Jeff Locke (3-2, 4.70 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (26-23) are in San Diego to meet Odrisamer Despaigne (2-3, 5.23 ERA) and the Padres (24-27) in a game that could have plenty of offense. This is the last of a four-game series at Petco Park. The Pirates won the last game 5-2 and Pittsburgh leads the series 2-1. The game starts at 9:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 31 and will air on ROOT-PIT and FSN-SD.
In his last start, Despaigne pitched 6.0 innings, allowing zero runs and striking out five in a 4-0 loss to the Angels. Justin Upton (.299, 33 Rs, 12 HRs, 37 RBIs, 10 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. In his career against the Padres, Locke is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, and five strikeouts.
San Diego is a slight -110 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Padres perform well as a favorite with a 13-7 record, but haven’t fared as well with the overall money line (-201). Over their past 10 games, San Diego’s pitchers have been playing lights out, only allowing 3.4 runs per game, below their season average of 4.5. An area where the Padres are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average 8.9 K’s per home game.
On the other side, the Pirates have a subpar record of 4-10 when they are the underdog and are -160 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 7-3 SU and have a poor 0-1 record when they were an underdog to win. Pittsburgh has been playing better lately, averaging 5.6 runs per game, more than their season average of 4.2. Switching gears to Pittsburgh’s pitching staff, they allow just 8.2 hits per road game, good for fifth in the NL. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in the NL with an average of 8.5 strikeouts per game.
The Pirates are 2-1 against the Padres this season. This game will feature Locke (LHP) on the mound against the Padres, who have a 7-5 record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Pirates will be the right-hander Despaigne. They sport a 22-19 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
The Padres are 2-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Pirates are 0-6 in such matchups.
The Pirates are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Padres have a 4-13 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Pirates are 20-5. The Padres have a 17-3 record when outhitting opponents.
San Diego and Pittsburgh both rank in the top half of the league in runs. San Diego sits at 11th with 218 runs this season and Pittsburgh ranks 15th with 207.
Ranking 23rd, Pittsburgh is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 122 this season. San Diego ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 130.
The Padres are 16-8 when they hit at least one home run. The Pirates perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 17-11 record.
