Following a series win against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates continue their quest to accomplish a task that seems impossible: making the playoffs. The Bucs will look to continue their quest this weekend against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (76-76) are technically still in the National League Wild Card race. This is something that seems impossible considering the tough month of September the Pirates have endured.
The Bucs have improved in the last two series against the Cincinnati Reds and Brewers, winning five of their last seven games. They sit 4.5 games back in the wild card race, but have a tough road ahead against the Nationals, Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals.
The Washington Nationals (89-63) have all but clinched the NL East division title. The Nats sit 8.5 games ahead of the New York Mets in the division race and can clinch the division with a win Friday and a Mets loss. The Nationals, who have the second best record in the NL, are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are coming off of back-to-back series losses against the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins.
Due to the Nationals recent slump, the Pirates may be facing them at an opportune time. Every game is a must win for the Bucs as they only have 10 games remaining in the regular season. This series is bound to provide some intriguing matchups. Here are our list of three to watch out for:
3.) Jameson Taillon vs Bryce Harper
In this series, fans will get to witness a matchup between two young stars that have yet to face one another yet.
Jameson Taillon takes the mound tonight against the Nationals, which means he will likely get to face Nats star outfielder Bryce Harper.
Harper has had a down year in 2016 given the fact that he was so dominant last season.
The 23-year old is hitting just .240 with 24 home runs and 82 RBIs in 141 games. Harper hit .330 with 42 home runs and 99 RBIs last season en route to winning the NL MVP award.
The transition from top pitching prospect to major league starter has been smooth for Taillon.
The rookie starter is 4-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 16 starts. He is particularly better at home, sporting a 2.78 ERA at PNC Park, while he has compiled a 4.26 ERA on the road.
This first time battle between Taillon and Harper is definitely one to keep an eye on. Taillon being at home could give him the advantage in this matchup, especially since Harper has just two hits in 21 at-bats throughout his last seven games.
2.) Ivan Nova vs Stephen Drew
It’s no secret that Ivan Nova has been spectacular as a Pirate.
The right hander struggled in his last outing, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits in three innings of work against the Reds. However, his overall numbers with the Bucs are impressive.
In nine starts since coming to Pittsburgh from the New York Yankees, Nova is 5-1 with a 2.93 ERA. Nova has also compiled 45 strikeouts in 55.1 innings, while still showing incredible command and walking only three batters.
Nova has just one career start against the Nationals and had success in that lone outing. On June 17, 2012, Nova picked up the victory, allowing just one earned run on seven hits while walking one and striking out four in 7.2 innings.
Nova doesn’t have a ton of experience against members of the Nationals lineup, especially since he hasn’t faced the team in four years. However, Stephen Drew is a common adversary.
Nova and Drew were teammates with the New York Yankees, but the duo have gone up agains each other in the past. In his career against Nova, Drew is 2-for-6 (.333) with one solo home run and one double. Drew hasn’t faced Nova since 2013, but he does know what the Pirates hurler brings to the table.
Drew has also been good as of late, hitting .367 in 30 at-bats in his last 15 games. This means it is more than possible that Drew could find himself in tomorrow night’s lineup against Nova.
1.) Pirates vs Gio Gonzalez
To say that Gio Gonzalez has owned the Pirates throughout his career would be a huge understatement.
The 31-year old had dominated the Bucs in seven career starts against the club, posting a 4-0 record and a 2.81 ERA.
Gonzalez has had success against some of the Pirates biggest contributors, holding Andrew McCutchen (.267), Starling Marte (.267), Gregory Polanco (.167), and Jung Ho Kang (.200) to batting averages under the .300 mark. These four Pirates hitters have also combined to strike out eight times against Gonzalez.
Out of these hitters, Marte has had the most success as he is 4-for-15 with one home run and three RBIs against the Nationals southpaw.
Gonzalez will be going up against Taillon tonight in an intriguing head-to-head pitching matchup. However, it will be more interesting to see if the Pirates can finally put an end to Gonzalez’s dominance and the perfect record he has maintained against them throughout his career.
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