Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: Series Preview

The Pittsburgh Pirates bring their 8-8 record to Chase Field for a 3-game Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks return to the field after a day off to host the Pittsburgh Pirates at Chase Field on Friday. The game opens up a three game series with the Pirates.

Arizona (8-7) and Pittsburgh (8-8) have similar records going into this series and look to build some momentum, and separation, in divisions where the top four teams are all within one game of each other.

The last time these two teams met, Paul Goldschmidt was hit by a pitch from Pirates’ reliever Ernesto Frieri. The pitch fractured Goldschmidt’s hand and ended his season. The Diamondbacks retaliated in the 9th inning the next day when Randall Delgado plunked Pirates’ start Andrew McCutchen. It did not go over well. Luckily, not much else happened between the two teams to escalate the situation.

It’s a new season and the bad blood should be behind these two when they take the field today.

The key for the Diamondbacks in this series is getting to Pittsburgh’s pitching. While the Pirates have had some troubles at the plate, they have kept opposing offenses in check. Their pitching staff is currently 9th in Major League Baseball in ERA (3.34) and 3rd in strikeouts (146).

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are having no problem putting up runs, ranking 11th in batting average (.249) and 10th in runs scored (69).

This series may come down to the effectiveness of Arizona’s starting pitchers. Let’s take a look at each of the games.