First pitch: Thursday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Pittsburgh +145, Los Angeles -155, Total: 7.5

The Pirates will be looking to pick up a big road victory when they face the Dodgers on Friday.

Pittsburgh still has a shot to make the postseason, but the team has some work to do in order to climb back into the NL Wild Card race. The Pirates opened the day Friday sitting 2.0 games back in that race and a win in this game would be big for them. It’d be especially helpful because the Dodgers are currently the leader in that race for the playoff spot. Los Angeles comes into this one after having won four of its previous five games, though. The team is comfortably in command in the Wild Card race, but that could change with a few losing streaks here and there. The starters in this Friday night matchup are set to be RHP Ivan Nova (8-6, 4.83 ERA, 80 K) for Pittsburgh and RHP Ross Stripling (3-3, 3.79 ERA, 44 K) for Los Angeles. One trend worth pointing out is that Los Angeles is 9-17 against the money line after having won five or six of its past seven games this season.

Ivan Nova pitched well in his first start for the Pirates, allowing just three earned runs in seven innings of work. The righty did, however, allow two homers in that game and that has been something that has plagued him all season. Nova has allowed 21 homers in 16 starts this year and must find a way to keep the ball in the park moving forward. He’ll also need to find his control, as he has walked three or more batters in three of his past seven trips to the mound. Offensively, Pittsburgh needs OF Andrew McCutchen (.240, 15 HR, 44 RBI) to find his game. McCutchen is having his worst season since joining the majors and the team needs its superstar to start hitting soon. If he can get hot to end the year then the Pirates have a shot at making the playoffs. OF Gregory Polanco (.279, 16 HR, 60 RBI) is a guy to watch out for in this game. Polanco has three homers over the past nine games and he can really give the Pirates a boost by driving in some runs on Friday.

Ross Stripling is going to be on the mound for the Dodgers on Friday and he is a guy that isn’t going to give you many innings, but he could shut down his opponent while on the mound. He did just that when facing the Red Sox on Aug. 6, allowing no earned runs in five innings of work. It’s crucial that he keeps his walks down in this one, as he is prone to putting runners on the bases and can’t afford to do that against a Pirates team that will make him pay. Offensively, OF Josh Reddick (.276, 8 HR, 28 RBI) could be somebody to keep an eye on in this game. Reddick has dominated Nova in his career, going 5-for-13 with two doubles, two homers and two RBI against the pitcher. It’d be huge if he can step in and produce in this one as well.