In their first series following the all star break, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost two of three against the Washington Nationals, winning Sunday in an 18 inning marathon. The Bucs now return home and set their eyes on a three game series with their National League Central foes, the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (47-45) currently sit in third place in the NL Central, trailing the Chicago Cubs by nine games. They also are in the hunt in the NL Wild Card race, trailing the Miami Marlins by three games for the second spot.
The Milwaukee Brewers (39-51) sit in fourth place in the Central, 16 games back in the division race and 10 games back in the Wild Card race. The Brewers have a record above the .500 mark at home, but have a 16-29 road record.
The Pirates have played in one series against the Brewers this season, winning two of three against their division rivals. The Bucs have had struggles in the past against teams at the bottom of the division including the Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds. These past struggles make this series very interesting as the Brewers aren’t a team that should be taken lightly. They have talent that could provide some intriguing matchups for the next three days. Here are our three matchups to watch.
3.) Jameson Taillon vs Brewers in return
After being placed on the disabled list with arm fatigue and not pitching since June 29, Jameson Taillon returns tonight against the Brewers. Taillon gets the opportunity to face the Brew Crew for the first time in his career and goes into tonight’s matchup with a 3.86 ERA in five major league starts.
The Brewers are currently rebuilding, but still have talent up and down their lineup. Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter are the only three players on the Brewers with 10 plus home runs and should provide some interesting at-bats against the Pirates rookie.
It will be interesting to see how Taillon approaches his first appearance against the struggling team, but it will be important for him not to underestimate his opponents. He has allowed four home runs in five starts this season and the Brewers have threats up and down their lineup that could serve as legitimate power threats.
Taillon’s matchup against the Brewers is also intriguing due to the fact that he suffered from arm fatigue before the all star break. Taillon has had Tommy John Surgery in the past so an innings limit on the young right hander in this start and in the future may be inevitable.
2.) Jeff Locke vs Ryan Braun
Over the years, Ryan Braun has enjoyed playing the Pirates. After this series, Braun, who has played 135 career games against the Pirates, will have played more games against the Pirates than any other team in baseball. At the moment, Braun has played in 136 career games against the St Louis Cardinals. In those 135 games, Braun is hitting .308 with 29 home runs and 105 RBIs. That RBI total also happens to be the most RBIs he has against any team in the league.
Braun has owned the Pirates in the past and he has also owned left hander Jeff Locke. In his career against Locke, Braun is 11-for-34 (.324) with three doubles, one home run, two RBIs and five runs scored. This season, Braun has faced Locke on three occasions and is 1-for-3.
This season has been up and down for Locke, who is 8-5 with a 5.26 ERA. There have been times when Locke was masterful. However, he would follow up with glimpses of inconsistency.
Locke has struggled against Braun in the past, but has had mixed success against the Brewers, compiling a 5-5 record with a 3.76 ERA in 13 starts. He has faced them once this season, allowing two earned runs on five hits while walking seven and striking out four in 4.2 innings on April 15.
Believe it or not, Locke has also struck out Braun seven times in their meetings, while never allowing a walk.
This matchup will be one to watch for multiple reasons. It will be interesting to see if Braun can continue his success against Locke and the Pirates or if Locke can turn the tables and provide another masterful performance.
Fans should also pay attention as to how Locke pitches due to the scenarios within the Pirates rotation. The pitching staff is currently shuffled all around and the future for Locke may be unknown.
1.) Josh Harrison vs Chase Anderson
When it comes to the second half of the season, the Pirates need some things to be successful. Improving the pitching staff is obvious and a healthy Gregory Polanco is vital, but getting Josh Harrison back on the right track is also important.
In his last 30 games, it could be argued that Harrison has struggled more than any Pirates player. In that span, the 29-year old is hitting .171 with one home run and 12 RBIs. He has also walked twice and struck out 21 times. To say that Harrison needs a game to jump start things would be an understatement.
In his career against Chase Anderson, tomorrow’s starter for the Brewers, Harrison is 2-for-3 with a home run. This isn’t much, but it could be a starting point for Harrison to pick things up.
Anderson has endured struggles of his own this season. The right hander, who is 0-5 with an ERA over nine in his last five starts, holds a 4-10 record with a 5.44 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 17 starts. He has also failed to make it past the fifth inning in each of his last four starts.
Despite Harrison’s lingering struggles, this could be a good opportunity for him. He is likely going to consistently remain in the lineup to hit his way out of his slump and what better way to start it off than against a struggling pitcher who Harrison has had some success against in the past.
This matchup will surely be one to keep an eye on as Harrison’s performance in the second half could have an impact on how the Pirates offense clicks down the stretch.
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