Pirates vs. Mariners Preview: Winning Streak Coming?

For the first time in 13 days, the Pittsburgh Pirates got back into the win column with a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at PNC Park.

Now, Pittsburgh will look to make it two wins in a row in the second game of their three-game series against Seattle on Saturday.

Pittsburgh was riding an abysmal 10-game losing streak before Friday. Pirates ace Paul Skenes lived up to the billing, working around four walks to pitch six innings, allow three hits, two runs and he struck out six batters to earn his first win since July 11. After allowing a solo lead-off home run to Jorge Polanco in the ninth inning, Pirates closer David Bednar struck out the side, including Mitch Haniger, who was the potential game-tying run, to end the game.

The save was Bednar’s 21st of the season and his first since the Pirates’ 4-2 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 3.

Offensively, the Pirates got key contributions from Yasmani Grandal, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, Andrew McCutchen and Oneil Cruz. Kiner-Falefa, Grandal and McCutchen each had one RBI apiece and a two-run double from Cruz extended the Pirates’ lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Cruz and McCutchen were forced to exit Friday’s game early. The team announced McCutchen was dealing with left knee discomfort and Cruz had discomfort in his left ankle. There haven’t been any further updates on their statuses heading into Saturday’s matchup.

Pittsburgh will have left-hander Bailey Falter on the mound on Saturday afternoon. Falter is 5-7 with a 4.07 ERA and pitched four innings, allowing four runs in his last outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Seattle will counter with one of the game’s best pitchers, Luis Castillo. Castillo is 10-11 with a 3.40 ERA and has struck out 148 batters this season.

Pirates vs. Mariners Broadcast Info

Location: PNC Park
Records: Pirates 57-63, Mariners 63-60
First pitch: 1:05 p.m. ET
TV: Pirates – SportsNet-PIT — Mariners – ROOTNW — National – MLB Network (out-of-market only)
Radio: Pirates – KDKA-FM 93.7 — Mariners – KIRO 710, KTTH 770

Pirates vs. Mariners Betting Odds via SI Sportsbook

Spread: Mariners -1.5 (-137), Pirates +1.5 (+110)
Total: Over 8.5 (-118), under 8.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Mariners -154, Pirates +125

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