The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to take the rubber match in this three-game home series again their cross-town rival Philadelphia Phillies at 1:35 pm Eastern. The Bucs will send right-hander Dario Agrazal (2-0, 2.45) to the mound to face the Phils’ newly-acquired lefty Drew Smyly (1-5, 8.42d.
Agrazal continues to be a pleasant surprise this summer, as he consistently eats innings and keeps the Pirates in games despite striking out just seven batters in 22 innings pitch. The underlying statistics are a little worrisome though, as his current xFIP on FanGraphs sits at an uncomfortable 6.64. That’s mostly fueled by a 17.