Brewers @ Pirates

Who will WIN this matchup?

Milwaukee Brewers (32-25)

@ Pittsburgh Pirates (27-28)

Starting Pitchers:

Chacin (MIL): 3-6; 4.88 ERA

Archer (PIT) 1-5; 5.75 ERA

Last 10 Games Played:

Milwaukee Brewers: 5-5

Pittsburgh Pirates: 3-7

Current odds:

Milwaukee Brewers: (-125)

Pittsburgh Pirates: (+115)

• One of the reasons the Milwaukee Brewers own a middling 14-14 road record is due to Christian Yelich hitting well below the standard expected from a reigning National League MVP away from home, but his teammates more than carried their weight in Thursday’s series opener. The top of the Brewers’ batting order will attempt to build on a spectacular offensive display when Milwaukee visits the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday for the second contest of their four-game series. Yelich, who is hitting .395 with 17 homers and 34 RBIs at home versus .252, four and 11 on the road, finished with a run-scoring triple and two walks in Milwaukee’s 11-5 victory on Thursday out of his usual No. 2 spot in the order. However, the Brewers received significant production from leadoff hitter Ben Gamel (3-for-6) and the heart of their order (Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas and Yasmani Grandal), which combined to go 11-for-18 with three homers and nine RBIs.

• Such offensive outbursts have become commonplace against the Pirates, who have surrendered at least 10 runs four times and an average of 7.7 while dropping eight of 11 contests. Pittsburgh also is 1-7 over its last eight home games but 14-7 against Milwaukee at PNC Park since the start of the 2017 season.

• Chacin is 0-3 with a 4.29 ERA in four starts this month and lost his third straight outing Saturday against Philadelphia after surrendering four runs over five innings. The 31-year-old has not had much success in his six road turns, losing each of his last five while posting a 1-5 record and 5.90 ERA overall. Josh Bell is 3-for-13 with a solo homer versus Chacin, who went 0-3 despite a 3.03 ERA in six starts against Pittsburgh last season.

• Archer began the season 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA after three starts but hasn’t come close to replicating his early success since. The two-time All-Star has been saddled with the loss in each of his last five turns and saw his ERA swell to 8.74 over that stretch on Sunday, when he gave up four runs on six hits and six walks in five frames versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cain is 9-for-18 with three extra-base hits and four RBIs versus Archer, who is 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA in three career starts against Milwaukee.

• Pittsburgh is 21-11 when allowing three runs or fewer – the best such mark in the majors – but only 6-17 when surrendering four or more.

• With his 4-for-6 performance in the series opener, Grandal is batting .348 with six homers and 14 RBIs over his last 14 contests.

• Bell remains one extra-base hit shy of tying Paul Waner’s club record (24) for most in a single month.