As the Pittsburgh Pirates enter the final series of their lengthy homestand, they welcome yet another National League West team to PNC Park.
Tonight, the Pittsburgh Pirates begin a three game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who sit in fourth place in the NL West with a 21-25 record. The Pirates are coming off of a series in which they took two of three against the Colorado Rockies and sit five games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central with a 24-19 record. The Pirates are 2-1 against the Diamondbacks this season and will look to continue their winning ways in a series that is bound to provide some exciting matchups to watch.
3.) Francisco Liriano vs Jean Segura
Tonight, Francisco Liriano gets the nod in game one of the three game set against Arizona. This season has been a whirlwind year for Liriano, who is 3-3 with a 4.63 ERA. Liriano, who has proven to be one of the Pirates best pitchers since joining the team in 2013, has had issues when it comes to command, allowing 25 walks in eight starts this season, and with giving up the long ball, allowing nine home runs on the year.
Liriano faces a Diamondbacks lineup that is tied for ninth in Major League Baseball in home runs (53) and 16th in walks (132). The Diamondbacks are lead on offense by Paul Goldschmidt, Wellington Castillo and Brandon Drury. However, there is one familiar face that Liriano and the Pirates will recognize as he returns to play at PNC Park.
Former Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jean Segura is now the starting second baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Segura, who played four seasons in Milwaukee, has had a stellar year in his first season in the desert, hitting .321 with five home runs and 23 RBI’s. His recent success is good news as Segura once again faces a familiar foe in Liriano, a pitcher that he has yet to figure out throughout his career.
In his career, Segura is 5-for-22 (.227) with six strikeouts against the hard throwing left-hander, who may be looking to take advantage of Segura’s high strikeout rate as well. This season, Segura has struck out 27 times compared to just five walks, which could allow this matchup to turn in Liriano’s favor.
Liriano has allowed four home runs and eight walks in his last three starts, but will be looking to improve tonight against Arizona. It will not be an easy task against a high powered offense which Segura is a big part of. Segura has had a very good year, but will it be enough to overcome his career struggles against Liriano or will he take advantage of the early season struggles of the experienced Pirates hurler?
2.) Jeff Locke vs Paul Goldschmidt
Tomorrow night, Jeff Locke makes his ninth start of the season after a solid performance against the Atlanta Braves on May 19, in which he gave up two earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts in seven innings of work. Though Locke has shown improvement in a few starts this season, he hasn’t really put together too many consistently good outings, posting a 2-3 record with a 5.00 ERA this season. Locke, who ranks second on the team in walks allowed with 23, may have some trouble against the Diamondbacks lineup, but, believe it or not, he may actually provide a favorable matchup against Arizona’s best hitter.
[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]This season has been a whirlwind year for Liriano, who is 3-3 with a 4.63 ERA.[/pullquote]It can be argued that Paul Goldschmidt could be considered the best overall hitter in baseball. He can hit for power and hit for a high average and he has proven that on a consistent basis. However, Goldschmidt isn’t exactly having a season that has lived up to the high standards that he has set by compiling three consecutive .300 hitting seasons from 2013-2015. This season, Goldschmidt is hitting .245 with eight home runs and 26 RBI’s. He is still walking at a high rate and is still a dangerous threat in the Diamondbacks lineup, but this is not why I think Locke may be able to have success against him.
Despite Goldschmidt hitting .556 in his career against Locke, he has also struck out twice against him. He has also struggled against left-handed pitching this season. A career .325 hitter against lefties, Goldschmidt is only hitting .222 with one home run and six RBI’s against left-handers this season. This creates a lefty versus righty matchup that Locke could find in his favor if he is able to mix his pitches and avoid mistakes. Goldschmidt is the type of hitter that makes a pitcher pay for mistakes, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this particular matchup.
1.) Josh Harrison vs Patrick Corbin
In the final game of this three game set, the Diamondbacks send Patrick Corbin to the mound in a huge pitching matchup against Gerrit Cole. This season, Corbin has been decent early on, compiling a 2-3 record along with a 3.99 ERA in nine starts. In his last three starts, Corbin has looked noticeably better, posting a 2.29 ERA in those games. Corbin will also likely enjoy getting the opportunity away from home as his ERA on the road is 2.01, a remarkable statistic compared to his 6.48 ERA at home at Chase Field in Arizona.
Corbin is only making his third career start against the Pirates, so many of the hitters he will face, he will be facing for the very first time. One player that he has faced in his career is Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison, who is hitless in only one at-bat against Corbin. Harrison, who is in his first full season as the starting second baseman, is having a good year offensively, hitting .308 with two home runs and 23 RBI in 42 games.
Despite not having a ton of experience against the Diamondbacks lefty, Harrison could cause some matchup problems for Corbin based on his success against left-handed pitching. Harrison, a career .294 hitter against lefties, is hitting .400 with one home run and four RBI’s in 30 at-bats against left-handed pitching this season. Combine this with the .266 opposing batting average that Corbin has allowed to right-handed hitters in his career and you have a matchup nightmare for Corbin.
There are a ton of statistics that make this a matchup that sits in Harrison’s favor, but Corbin is still a quality major league pitcher who is pitching remarkably better in the month of May than he did in the month of April. This matchup will definitely be one to watch as the Pirates and Diamondbacks finish a three game set that means a whole lot for both clubs.
Featured image credit – Daniel Decker Photography
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