In the last of a three-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates (20-22) and the New York Mets (20-22) at PNC Park, Francisco Liriano (1-4, 4.15 ERA) and Jon Niese (3-4, 3.72 ERA) take the mound. The Pirates won the last game 8-2 and Pittsburgh leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 24 and will air on SNY and ROOT-PIT.
In his most recent outing, Liriano pitched 2.0 innings, allowing seven runs, striking out two and walking two in an 8-5 loss to the Twins. Jung-Ho Kang (.307, 9 Rs, 2 HRs, 11 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. In his pitching opportunities against the Pirates, Niese is 3-1 with a 4.41 ERA, 23 strikeouts and 13 walks. Lucas Duda (.293, 23 Rs, 5 HRs, 19 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Pittsburgh, a -129 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against New York. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at seven runs. The Pirates are 15-13 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -660. Pittsburgh’s pitching staff can be considered one of the best in the NL. The Pirates have a team ERA of 3.21, one of the lowest in their league. The Pirates don’t give up many walks to opposing batters at PNC Park, ranking fifth in the NL with only 2.6 walks allowed per home game.
On the other side, the Mets have a subpar record of 5-15 when they are the underdog, but are +525 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 4-6 SU and have a poor 0-5 record when they were an underdog to win. The Mets are a problem for opposing batters, sporting a 3.13 ERA this season. They have a WHIP of 1.14, best in the MLB.
The previous two games have all gone Pittsburgh’s way. This game will feature Niese (RHP) on the mound against the Pirates, who have an 18-18 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Mets will be the left-hander Liriano. They sport a 4-5 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
When the Mets play into extra innings, they have a 1-0 record. The Pirates are 0-6 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Mets are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Pirates have a 9-15 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Pirates are 4-13. The Mets have a 7-17 record when opponents outhit them.
Both Pittsburgh and New York are tied at 21st in home runs, hitting 34 this season.
Pittsburgh and New York both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Pittsburgh sits at 11th with 8.32 hits per game and New York ranks 14th with 7.67.
Pittsburgh and New York both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Pittsburgh sits at 25th with an OPS of .673 and New York ranks 29th with an OPS of .654.
The Mets are 10-14 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Pirates are 6-14 when they allow at least one homer.
