The Pittsburgh Pirates have done much better than many thought they would this year, but they've faded from playoff contention. They'll try to avoid their second-straight sweep on Sunday when they take on the Houston Astros for the finale of a three-game series.
They've lost five straight games now, being outscored 29-10 in said games. A.J. Burnett will take the mound in hopes to stop the bleeding. He's 15-8 on the season, but is coming off a loss to Milwaukee on Sept. 18. He gave up two runs over six innings in that one, but has been pretty good for most of the season. He'll be up against Jordan Lyles for the Astros. Lyles is 4-11 with a 5.40 ERA, and is coming off an outing in which he allowed four runs to to the Philadelphia Phillies, but was still given the no-decision.
Nobody had a remarkable game for either team on Saturday. Pittsburgh collapsed in the seventh inning, and that was thanks to catcher Jason Castro, who had three RBI on the day. Beyond him, Brett Wallace had an RBI while Garrett Jones notched the lone run for the Pirates.
Sunday's game is set for 2:05 p.m. ET.
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