Pirates Look To Take Three Of Four From Tigers

May 29, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Russell Martin (left) and relief pitcher Jason Grilli (39) react after defeating the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pirates and Tigers will wrap up their four game series tonight. The Pirates dropped game one, but have taken the last two games in close victories, including one that took eleven innings.

Tonight’s pitching matchup will feature Doug Fister (5-2, 3.65 ERA) and Jeff Locke (5-1, 2.45 ERA). Locke is trying to become the first Pirates pitcher to win six consecutive decisions since Zach Duke did it in 2006. Locke has allowed three hits or less in six of his last seven starts.

Fister has pitched against the Pirates once before, winning the game 4-1 on June twenty-second 2012. Fister went six innings, gave up eight hits, and four runs (two of them earned).

The Pirates can continue another hot streak that they’re currently on by picking up a win tonight, headed into a big weekend series with the Reds.

Speaking of hot, Neil Walker is batting a scorching .440 over the last week, including three home runs and five RBI.

The Pirates have scored a respectable eleven runs over the first three games of this series, but Pirate hitters have also struck out an alarming 40 times. Fister got seven strikeouts against the Pirates in his one outing last year.

The Pirates lineup for tonight’s 7:05 start looks like this:

Marte – LF

Walker – 2B

McCutchen – CF

Jones – 1B

Martin – C

Snider – RF

Inge – 3B

Mercer – SS

Locke – P