It will be a short turnaround when the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves play their series finale Thursday at PNC Park.
The teams have split the first two games. Pittsburgh’s 7-4 win Wednesday ended at midnight after rain delayed the start by just over two hours. Their game Thursday is an early-afternoon getaway-day start.
Perhaps the best news between the two clubs in terms of fatigue is that the beleaguered Pirates bullpen got a break Wednesday. Starter Joe Musgrove pitched into the ninth — the longest outing on the staff this year — so closer Felipe Vazquez was the only reliever used. Vazquez gave up a run in getting the last three outs.
In the series finale, Atlanta right-hander Mike Foltynewicz (1-4, 6.10 ERA) is scheduled to face Pittsburgh righty Chris Archer (2-5, 5.66 ERA).
Archer, determined rather than deterred by a season that wasn’t living up to his expectations, made a prediction before his most recent start that he would turn things around, that his next start would be “a great one.”
In a 9-4 win Friday against Milwaukee, Archer snapped a personal five-game losing streak — during which he had an 8.74 ERA — by pitching seven innings, giving up four runs and five hits, with seven strikeouts and two walks.
That might not quite qualify as “great,” but the outing certainly was an improvement, and it was Archer’s first win since April 7 because of inconsistency and time on the injured list.
He said he never lost confidence.
“I’ve been doing it for such a long time, even in the minors, (and) it hasn’t all been glitz and glamour,” Archer said. “There’s an ebb and flow to a season, to a career. Three or four starts is never going to get me down.
“I want to do better and be better, and I’m relentless. I’m not going to stop until I get the results that I’m looking for.”
Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said it was simply a matter of Archer going “back to some basics. It started with the fastball command. He was aggressive with it and letting it rip.”
Archer has two career starts against Atlanta, both last year. He is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA.
Foltynewicz, despite a few unappetizing numbers on his stats line, has struck out 32 while walking eight in 38 1/3 innings, and five of his 31 runs allowed have been unearned.
In an 8-2 loss against Detroit on Friday, Foltynewicz had eight strikeouts and no walks, but still gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings.
The problem: Three hits were homers. He has given up 13 dingers, just four fewer than he served up in 183 innings in 2018, when he was an All-Star.
“When he started out, I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is going to be really good,’ ” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “The next thing you know, you look up and there’s five runs on the board.”
Foltynewicz, like Archer, maintains his confidence.
“I think we’re right where we need to be,” Foltynewicz said, referring to himself. “I got a couple of compliments from people saying don’t let (Friday’s game) discourage you.”
Foltynewicz is 1-3 with a 6.88 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.