Pirates Name Probable Starting Pitchers vs. White Sox

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will start the second half of the season with a nine-game homestand at PNC Park, facing the Chicago White Sox for a weekend series.

Left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter starts the series opener on July 16 for the Pirates, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. He'll face off against White Sox right-handed pitcher Jonathan Cannon.

Falter last pitched vs. the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 9, where he allowed two home runs and three earned runs over 4.2 innings and 74 pitches.

He has had a strong season overall, with a 6-4 record over 19 starts, a 3.79 ERA over 97.1 innings pitched, 59 strikeouts to 34 walks, a .235 opposing batting average and a 1.20 WHIP.

Rookie right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows will start on July 19 for the Pirates, taking on White Sox right-handed pitcher Adrian Houser. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.

Burrows had the worst outing of his young MLB career last time out vs. the Minnesota Twins on July 12. He allowed six earned runs over 1.1 innings and 56 pitches, as the Pirates lost 12-4 for their eighth straight defeat.

He came into that outing with a 2.30 ERA over his previous seven starts. He currently has a 1-3 record over nine starts and 10 appearances, a 4.83 ERA over 41.0 innings pitched, 42 strikeouts to 17 walks, a .267 opposing batting average and a 1.46 WHIP.

Left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney will start the series finale for the Pirates on July 20, facing off against White Sox pitcher Aaron Civale. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.

Heaney last started in the series opener vs. the Royals on July 7, where he struggled, giving up four earned runs over three innings and 76 pitches.

His last outing came vs. the Twins on July 12, as he came in later on after Burrows' start. He gave up three hits over two innings of relief, but all three were home runs in the blowout loss.

Heaney has struggled over the past month, giving up 21 earned runs over 19.2 innings pitched in his last five outings for a 9.61 ERA.

The Pirates won their last seven games at home, which includes back-to-back sweeps of the New York Mets, June 27-29, and the St. Louis Cardinals, June 30-July 2.