Let’s cut to the chase going into the Pac-12 baseball showdown this weekend at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

No. 5 UCLA is No. 2 nationally in pitching with a team 2.20 earned run average. No. 13 Arizona State is No. 9 in the Pac-12 with a 4.11 ERA.

If ASU (29-15, 14-7) is to close its two-game gap in the Pac-12 standings, its pitching must be the best of the season because there is no reason to expect the Bruins (34-11, 16-5) to be anything other than imposing on the mound.

The Sun Devils used six pitchers for all but two-thirds of an inning last week at California, when they lost their first Pac-12 series. Coach Tracy Smith said not to expect additional arms coming out of the bullpen in the UCLA series beginning Friday.

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“We are searching for people to be consistent enough and show us something where you’re comfortable enough to say they’re going to compete in the strike zone in the game,” Smith said. “We know we’ve asked a lot of the guys, but right now we feel that’s our best option. A guy maybe 70 percent because he’s tired but he’s throwing strikes is better than a guy that’s 100 percent that’s not throwing strikes because at least you have a chance.

“We say it every day to the team, we’re searching for one or two more guys. At this time of year, we’re not going to experiment.”

For now, Smith is going with Seth Martinez, Ryan Kellogg and Brett Lilek as starting pitchers and primarily Eder Erives, Darin Gillies and Ryan Burr in relief. If Smith sticks with Jordan Aboites at third base and David Greer at designated hitter, like in the finale against Cal, then it becomes less likely that Aboites would be used as a pitcher.

“If he (Aboites) is on the field, we’re definitely a better defensive team,” Smith said. “Given the competition we play in the last few weeks, we’re going to have to be as strong as we can defensively because runs are going to be hard to come by.”

Leading back to UCLA’s pitching, central to the Bruins winning the 2013 College World Series and really all of coach John Savage’s teams since 2010. Closer David Berg leads the Pac-12 with a 0.79 ERA with starters James Kaprielian, Grant Watson and Griffin Canning and three other contributors with ERAs between 1.48 and 2.97.

“They shorten the game having one of the best closers in the country,” Smith said. “We know what is in store for us. It just comes down to our (pitching) ability to throw strikes and compete in the zone, and it’s no secret we have done a real good job of that lately.”

UCLA has won all 11 of its three-game series, going 2-1 in each of the last four weeks against USC, Cal, Stanford and most recently Gonzaga (nonconference).

“What they’re really good at is getting ahead of hitters,” ASU senior outfielder Jake Peevyhouse said. “They’re going to come at you. You’ve got to be ready and see balls up from them because they do throw lots of change-ups. They make people chase so you’ve just got to stay disciplined and that’s how you beat a good pitching staff.

UCLA has struck out a Pac-12-high 404 batters and is No. 12 nationally in strikeouts per nine innings.

“They do get ahead and they’re only going to give you one or two pitches maybe in an at-bat you can hit hard. So when you get one, you’ve got to be ready for it,” Peevyhouse said.

No. 5 UCLA at No. 13 ASU

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Radio: KDUS-AM (1060).

ASU update: ASU can reach 100,000 in attendance in the shortest number of games since at least 1988 by drawing 11,017 or more against UCLA. The Sun Devils hit 100K last in 2010 in 32 games, quickest ever. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will throw out the first pitch Saturday. Ryan Burr needs one more save to tie Jordan Swagerty for the school single-season record (14). ASU needs one more win to reach 30 for a 53rd consecutive season, extending its NCAA record.

UCLA update: OF Ty Moore and SS Kevin Kramer are hitting .363 and .323 to lead the Bruins. 3B Chris Keck has a .521 slugging percentage with six home runs and 14 doubles. Moore and Keck are Nos. 3 and 6 in Pac-12 RBI. Closer David Berg had made an NCAA-record 164 career appearances and Grant Watson has made a school record 59 pitching starts.