Pittsburgh Pirates (29-40, third in the NL Central) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (37-32, fourth in the AL East)
St. Petersburg, Florida; Friday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: No starters named
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Rays -209, Pirates +176; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Rays host the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin a three-game series.
Tampa Bay has a 37-32 record overall and a 22-15 record in home games. The Rays have a 22-5 record in games when they scored at least five runs.
Pittsburgh is 12-20 in road games and 29-40 overall. The Pirates are 10th in the NL with 67 total home runs, averaging one per game.
The matchup Friday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Yandy Diaz has seven doubles and three home runs for the Rays. Ji-Man Choi is 10-for-27 with a double and a home run over the last 10 games.
Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 23 extra base hits (eight doubles, three triples and 12 home runs). Jack Suwinski is 7-for-30 with a double, three home runs and three RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rays: 3-7, .228 batting average, 2.33 ERA, outscored by one run
Pirates: 5-5, .200 batting average, 4.85 ERA, outscored by two runs
INJURIES: Rays: Manuel Margot: 60-Day IL (knee), Kevin Kiermaier: 10-Day IL (hip), Drew Rasmussen: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Andrew Kittredge: 60-Day IL (elbow), Mike Zunino: 10-Day IL (shoulder), J.P. Feyereisen: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Wander Franco: 10-Day IL (quadricep), JT Chargois: 60-Day IL (oblique), Brandon Lowe: 10-Day IL (back), Luis Patino: 60-Day IL (oblique), Brendan McKay: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Pete Fairbanks: 60-Day IL (lat), Tyler Glasnow: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Anderson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Yonny Chirinos: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Pirates: Jake Marisnick: 60-Day IL (thumb), Zach Thompson: 15-Day IL (forearm), Yoshitomo Tsutsugo: 10-Day IL (back), Dillon Peters: 15-Day IL (back), Tucupita Marcano: 10-Day IL (covid-19), Canaan Smith-Njigba: 60-Day IL (wrist), Duane Underwood Jr.: 15-Day IL (covid-19), Josh VanMeter: 10-Day IL (finger), Ben Gamel: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Kevin Newman: 60-Day IL (groin), Roberto Perez: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Greg Allen: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Blake Cederlind: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Mears: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
