The Pittsburgh Pirates begin a nine game road trip with seven straight games against National League West teams this week.
After a week in which the Pittsburgh Pirates bolstered their pitching staff at the trade deadline while going 2-3 against National League Central foes, the Bucs enter another crucial stretch this week.
Trailing in the NL Wild Card race by five games, the Bucs (57-55) begin a nine game road trip this week with seven straight contests against fellow wild card foes in the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants.
The Rockies are 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the second wild card spot while the Giants are just behind the Pirates, sitting 5.5 games back.
Here are some of the matchups to watch out for as the Bucs attempt to climb in the wild card standings.
David freese and josh harrison vs. kyle freeman
A pair of veterans may be big factors for the Pirates tonight against Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, who enters this outing with a 3.20 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 22 starts this season.
Second baseman Josh Harrison, who went 3 for 9 in the series against St. Louis, and third baseman David Freese are each 3 for 7 with a home run, a double and two RBIs against Freeland.
Harrison has had his share of struggles over the last few months while Freese has been red hot as of late, hitting .364 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in the month of July.
Freese didn’t start in the series finale against St. Louis Sunday and didn’t even get an at-bat off the bench. Following the game, it was reported by various media outlets that Freese was dealing with a right forearm contusion and was unavailable.
If Freese is healthy enough to be in tonight’s lineup, he and Harrison could have the opportunity to continue their small sample size of success against Freeland, despite the fact that he’s been relatively good pitching at Coors Field this season.
The left-hander 6-2 with a 2.45 ERA in nine starts at home this year. While he’s allowed just 15 runs in 55 innings, Freeland has surrendered seven home runs at home compared to just six in 77 innings on the road.
Chris archer vs. Nolan Arenado
The trade deadline acquisition of right hander Chris Archer has understandably brought excitement within the Pirates fanbase.
Despite the fact that he hasn’t put up ace like numbers this season, the Pirates view Archer as a top of the line starter who can give the team a chance to win every time he takes the mound.
Archer did just that in his Pirates debut. Though he allowed five runs – three earned – on seven hits in 4.1 innings against the Cardinals Friday, the Bucs were able to hold on to take the series opener, 7-6.
Archer will take the mound for his second start as a Pirate in game three of the series against Colorado. The right hander has made one career start against the Rockies, which occurred July 20, 2016 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
In a ballpark primarily known as a hitters park, Archer allowed two earned runs on four hits in six solid innings of an 11-3 victory for the Rays at Coors Field. Archer walked a pair and struck out 11. It was one of six outings in which Archer struck out 10 plus batters that season.
This time around, Archer will aim to have the same success. However, it won’t be an easy task, considering the Rockies have Nolan Arenado in their lineup.
Considered by many, including myself, as a top candidate for National League Most Valuable Player, Arenado has put up big numbers at the plate this season. While he ranks seventh in the NL with a .306 batting average, Arenado leads the league with 29 home runs and sits third with 81 RBIs. He’s also in the top five in the NL in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
Archer and Arenado have only gone head-to-head three times. Arenado is 1 for 3 with a strikeout in those three matchups.
This matchup is intriguing as it puts one of the Pirates top pitchers up against the Rockies superstar third baseman in a battle that could go either way. If Archer wants to have success in an environment that frequently favors the hitter, he’ll have to be extra cautious when Arenado comes to the plate.
ivan nova vs. evan longoria
After struggling in four innings against the Cardinals Saturday, Ivan Nova returns to the hill Thursday in San Francisco.
During the series, Nova, who is 1-1 with a 3.16 ERA in four starts in his career against the Giants, will be involved in one of the most intriguing matchups of the week against a familiar foe in Evan Longoria.
Longoria and Nova are no strangers to one another, going head-to-head over 40 times since 2010. The two battled frequently when Longoria was with the Rays and Nova was a member of the New York Yankees. They have met at least once each year over the past nine seasons.
In his career against the Pirates right hander, Longoria is 13 for 44 (.295) with three home runs, four doubles and nine RBIs. Longoria has drawn four walks, but has gone down on strikes 12 times against Nova.
While Longoria is 0 for 3 this season against Nova, this particular chapter of this ongoing rivalry of sorts may be a little different.
Longoria has been on an absolute tear as of late, going 12 for 31(.387) with a pair of home runs and four RBIs over his last seven games.
Since returning to action July 26 after a stint on the disabled list, Longoria has at least one hit in nine of 10 games and has five multi-hit performances over that span. In the Giants recent three game series with Arizona, Longoria went 7 for 13 with a pair of doubles, a home run and two RBIs.
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