Aaron Harang (3-3, 2.38 ERA) takes the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies (12-23) as they go up against Vance Worley (2-2, 4.63 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (17-17) in the last of a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won the last game 3-2 and Pittsburgh leads the series 2-1. The game gets underway at 1:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 14 and will air on ROOT-PIT, CSN-PHI and MLB.
Harang is 16-8 with a 4.04 ERA against the Pirates in his career, and faces a less-than-stellar Pittsburgh offense that’s hitting just .236 on the year. Freddy Galvis (.336, 11 Rs, 1 HR, 9 RBIs, 2 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one RBI. In his career against the Phillies, Worley is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA. He gets a struggling Philadelphia offense that’s batting just .229. Starling Marte (.271, 18 Rs, 8 HRs, 24 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Philadelphia, a +120 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Pittsburgh. The matchup currently has an eight-run Over/Under (O/U). The Phillies have a losing record of 11-21 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -819.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Pirates come into this game with a win percentage of .583 when playing as the favorite (14-10) and an overall money line of -263. They have the third-lowest ERA in the NL at 3.09. They also average just 7.8 hits allowed per road game, fifth-best in the NL.
The Pirates are 2-1 against the Phillies this season. The Phillies will take on a right-hander (Worley) in this game. They have struggled against right-handed starting pitchers this season, going 8-20. The right-handed Harang will take the mound against the Pirates, who have a 16-14 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Under
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games.
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games at home.
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh.
The Pirates lost their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Phillies are 4-5. The Pirates are 6-8 in close games this season.
When the Phillies play into extra innings, they have a 1-1 record. The Pirates are 0-4 when their games exceed nine innings.
After a weak showing last week where they got in six hits, the Pirates need to step it up. The Phillies have a record of 7-2 when opponents get six hits or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Pirates are 11-3. The Phillies have a 9-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 30th in runs, Philadelphia has earned 99 this season. Pittsburgh ranks 23rd with 130 runs.
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. Philadelphia sits at 25th with 81 this season and Pittsburgh ranks 27th with 80.
The Phillies are 4-10 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Pirates are 12-7 when they hit at least one homer.
