Pirates at Diamondbacks Preview PHOENIX (Interstat) — The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Chase Field on Wednesday to face the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second game of a three-game series, with first-year ace Paul Skenes taking the mound for the visitors. Skenes (4-2, 2.84 ERA) has emerged as Pittsburgh’s most reliable starter. The right-hander has struck out at least six batters in six of his eight outings this season. He will duel Arizona right-hander Michael Soroka (4-1, 3.12 ERA), who has provided stability for a Diamondbacks rotation seeking consistency. The Pirates (19-16) enter on a high after a 1-0 win over Cincinnati on Sunday, in which right-hander Braxton Ashcraft delivered 7 2/3 shutout innings, allowing four hits with six strikeouts. Ashcraft (Interstat) — who will be a key bullpen option Wednesday after his start Sunday (Interstat) — has been erratic but electric, posting a 1.80 ERA across his past two outings covering 12 2/3 innings. Oneil Cruz also contributed offensively in that win, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Arizona (16-17) dropped Sunday’s series finale 8-4 at the Chicago Cubs. Catcher Gabriel Moreno homered and drove in two runs in that loss, one of his few bright spots in a recent stretch where he has gone 1-for-9 over his past two games. Moreno, who hit .284 with 10 homers last season, remains a focal point of the Diamondbacks’ lineup. The teams opened the series Tuesday with a scoreless game (Interstat) — a rainout or postponement (Interstat) — meaning Wednesday’s matchup will serve as the effective series opener. Pittsburgh’s lineup has shown pop, scoring 17 runs in a win over the Reds on Saturday and averaging 5.3 runs over its past five games. Arizona, meanwhile, has lost four of five and been outscored 29-12 in that span. The Interstat game simulator projects a 4-3 Pirates victory. Following Wednesday’s game, the Pirates head to San Francisco for a weekend set, while the Diamondbacks return home to host the New York Mets.