebound when the National League Central rivals reconvene at Minute Maid Park on Saturday.

Pittsburgh sits 5 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the race for the second wild card. While the Pirates' postseason plans are optimistic at best, the Astros haven't let their place in the cellar reflect their recent play. Houston has won a respectable nine of 19 outings in September as it plays the role of spoiler.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ROOT

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Kevin Correia (11-9, 4.09 ERA) vs. Astros LH Dallas Keuchel (2-7, 4.97)

Correia has won two of his last three starts - with a dominant outing against Houston on Sept. 5 beginning that thread. The 32-year-old scattered four hits over six innings in a 6-3 triumph over the Astros. Correia has been stingy with the long ball of late, permitting just one homer in his last 10 appearances.

Keuchel posted his first victory since June 23 when he tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings against Philadelphia in his last outing. The 24-year-old was blitzed by Pittsburgh to the tune of five runs on as many hits - including three homers - in a 5-3 loss on July 26. Keuchel has struggled with his control, issuing eight walks in his last three outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. With San Francisco's Melky Cabrera exiting the race for the NL batting title, Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen assumes the lead with a .338 batting average. He is just 1-for-5 versus Keuchel.

2. Houston INF Jed Lowrie belted a three-run homer on Friday to extend his hitting streak to six games. He is hitless in two career at-bats versus Correia.

3. With a victory on Saturday, Pittsburgh would claim its 12th win versus Houston. That number represents a season high for the Pirates since they collected 13 against the Astros in 1968.