Pirates look to stop 4-game slide against Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks (14-11, second in the NL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (12-10, third in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Thursday, 12 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Zack Greinke (3-1, 4.60 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 32 strikeouts) Pirates: Jameson Taillon (3-2, 3.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 20 strikeouts)
LINE: Pirates favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 7 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Pittsburgh enters the matchup as losers of their last four games.
The Pirates are 6-6 on their home turf. Pittsburgh has a collective on-base percentage of .298, led by Josh Bell with a mark of .378.
The Diamondbacks are 10-6 on the road. Arizona has hit 38 home runs this season, seventh in the National League. Christian Walker leads them with seven, averaging one every 11.6 at-bats.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bell leads the Pirates with five home runs and has 17 RBIs. Jung Ho Kang is 6-for-30 with a double, three home runs and four RBIs over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
David Peralta leads the Diamondbacks with 35 hits and has 17 RBIs. Walker has 18 hits and is batting .429 over the last 10 games for Arizona.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 5-5, .219 batting average, 4.14 ERA, outscored by 11 runs
Diamondbacks: 8-2, .284 batting average, 2.63 ERA, outscored opponents by 30 runs
Pirates Injuries: Edgar Santana: 60-day IL (elbow), Chad Kuhl: 60-day IL (elbow), Nick Burdi: 10-day IL (biceps), Bryan Reynolds: day-to-day (quad), Starling Marte: 10-day IL (abdominal), Corey Dickerson: 10-day IL (shoulder), Lonnie Chisenhall: 10-day IL (finger), Jose Osuna: 10-day IL (neck), Kevin Newman: 10-day IL (finger), Erik Gonzalez: 60-day IL (collarbone), Jacob Stallings: 10-day IL (neck).
Diamondbacks Injuries: Taijuan Walker: 60-day IL (elbow), T.J. McFarland: 10-day IL (shoulder), Silvino Bracho: 60-day IL (elbow), Steven Souza Jr.: 10-day IL (knee), Jake Lamb: 10-day IL (quad), Alex Avila: 10-day IL (quad).
