First pitch: Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: New York -110, Pittsburgh +100, Total: 8.0

The Yankees will be going for a second straight win when they face the struggling Pirates on Friday.

New York’s eight-game winning streak was snapped with a 4-1 loss to Chicago on Tuesday, but the team responded with a 9-1 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday. The Yankees had 11 hits in that game, and it was their third time in four games racking up double digits in hits. They’ll be hoping to keep it up offensively when they take on the Pirates, but that will not be an easy task. While Pittsburgh comes into this game on a three-game losing streak, the Pirates have allowed two or fewer runs in four straight games and five of their past six. Pittsburgh has just been struggling mightily offensively and the bats will need to wake up soon. The starters in this Friday night matchup are set to be LHP C.C. Sabathia (2-0, 1.47 ERA, 11 K) for New York and RHP Tyler Glasnow (0-1, 12.15 ERA, 8 K) for Pittsburgh. The Yankees are an impressive 9-3 against the money line on the road when the total is between 7 and 8.5 when C.C. is on the mound over the past two seasons. New York is also 13-5 against the money line in night games with Sabathia starting in that span. The team is, however, without C Gary Sanchez (Bicep) for the next couple of games. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, was dealt a blow with the suspension of CF Starling Marte. He is serving 80 games, and that is a big loss for the Pirates.

The Yankees are absolutely rolling right now and OF Aaron Judge (.277 BA, 5 HR, 12 RBI) is on fire for the team. Judge really struggled to make contact last year, but he has had two hits in five of the past nine games. He has also hit five homers in that span, and the matchup with Glasnow should be perfect for a power swinger like Judge. Two other guys that are really seeing the ball well are 3B Chase Headley (.396 BA, 3 HR, 6 RBI) and 2B Starlin Castro (.368 BA, 3 HR, 10 RBI). Headley has seen his batting average rise from .333 to .396 over the past 10 games, and he has two homers and four RBI in that span. Castro, meanwhile, is a ridiculous 7-for-14 with two doubles, a homer, and four RBI over the past four games. If they can stay hot on Friday then the Yankees should come away with a victory. One reason for that is that Sabathia has been as reliable as they come this season. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his three starts this season, and he should be able to handle a struggling Pirates lineup.

Tyler Glasnow will be on the mound for the Pirates on Friday, and the righty really needs to get himself on track in this one. Glasnow has allowed nine earned runs in only 6.2 innings of work this season, and Pittsburgh needs him to start pitching further into these contests. Not only is he causing them to fall behind early, but he is also burning out the bullpen when he is forced to leave games so early. Friday’s matchup isn’t very easy, but he can definitely be a bit better if he keeps his walks down. Offensively, the Pirates will be leaning on both OFs Andrew McCutchen (.254 BA, 2 HR, 7 RBI) and Gregory Polanco (.250 BA, 0 HR, 3 RBI) in this one. Both guys have struggled this season, but they’ll need to pick their games up soon.