Game time: 7:10PM ET
Probable starters:
PIT: Ivan Nova (10-8, 3.66 ERA)
DET: Justin Verlander (7-7, 4.20 ERA)
Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander will have the opportunity to continue his recent string of success when he faces Pirates right-hander Ivan Nova on Wednesday at Comerica Park.
Verlander has posted a 4.20 ERA in 23 starts, marking just the fourth time in his 13-year career that his season ERA is north of 4.00. He's pitched well at times throughout the season, he just hasn't been able to do it consistently.
But that's changed of late. Verlander has registered four straight quality outings with a 2.33 ERA. He struck out 10 batters without issuing a walk in his last start on Friday against the Orioles. It was just the sixth time in his career that he struck out at least 10 batters without allowing a walk.
Nova, meanwhile, has struggled since the All-Star break, posting a 6.14 ERA in four starts in that span. He gave up four runs in six innings against the Padres on Friday, but only one of those runs was earned.
Three things to know about this game
• Verlander has finished off 48.5 percent of his strikeouts with his four-seam fastball in 2017, tied for the fifth-highest rate among all pitchers with at least 100 K's. However, in his most recent outing, Verlander notched six strikeouts on offspeed pitches for just the second time in the past three seasons.
• Josh Bell is expected to return to the Pirates' lineup after a scheduled off-day on Tuesday. Bell is hitting .278/.318/.418 since belting his first career walk-off home run against the Cardinals on July 14.
• With the Pirates traveling to Detroit and then Toronto this week for Interleague Play, the Bucs will have the rare chance to use a designated hitter. Manager Clint Hurdle said his club has multiple options.
"We have the opportunity to get Andrew McCutchen off his feet if need be," Hurdle said. "We have the opportunity for David Freese to get matched up against left-handed pitching if need be. ... John Jaso could play the field if we pull Bell out. We will look to mix those guys around."
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/201708082 ... _pk=491802
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