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The Pittsburgh Pirates look to rebound on Tuesday after dropping the opening game of their series with the San Diego Padres by a score of 3-1. Though it came to a San Diego team that is 16 games under .500, the 3-1 loss was somewhat understandable, as the Pirates were coming off a 19-inning win against the Cardinals which caused some havoc within their rotation.
On Tuesday, Pittsburgh will send ace A.J. Burnett (15-4, 3.54 ERA) to the mound to face the Padres' Jason Marquis (6-7, 4.08 ERA). The last time these two faced off, it was Marquis who looked like the ace, throwing a complete-game, two-hit shutout in Pittsburgh just 10 days ago.
Burnett has struggled in his last two outings, giving up a total of 11 runs (10 earned) in 12.1 innings pitched. Against the Padres, he will try to become the Pirates' first 16-game winner in 21 years.
The second-place Pirates sit 6.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central, but hold a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the final Wild Card spot.
For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout and SB Nation Pittsburgh.