PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — The New York Mets open a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night at PNC Park, with the forecast calling for 85 degrees and cloudy skies at first pitch. The Mets enter at 50-66, while the Pirates are 57-60. Pittsburgh is a 1.5-run favorite, and the over/under is 8.5. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-3 Mets victory, while Interstat’s ELO system gives Pittsburgh a 54.20 percent chance to win. New York is coming off a 13-6 rout at Cleveland on Thursday. Marcus Semien went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Luis Torrens added a homer and three RBIs, and Francisco Lindor also homered and drove in three. Semien has been streaky over the past two weeks, with multi-hit games in victories but no hits in several losses. He hit a two-run homer in a 14-3 win over Atlanta on July 27, but went 0-for-3 in the next two games before going 1-for-3 in a 4-2 win over Miami on July 30. The Mets have won three straight and six of their last 10. Their recent surge includes victories in 2 of 3 at Cleveland after dropping series at home against Miami and Atlanta. Pittsburgh is also looking to bounce back after Thursday’s 5-2 loss at Milwaukee. Braxton Ashcraft is a player to watch for the Pirates. In Thursday’s defeat, Ashcraft allowed four earned runs on four hits over five innings while striking out five. He had a better outing Aug. 1 at Cincinnati, giving up one earned run on two hits over five innings with five strikeouts. Ashcraft was tagged for seven earned runs over three innings at the Yankees on July 20, but rebounded against the Cubs on July 26 by allowing four earned runs over six innings in a win. The Pirates have had a rough stretch, dropping three of four in Milwaukee and series setbacks against Cincinnati and Arizona. They remain a team hovering around .500 but will lean on home-field advantage at PNC Park. These teams last met in late March at Citi Field, with New York winning two of three. The Mets took the opener 11-7 on March 26, won 4-2 on March 28, and the Pirates closed the series with a 4-3 win on March 29. The Mets’ offense has been productive in recent wins, with Thursday’s 13-run output their highest in a while. The Pirates will need a solid outing from Ashcraft to slow down a lineup that included homers from Semien, Torrens and Lindor in the series opener at Cleveland. First pitch is set for Friday night as Pittsburgh looks to defend home field against a Mets team trying to climb out of last place in the NL East. New York begins a stretch of 10 straight games against Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Washington. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, will face the Mets again Saturday and Sunday before heading to Miami for a three-game series.