The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming off of yet another series victory as they take on the Atlanta Braves in a four game series beginning tonight at the brand new SunTrust Park.
Despite overall struggles this season and a 20-24 record, the Pittsburgh Pirates have played better baseball as of late. After salvaging a four game series split against Arizona May 11-14, the Bucs have won back-to-back series against Washington and Philadelphia. While sitting in last place in the National League Central, the Pirates have won six of their last eight games. That’s momentum that could carry them moving forward as they only sit five games back in the divisional race.
The Atlanta Braves (18-23) have played relatively well this season. Led by an abundance of veterans and a few young stars, the Braves currently sit in second place in the National League East division, seven games behind the first place Washington Nationals.
Like the Pirates, the Braves have been playing a stellar brand of baseball lately. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games which is bound to provide an interesting next couple of days in Atlanta. With that being said, let’s get to our three matchups to watch:
3.) Gerrit Cole vs. Brandon Phillips
To say that Gerrit Cole has pitched like the undisputed leader of the Pirates pitching staff over his last few starts would be a major understatement. Cole, who is 2-4 with a 2.84 ERA this season, has been masterful in his last four starts, going 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA with 23 strikeouts and just six walks in 27 innings. Cole has the fifth best ERA amongst NL starters in the month of May and ranks in the top 20 in baseball – along with teammate Ivan Nova – in ERA.
In game one of the series tonight, Cole will face off against a familiar foe, one that has had success against the Pirates right hander throughout his illustrious career.
One of the Braves biggest offseason acquisitions was second baseman Brandon Phillips. During his time as a Cincinnati Red, Phillips became familiar with a majority of the Pirates pitchers including Cole.
In his career against the Pirates righty, Phillips is hitting .409 (9-for-22) with two runs scored and four RBIs. Phillips has also struck out three times against Cole but hasn’t done so since 2015.
While Cole will be aiming for his ninth quality start of the season, Phillips could make that quest a little bit tougher. Regardless of who comes out on top in this matchup, it will definitely be one to keep an eye on as Phillips aims to continue his success against the Pirates ace while Cole looks to build upon his large stretch of exceptional outings.
2.) David Freese vs. R.A. Dickey
Like Phillips, veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey was another key offseason acquisition for the Braves. The former NL Cy Young award winner was signed to provide a veteran presence in the Braves rotation and has been so-so this season, posting a 3-3 record along with a 4.13 ERA in eight starts.
While Dickey has the ability to go deep into every single one of his starts, the Pirates must take advantage of his ability to give up the long ball. This is where David Freese comes in.
In his career against Dickey, Freese is hitting just .200 (2-for-10), but one of those hits was a home run in 2015 when the current Pirates third baseman was a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Freese, who went 2 for 4 with three RBIs against Dickey that season, went 0-for-6 against him in 2011 and 2012 combined.
Dickey, who ranks tied for fourth in the NL in home runs allowed, has always had trouble giving up the long ball. He has given up 20 or more home runs every year since 2012.
In the case of Freese, he hasn’t had much trouble hitting home runs this season, ranking third on the team with four home runs. In game two of this series, that number could grow. He has the opportunity to grow it at least.
Given Freese’s small amount of success against the Braves hurler and Dickey’s knack for allowing the long ball, we could see the Bucco third baseman go deep against the veteran righty. However, Dickey could also very well fool Freese – along with other Pirates hitters – with that nasty knuckleball that has allowed him to have success over his career.
1.) Andrew McCutchen vs. Julio Teheran
The struggles continue to escalate for Andrew McCutchen. His .211 batting average is proof of that.
The good news is that the former NL MVP does have two multi-hit games in his last five contests. The bad news is that those are his only multi-hit games in the month of May and his first since April 28. In 43 games this season, McCutchen has compiled multi-hit games on seven occasions with one being a three hit performance in the third game of the season against the same Braves team the Bucs face this week.
It’s very hard to determine exactly what is wrong with the Pirates outfielder. The only one who could determine that is McCutchen himself. What he does need is an opportunity to get out of his slump that has carried over from last season. Facing Julio Teheran in game three of this series against Atlanta could provide that chance.
In his career against Teheran, who has struggled this season with a 5.47 ERA in nine starts, McCutchen is hitting .278 (5-for-18) with two home runs and four RBIs. Cutch has also walked once and struck out five times. Three of the five strikeouts have come in the last two seasons. In those two seasons – including this year – McCutchen is 0-for-6 against the Braves ace, a slump he will need to fight his way out of.
Given that Cutch has struggled throughout the past few years against Teheran and against most pitchers in the league, this may be a matchup that’s viewed in favor of Teheran. However, Cutch knows how to hit the Braves righty. He has done it before and could very well do it again Wednesday.
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