PIRATES GO FOR 11 IN A ROW

PITTSBURGH AT CLEVELAND

WHEN: 7:10 PM ET, Tuesday, July 24, 2018

WHERE: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio

The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to build on their longest winning streak in 14 years when they visit the American League Central-leading Cleveland Indians for the second of a three-game interleague series Tuesday night. Josh Harrison returned from a hamstring injury to launch a three-run homer in the second inning Monday as the Pirates pushed their total to 47 runs over the last six of their 10-game winning streak with a 7-0 rain-shortened win.

Starling Marte is riding a career-best 16-game hitting streak for Pittsburgh, recording 17 RBIs during the run, while teammate Josh Bell has seven hits in 12 at-bats over the last three contests for the red-hot offense. Joe Musgrove will try to help the Pirates add to their impressive run when he takes the mound Tuesday against Indians rookie Shane Bieber, who has received strong backing from his offense in his first seven major-league starts - five of them wins. Cleveland scored 25 runs in its first two games after the All-Star break but have been blanked in the last two contests after managing four hits in Monday’s setback. Slugger Edwin Encarnacion, who went 6-for-13 with a homer and five RBIs in his last three games, could return to the lineup for the Indians Tuesday after missing the past two contests with a sore hand.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet - Pittsburgh, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Joe Musgrove (3-4, 4.08 ERA) vs. Indians RH Shane Bieber (5-1, 3.53)

MUSGROVE managed just one victory over his last seven starts after opening his season with two impressive victories in which he allowed one run in 14 innings. The 25-year-old California native has given up seven runs on 12 hits and five walks across 12 2/3 innings in his two July starts with 14 strikeouts. Yan Gomes is 2-for-2 with a homer and four RBIs versus Musgrove, who yielded seven runs over three innings in his only meeting with the Indians last season.

BIEBER rebounded from the first loss of his major-league career when he limited the New York Yankees to four runs (three earned) over seven innings in a 6-5 win July 13. The 23-year-old Californian has been able to win despite permitting 50 hits across 43 1/3 innings, striking out 42 and issuing eight walks. Bieber, who is 6-1 in the minors this year, won his only interleague start on June 27 - holding St. Louis to one run over six innings.

THE PIRATES...have won a season-high 10 straight games; tied for the second-longest winning streak in MLB this season along with the Red Sox (the Astros won a season-best 12 straight games from June 6-18)...Have won 12 of their last 13 games and have gone 16-8 in their last 24...Are three games over .500 for the first time since being 30-27 on 6/1...Have gone 13-6 this month; the fifth-best record in all of MLB behind the Red Sox (15-3), Rockies (12-4), Dodgers (13-5) and A’s (12-5)...Were a season-high nine games over .500 following the action on 5/17 (26-17)...Were 50-51 after 101 games in 2017 (50-52 after 102).

RAISE IT: The Pirates are riding a season-high 10-game winning streak coming into today...It’s the longest winning streak for Pittsburgh since also winning 10 in a row from June 26 through July 5, 2004, and the longest in the National League this season; two N.L. teams won at least 10 straight games last year (Arizona won 13 in a row while the Dodgers won 11 in a row and 10 in a row)…A victory tonight would give the Bucs their first 11-game winning streak since September 12-22, 1996. ANOTHER SHUTOUT: Pittsburgh enters today tied with the Cubs for the Major League lead in shutouts (11)...Since the beginning of 2017, Pittsburgh’s 23 shutouts are the third-most in all of Major League Baseball, trailing only the Indians (27) and Dodgers (24)...Last night Trevor Williams also became the first Pirate to throw a shutout of less than 9.0 innings since Paul Wagner on September 14, 1993, at Florida (6.0 innings).

WALK-OFFS

1. Cleveland 3B/DH Yandy Diaz is 7-for-14 with two RBIs and three runs scored in his first four games since being recalled.

2. Pittsburgh RF Gregory Polanco is 9-for-32 with four homers and nine RBIs during his current eight-game hitting streak.

3. Indians 3B Jose Ramirez, who leads the majors with 30 homers, is 0-for-3 with three walks in his last two contests.

PREDICTION: Indians 4, Pirates 2