The Pittsburgh Pirates continue their push for a playoff spot in interleague and inner divisional play this week.
The battle for a National League wild card spot has intensified over the past few weeks. The Pirates (61-58) are five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the second spot and are in tight competition with the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals. All three teams sit less than 2.5 games back of the second spot.
While the Pirates also have to deal with the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants, they face a difficult road ahead this week. The Bucs close out a lengthy road trip beginning tomorrow with a brief two-game series in Minnesota against a Twins team that is 54-63 this season. Despite their overall record, the Twins are 33-24 at home this year.
The Bucs return home Thursday for a four-game series against the first place Chicago Cubs. The Pirates are 5-6 against the Cubs this season.
With an interleague series and a crucial set against a divisional foe coming up this week, there are bound to be plenty of key matchups. Here are some of the top matchups to watch out for this week.
Chris archer vs. miguel sano
For the first time as a member of the Pirates, Chris Archer returns to the league where he started his career as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
During his time in the American League, Archer had plenty of experience pitching against the Minnesota Twins. And to say that he’s been great against them might be a slight understatement.
In nine career starts against the Twins, Archer is 6-1 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He has struck out 59 and walked 10 in 55 innings against Minnesota while allowing 12 earned runs in that span.
Archer has faced the Twins twice this season, allowing two or less runs in each outing. He punched out 12 batters in 11 innings through those two starts.
Miguel Sano is one player in particular that Archer has dominated in the past. The two have met 12 times with Sano coming through with one hit. The twins third baseman has struck out 10 times against Archer, who has been relatively solid in his first two outings with Pittsburgh.
Sano has faced Archer every year since 2015 and has not picked up a hit against the righty since that season. Sano is 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Archer this season.
Given the dominance that Archer has showcased in the past, expect him to continue to pitch effectively against Sano and the Twins as he’s scheduled to take the mound Wednesday in the series finale.
Adeiny Hechavarria vs. cole hamels
Out of everyone on the Pirates roster, newly acquired shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria has faced Friday’s starter, Cole Hamels, more than anyone.
Hechavarria, who is 3 for 5 with a home run and a double in two games with the Pirates, has faced Hamels over 30 times in his career. The two faced off frequently when they played in the National League East. Hechavarria played with the Miami Marlins from 2013-17 and Hamels pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies for nearly a decade from 2006-2015.
Including a pair of hitless at-bats against Hamels this season, Hechavarria is 11 for 31 (.355) with a double, two triples and five RBIs against Hamels. He has also struck out four times.
Hamels made his Cubs debut against the Pirates Aug. 1, striking out nine over five innings. While he aims to replicate that performance, there is a good chance he will get to face Hechavarria once again.
Considering their long history and the success the new Pirates shortstop has been able to have against Hamels, it might be a good idea to put Hechavarria in the lineup against the Cubs southpaw Friday night.
Josh Bell and francisco cervelli vs. Jon lester
Jon Lester hasn’t exactly been tearing things up as of late. The Cubs left-hander, who put up impressive numbers in April, May and June, is 1-3 with an 8.65 ERA and 1.89 WHIP in his last seven starts. Lester has allowed four or more earned runs in five of those seven starts and has allowed five or more runs in his last two.
Lester allowed nine runs – eight earned – on 10 hits in 3.2 innings Saturday against the Washington Nationals.
The veteran hurler’s job doesn’t get much easier entering his scheduled start Thursday against the Pirates.
There are plenty of guys in the Pirates lineup that have faced Lester on more than one occasion. In this particular battle, there are two guys in particular who could have success against Lester: Josh Bell and Francisco Cervelli.
Bell has been solid since returning from the disabled list Aug. 8. Since then, he is hitting .286 (6 for 21) with a pair of home runs and five RBIs. This success comes after a month of July in which the switch hitter batted .329/.413/.471.
In the recent series against San Francisco, Bell blasted two home runs off left-handed pitchers Andrew Suarez and Ty Blach. The two homers were Bell’s first from the right side of the plate this season.
Bell is hitting .292 (28 for 96) against left-handed pitching and has an opportunity to continue that successful trend against Lester, who has allowed 16 home runs to right-handed hitters this year.
In his career against Lester, Bell is hitting .357 (5 for 14) with a home run and four RBIs.
Cervelli has a long history with Lester that dates back to their time with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, respectively.
They have again faced each other numerous times the last few years playing for their current teams in the NL Central.
In his career against Lester, Cervelli is hitting .278 (10 for 36) with a double, two home runs and 10 RBIs. He has also gone down on strikes six times.
Cervelli was removed from Saturday’s game in San Francisco after being struck in the mask by a foul ball in the first inning.
Considering his recent concussion issues along with his long history of injuries, Cervelli could very well find himself on the disabled list again. However, his condition is still unknown.
And if he is healthy enough to be in the lineup Thursday against Lester, he could serve as a beneficial asset for the Bucs.
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