It has been a trying year for the NL-worst Arizona Diamondbacks, but the team entered their series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a 7-3 roll and send Madison Bumgarner to the mound Tuesday.
Bumgarner has surrendered two earned runs or fewer in each of his seven starts since coming off the injured list in July, and the team is 5-1 in his last six starts. He has pitched at least 6 ²/₃ innings in each of his last five starts and has a 1.93 ERA over his last seven outings.
Pirates starter JT Brubaker has allowed 28 home runs, second-most in the NL. He has given up 21 total runs in his last three starts and the Pirates are 1-11 in his last 12 starts. The Pirates back up Brubaker with the lineup scoring an MLB-worst 3.55 runs per game and are the only team that has fewer home runs this season than the Diamondbacks.
Arizona entered the series hitting .257 in August, its best batting average in any month in 2021. With the Pirates 5.51 ERA since the All-Star break ranking 27th in MLB, Bumgarner’s second-half surge will add a victory in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
The Play: Diamondbacks, -115.