The Pittsburgh Pirates (34-39, 34-39 RL, 35-35-3 O/U) take on the Miami Marlins (42-33, 36-39 RL, 34-38-3 O/U) in the second bout of a four-game series on Friday evening. The Pirates will have Luis Ortiz on the mound. The Marlins will reply with Jesus Luzardo. The Marlins went 4-3 against the Pirates last season.
The Pirates will have Luis Ortiz take the mound on Friday night. Ortiz was not sharp last time out, giving up four runs in 5.1 innings against the Cubs, and was charged with the loss. The right-hander has allowed at least one home run in four consecutive outings and has recorded a subpar 4.30 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP accompanied by a 1-3 record in 37.2 innings pitched on the season. Ortiz is seeing the Marlins for the first time in his career.
Pittsburgh is sputtering big time in June and has plummeted to third place in the division as a result. They were dealt sweeps by the Cubs and Brewers last week and were swept yet again, losing all three home games to the Cubs this week. The offense has been quiet, scoring just three runs in their last three games.
A milestone moment ??
Befor e tonight's game, Cutch was gifted a plaque to commemorate his 2,000th hit. pic.twitter.com/bWIUetimFN
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 20, 2023
The Pirates offense has been inconsistent in recent weeks but Ke’Bryan Hayes has been a bright spot. The 26-year-old third baseman has registered a stellar .871 OPS this month and now has 30 RBIs accompanied by a .684 OPS on the season. Hayes went 6 for 28 with one RBI against the Marlins last season.
Pittsburgh is scoring an average of 4.15 runs on the season, marking them 22nd. The pitching hasn’t been as sharp recently and now has a 4.36 team ERA, placing them 19th.