Brewers look to end 3-game skid against Pirates
Milwaukee Brewers (46-42, second in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (42-44, fourth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Brewers: Zach Davies (7-2, 3.24 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 59 strikeouts) Pirates: Steven Brault (3-1, 4.29 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 49 strikeouts)
LINE: Brewers favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 10 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Milwaukee enters the game as losers of their last three games.
The Pirates are 16-17 against NL Central opponents. The Pittsburgh offense has compiled a .268 batting average as a team this season, good for fourth in the league. Bryan Reynolds leads the team with an average of .343.
The Brewers are 23-16 against the rest of their division. Milwaukee has hit 147 combined home runs this season, most in the National League. Christian Yelich leads the club with 31 homers. This is the first meeting of the season for these two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Bell leads the Pirates with 26 home runs and is batting .306. Adam Frazier is 12-for-33 with five doubles, a home run and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
Yelich leads the Brewers with 98 hits and has 67 RBIs. Eric Thames is 9-for-29 with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games for Milwaukee.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 6-4, .304 batting average, 3.72 ERA, outscored opponents by 26 runs
Brewers: 4-6, .194 batting average, 3.01 ERA, outscored by six runs
Pirates Injuries: Jameson Taillon: 60-day IL (elbow), Edgar Santana: 60-day IL (elbow), Chad Kuhl: 60-day IL (elbow), Keone Kela: 60-day IL (shoulder), Rookie Davis: 10-day IL (finger/forearm), Nick Burdi: 60-day IL (biceps), Gregory Polanco: 10-day IL (shoulder), Lonnie Chisenhall: 60-day IL (finger), Erik Gonzalez: 60-day IL (collarbone), Francisco Cervelli: 10-day IL (concussion).
Brewers Injuries: Bobby Wahl: 60-day IL (knee), Brent Suter: 60-day IL (elbow), Jimmy Nelson: 10-day IL (elbow), Corey Knebel: 60-day IL (elbow), Gio Gonzalez: 10-day IL (arm).
