The Pittsburgh Pirates have been on a tear as of late, but they face a tough test this week beginning tonight in Cleveland.
It’s not unrealistic to say that the Pittsburgh Pirates are the hottest team in baseball right now. They currently hold the longest winning streak in the game at nine and have surpassed the St. Louis Cardinals for third place in the National League Central.
The Bucs still trail the first place Chicago Cubs by eight games, but they’ve put themselves back in the NL Wild Card hunt, sitting four games behind the Atlanta Braves for the second spot.
The Pirates have won 10 of their last 11 games and two of their three opponents in that span are teams over .500. They took two of three from the Washington Nationals before sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in a five game set prior to the all-star break. The Bucs also swept the Cincinnati Reds this weekend following the break.
This week will say a lot regarding whether this team’s sudden resurgence is legitimate or not. They begin a three game series with the Cleveland Indians tonight before taking on the struggling New York Mets in a four game set a PNC Park.
This upcoming Indians series is big for the Pirates, considering Cleveland leads the American League Central and is one of the better clubs in the American League.
With that being said, here are some of the matchups to watch out for this week as the Pirates attempt to keep their winning ways going against the 2016 American League champions.
COREY DICKERSON VS. COREY KLUBER
To say that Corey Dickerson is on a hot streak would be an understatement. The Pirates left fielder has been just about unstoppable in the month of July, hitting .391 with a 1.222 OPS in 16 games.
Dickerson’s power numbers have also been impressive. After hitting just five home runs in the first three months of the season, the 29-year-old has six this month and five in his last four games.
While Dickerson has gone yard in four straight games, he will look to extend his impressive streak tonight against the Indians. He’ll likely start his quest against a former Cy Young award winner, Corey Kluber, in a key matchup.
Dickerson has faced Kluber on several occasions, sporting a .333 average (4 for 12) in his career against him. Dickerson has hit a pair of doubles and has scored two runs in matchups against Kluber, but he’s also gone down on strikes five times while never hitting a home run against the Indians ace.
Dickerson, who has faced Kluber in three of the last four seasons, could see his home run streak in jeopardy against the hard throwing right hander.
However, Kluber is recovering from a knee injury and is coming off a rough outing against the Yankees in which he allowed two home runs and six earned runs. So, with all that considered, maybe Dickerson, who is arguably the Pirates best offensive weapon at the moment, could have the advantage in this battle of the Coreys.
Joe musgrove vs. yan gomes
Joe Musgrove has faced the Indians one time in his career. It was a start he’d likely rather forget.
In that outing on May 21 of last year, Musgrove, who was then a member of the Houston Astros, allowed seven earned runs on eight hits in only three innings of work.
The man who had the most success off Musgrove that night was Indians backstop Yan Gomes. The 31-year-old catcher had a pair of hits against the right hander, doubling in a run in the second inning and hitting a three-run homer in the top of the third.
Considering his small sample size of success against Musgrove and the fact that he has started three straight games behind the plate, Gomes should likely be in the Indians lineup again tomorrow night when Musgrove takes the mound.
It will be interesting to see if Gomes can replicate his small ounce of success against Musgrove or if the Pirates hurler can put his last outing against Cleveland behind him and help the club continue to gain ground in the Wild Card race.
Jameson taillon vs. jose ramirez and francisco lindor
Overall, the Indians are one of the best hitting teams in baseball. They rank fifth in the majors with a .259 team batting averages and third in the American League in that category.
Not to mention they have a lineup that is beyond capable of hitting the long ball, mashing 137 home runs which is good for second in the big leagues.
Two of the more legitimate hitters in Cleveland’s lineup are third baseman Jose Ramirez and shortstop Francisco Lindor, who are also a pair of the best offensive players in the majors.
Ramirez (.304) and Lindor (.293) rank first and third, respectively, on the team in batting average and are first and second in home runs. Ramirez leads the majors with 30 bombs, while Lindor ranks in the top five with 25.
The duo has combined to drive in over 130 runs this season and will likely provide quality matchups for Pirates pitchers in this upcoming series.
That includes young right hander Jameson Taillon, who will face the Indians for the first time in his career Wednesday.
Taillon enters his next outing having allowed just two runs over his last two starts. He has a 3.18 ERA in four July starts and has not allowed three or more earned runs since May 22.
It won’t be an easy task for Taillon as he prepares to go up against Ramirez, Lindor and the potent Indians lineup for the first time ever. However, regardless of who comes out on top, the matchups between Taillon and two of the best players in baseball will certainly be ones to keep a close eye on.
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