Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Watch FREE LIVE STREAMING MLB from PNC Park at 7:15 PM ET
Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg are two of the hardest throwers in the game, but neither have been lights out thus far.
In a matchup of former No. 1 overall picks, Cole faces Strasburg as the Pirates continue a four-game home set against the slumping Nationals on Saturday night.
Drafted in 2011 out of UCLA, Cole (4-3, 3.84 ERA) has been good -- but not great -- in his first full season in the majors. The 23-year-old right-hander has already served up seven homers in 58 2/3 innings, matching last year's total when he threw 117 1/3 innings.
Cole, who owns a 4.74 ERA in four starts this month, allowed three runs, seven hits and two walks over six innings in a 5-3 win in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.
Cole yielded one run and two hits over seven innings in a 5-1 win at Washington on July 23 in his only appearance in the series. He is 4-0 with a 2.63 ERA in his last six home starts dating to last season.
While Cole has thrived at home, Strasburg (3-3, 3.38) has struggled on the road, going 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA over four outings.
"I hope it all plays out because I got a ton of professional respect for (Strasburg)," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told MLB.com's official website. "He's already had to meet some challenges. ... (Cole) was in a similar situation last year. To see them go toe-to-toe, yeah, those kinds of games make you go, 'I hope this is a good one."
Strasburg has gone 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA in four starts this month while receiving a combined seven runs of support. He surrendered six hits over seven innings of two-run ball in Monday's 4-3, 15-inning loss to Cincinnati.
Strasburg will look to play the role of stopper as the Nationals (24-24) try to avoid dropping below .500 for the first time this year. Washington has scored five runs while hitting .204 during a season worst-tying three-game skid after falling 4-3 on Friday.
Alvarez, meanwhile, snapped a season-high 14-game homerless drought in leading Pittsburgh to a third consecutive victory. The slugging third baseman was dropped from fourth to sixth in the lineup while Ike Davis went 2 for 4 as the cleanup hitter.
"Ike's hit fourth before, he's had a very solid month from the start to this time, it might open some things up for Pedro," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It looks good. Tonight it was nice to get that lineup out on the field."
Davis has hit safely in nine straight home games, going 17 for 34. He is 4 for 13 with two homers against Strasburg.
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