Pittsburgh's Newman puts 15-game hit streak on the line against Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates (38-41, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (43-38, second in the NL Central)
Milwaukee; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Chris Archer (3-6, 5.56 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 74 strikeouts) Brewers: Jhoulys Chacin (3-8, 5.88 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 56 strikeouts)
LINE: Brewers favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 10 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Kevin Newman is riding a 15-game hitting streak as Pittsburgh readies to play Milwaukee.
The Brewers are 20-12 against the rest of their division. Milwaukee has a collective on-base percentage of .325, good for fourth in the National League. Christian Yelich leads the team with a mark of .405.
The Pirates are 12-14 against the rest of their division. The Pittsburgh offense has compiled a .266 batting average as a team this season, good for fifth in the National League. Bryan Reynolds leads the team with a mark of .359. This is the first meeting of the season for these two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Yelich leads the Brewers with 47 extra base hits and is batting .335. Ryan Braun is 10-for-34 with five doubles, a home run and three RBIs over the last 10 games for Milwaukee.
Josh Bell leads the Pirates with 22 home runs and is batting .311. Newman is 18-for-46 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
LAST 10 GAMES: Brewers: 3-7, .218 batting average, 5.48 ERA, outscored by 18 runs
Pirates: 7-3, .303 batting average, 3.80 ERA, outscored opponents by 23 runs
Brewers Injuries: Bobby Wahl: 60-day IL (knee), Brent Suter: 60-day IL (elbow), Corey Knebel: 60-day IL (elbow), Gio Gonzalez: 10-day IL (arm).
Pirates Injuries: Jameson Taillon: 60-day IL (elbow), Edgar Santana: 60-day IL (elbow), Jordan Lyles: 10-day IL (hamstring), 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).
