Arizona at Pittsburgh Preview

PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — The Arizona Diamondbacks visit the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, July 28, at PNC Park, with first pitch scheduled under a forecast of 84 degrees and rain. The Diamondbacks (55-51) hold a one-game edge over the Pirates (54-52) in the standings, setting the stage for a pivotal series in the National League wild-card race.

Arizona enters having lost three of its last four, including a 10-7 defeat at Washington on Sunday. The Diamondbacks took the series opener in Pittsburgh on Monday, shutting out the Pirates 2-0, and will look to build momentum against a division rival that has won two of the last three meetings at PNC Park.

Catcher Gabriel Moreno has been Arizona’s most consistent hitter over the past week. In his last six games, Moreno is batting .364 (8-for-22) with six RBIs. He went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in Sunday’s loss at Washington and has driven in at least one run in four of his last five contests. Moreno also posted a 3-for-4, two-RBI performance July 23 at St. Louis.

The Pirates counter with first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, who delivered the decisive blow in Pittsburgh’s 8-7 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. O’Hearn went 1-for-2 with a home run and four RBIs, providing a spark for a lineup that had managed just three runs combined in the previous two games. O’Hearn is hitting .267 over his last 10 games, with six RBIs and two homers.

The Pirates went 5-5 on their recent homestand, while the Diamondbacks finished 4-6 on a 10-game road trip that opened with a split against the Athletics and a series win at St. Louis before dropping two of three in Washington.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 win for Arizona, which opened as a -1.5 favorite on the run line. The over/under is set at 9.

The series continues Wednesday before Arizona travels to Cleveland and Pittsburgh heads to Cincinnati for a four-game set.