(Sports Network) - Former first-round pick Ian Kennedy can reach double-digit wins in his first full major-league season tonight when the Arizona Diamondbacks kick off a three-game series at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 21st overall pick of the New York Yankees in 2006, Kennedy had one big- league win to his credit over 14 appearances coming into this season - his first with Arizona following an offseason trade.
The 25-year-old, who has never faced the Pirates, has won three straight since falling to 6-9 on the year with a 7-2 loss to Washington on Aug. 4. He beat San Diego, 7-4, to get to 9-9 and has gotten no-decisions in two straight scoreless outings while allowing just four hits in 14 innings.
The Diamondbacks lost both games, 2-0 and 4-2.
Pittsburgh replies with lefty Brian Burres, a 31st-round pick of the San Francisco Giants 10 years ago, who'll make his 98th big-league outing with his third team.
The 29-year-old beat Atlanta, 3-1, for his third win of 2010 on Sept. 6 and subsequently allowed just four hits and a run in seven innings of a 3-1 Pirates defeat of Cincinnati on Sept. 12.
Burres has allowed one run or less in five of his last six appearances, dropping his earned run average from 5.62 to 5.22.
He has no record in two career starts against Arizona with a 5.56 ERA in 11 1/3 innings.
On Thursday in Cincinnati, Rodrigo Lopez tossed seven innings of one-run ball as Arizona used a three-run fifth inning to beat the Reds, 3-1, in the finale of a four-game series from Great American Ball Park.
Lopez (6-14), making his 30th start of the season, gave up eight hits to pick up his first victory since July 8 against Florida. He also struck out four and walked zero.
Kelly Johnson went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who had lost five of six. Stephen Drew and Gerardo Parra each drove in a run.
In New York, Mike Pelfrey worked seven sharp innings and drove in the go-ahead run to lead the Mets to a 6-2 win over Pittsburgh to finish off a four-game series sweep.
Wilfredo Ledezma (0-3) suffered the loss after yielding the game-winning run in the sixth inning for the Pirates, who have lost six out of seven to fall 50 games below the .500 mark.
Arizona took two of three from the Pirates earlier in the year.