PREVIEW: Mariners at Pirates

PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — The Seattle Mariners and the Pittsburgh Pirates will continue their interleague series Wednesday night at PNC Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EDT under cloudy skies and a temperature of 74 degrees.

Seattle (40-39) enters the game after a 3-2 win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The Mariners have won four of their past five games, including a series victory against Boston over the weekend. Pittsburgh (39-39) dropped Tuesday’s series opener after winning two of three at Colorado.

Right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (6-3, 3.12 ERA) is the listed probable pitcher for Seattle, making his 15th start of the season. The Mariners also list right-hander Bryan Woo (6-5) as a probable for the series, but he is not scheduled to start Wednesday.

Pittsburgh has not yet announced a starting pitcher.

Players to watch

Seattle: Right-hander Logan Gilbert has been dominant over his past five starts, posting a 5-0 record with a 1.46 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings. In his most recent outing June 21 against Boston, Gilbert threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out eight in a 3-1 win.

Pittsburgh: Outfielder/designated hitter Bryan Reynolds is batting .333 (10-for-30) over his past eight games with three home runs and 11 RBIs. On June 21 at Colorado, Reynolds went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in an 8-6 win.

Series update

Seattle leads the series 1-0. The teams will conclude the two-game set Thursday afternoon.

By the numbers

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-3 Seattle victory. The Mariners are a -1.5 favorite on the run line. The over/under is 7 runs.

Up next

Seattle: Thursday at Pittsburgh, then a three-game weekend series at Cleveland beginning Friday.

Pittsburgh: Thursday vs. Seattle, then a three-game home series against Cincinnati beginning Friday.