New York Mets (42-43, third in the NL East) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (41-45, fourth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Luis Severino (5-2, 3.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 74 strikeouts); Pirates: Paul Skenes (4-0, 2.06 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 70 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Pirates -129, Mets +110; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates host the New York Mets on Friday to start a four-game series.
Pittsburgh is 41-45 overall and 20-22 in home games. The Pirates have a 29-12 record in games when they record eight or more hits.
New York has a 21-18 record on the road and a 42-43 record overall. The Mets have a 35-18 record in games when they record eight or more hits.
The matchup Friday is the fourth time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan Reynolds leads Pittsburgh with 14 home runs while slugging .466. Rowdy Tellez is 9-for-31 with three home runs and five RBI over the last 10 games.
Pete Alonso has 20 doubles, 18 home runs and 48 RBI while hitting .242 for the Mets. Francisco Lindor is 13-for-46 with five doubles and three home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 4-6, .225 batting average, 3.70 ERA, outscored by six runs
Mets: 6-4, .242 batting average, 4.30 ERA, outscored opponents by 16 runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Jared Jones: 15-Day IL (lat), David Bednar: 15-Day IL (oblique), Henry Davis: 7-Day IL (head), Hunter Stratton: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Ryan Borucki: 60-Day IL (tricep), Quinn Priester: 15-Day IL (undisclosed), Marco Gonzales: 60-Day IL (forearm), Dauri Moreta: 60-Day IL (elbow), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Mets: Brooks Raley: 60-Day IL (elbow), Drew Smith: 15-Day IL (elbow), Starling Marte: 10-Day IL (knee), Sean Reid-Foley: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Shintaro Fujinami: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Kodai Senga: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ronny Mauricio: 60-Day IL (knee)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
