The Pittsburgh Pirates (55-88, 72-71 RL, 62-69-12 O/U) battle the New York Mets (89-54, 77-66 RL, 71-64-8 O/U) in the first of a four-game divisional series on Thursday night. The Pirates will send JT Brubaker to the mound. The Mets give the nod to Carlos Carrasco. The Mets lead the season series 2-1.
The Pirates will have JT Brubaker on the hill on Thursday night. Brubaker was solid in his previous start, allowing three runs in six innings against the Cardinals, and finished with a no-decision in a game the Pirates lost 7-5. The veteran right-hander has conceded just five runs in his last two starts and enters with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP to go with a 3-11 record in 138.1 innings of work. Brubaker has squandered 10 runs in 8.2 career innings against the Mets.
The Pirates continue a nine-game road trip. They are playing well, recording a four-game sweep against the Reds this week, and are now 5-5 in their last ten clashes. The offense has displayed an increase in production recently, accumulating 23 runs in their last four games.
Bryan Reynolds is producing, driving in five runs in his last six games, and ha s a .730 OPS this month. The 27-year-old center fielder is having a productive season, bashing 23 homers with 54 RBIs and a solid.789 OPS. Reynolds is 4 for 10 against the Mets this season.
The Pirates are only averaging 3.58 runs per game, ranking them 28th overall. The pitching staff is carrying a 4.61 team ERA, tabbing them 26th in the big leagues.