Milwaukee Brewers (79-74) at Pittsburgh Pirates (82-70), 7:05 p.m. (ET)
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Pittsburgh Pirates will try to put some distance between themselves and Milwaukee in the playoff race as they open a three-game series with the Brewers on Friday evening.
The Pirates are still in the hunt for the National League Central title as they sit 2 1/2 games back of first-place St. Louis. Pittsburgh is also holding on to the second wild card spot in the NL, 3 1/2 games up on Milwaukee and six ahead of Atlanta.
With 10 games to play, the Pirates have a chance to take care of business as they visit the Braves for four games following this series.
However, the Brewers have won 11 of 16 versus the Pirates this season, including five of seven in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh certainly has helped its cause as of late by winning seven of its last eight, including a three-game sweep of Boston that culminated with a 3-2 win on Thursday. Gerrit Cole allowed two runs over seven-plus innings and Starling Marte homered.
The Pirates caught a break in the game as the Red Sox were threatening in the ninth with runners on the corners and nobody out. However, Mark Melancon got Will Middlebrooks to hit a chopper towards third that hit runner Jemile Weeks for the first out, then fanned Jackie Bradley Jr. before Christian Vazquez grounded out to end the game.
"I think sometimes you're just meant to win games," said Bucs manager Clint Hurdle.
The Brewers had a chance to keep pace, but lost a heart-breaking 3-2 decision to the Cardinals in 13 innings. They led by two runs going into the eighth inning before St. Louis tied it and then won it on Tony Cruz's walk-off single.
Milwaukee lost the final two games of the three-game set.
"We have to win (Friday)," Milwaukee starter Kyle Lohse said. "We put ourselves in this situation and we have to get ourselves out."
Jonathan Lucroy hit his major league-leading 52nd double of the year, his 45th as a catcher. That matched Ivan Rodriguez's single-season record at the position, set in 1996.
The Pirates are hoping Jeff Locke can rebound from a loss on Saturday when he takes the mound tonight.
Locke dropped a 6-4 decision to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, giving up three runs -- all in the third inning -- on six hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings.
"I just didn't make pitches when I needed to in that (third) inning," Locke said. "It was the difference in the game."
It did mark the fifth time in his last six starts that he allowed three runs or fewer, and he is 7-5 with a 3.66 earned run average on the year.
The left-hander is 2-2 with a 4.28 ERA in six career meetings versus the Brewers, including a win on Aug. 22 when he gave up just two runs over six innings despite walking six batters.
Locke beat Yovani Gallardo in that outing and faces off against the right- hander again tonight.
Gallardo has not won since Aug. 16 and lost his fourth straight decision on Saturday versus Cincinnati despite a solid outing in which he gave up two runs on four hits and a pair of walks over six innings of a 5-1 setback.
Gallardo is 8-10 with a 3.59 ERA this year and was charged with six runs -- three earned -- over five innings in the recent loss to the Pirates, who he is 1-1 against in five meetings this year with a 2.97 ERA.