When: 6:35 p.m. Wednesday.
Where: PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; other radio affiliates).
First-pitch weather forecast: 70 degrees, 30% chance of rain.
Probable starting pitchers: Tigers RHP Matt Manning (3-6, 6.29 ERA) vs. Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (4-10, 6.23 ERA).
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Tigers lineup: TBA.
Games notes: The Pirates and Tigers finish off their three-game series behind Manning, a rookie right-hander looking to put together a few good starts to end the season. He was knocked around for eight hits (two home runs) and eight runs in just 3⅔ innings Thursday vs. the Oakland Athletics. He gets a much softer lineup in Pittsburgh, which ranks is last in MLB in home runs and runs after Monday’s games and bottom 10 in the majors in on-base percentage and batting average. Once you get past Colin Moran and Bryan Reynolds, there’s not much MLB production, though catcher Jacob Stallings has set career highs in home runs (eight), RBIs (50), .OBP (.332) and WAR (3.0).
Keller, the Pirates’ 2014 second-round draft pick, has struggled in his third MLB season. He’s spun a few gems, though, including his last start (no runs, eight strikeouts in six innings) Thursday vs. the Chicago Cubs, and has won two of his last three outings. After the series, the Pirates stay at PNC to host the Washington Nationals and the Tigers head home for a series with the Tampa Bay Rays, beginning on Friday.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: TV, probable starting pitchers