A.J. Burnett (6-2, 2.11 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (34-27) square off against Cole Hamels (5-5, 3.19 ERA) and the Philadelphia Phillies (22-41) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the last of a three-game series at PNC Park. The Phillies lost the last game 4-3, continuing a five-game losing streak. Action begins at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jun. 14 and can be seen on CSN-PHI and ROOT-PIT.
Burnett is 7-9 with a 4.78 ERA in his appearances against the Phillies, but goes up against a below-average Philadelphia offense which is batting just .240 this season. Starling Marte (.265, 33 Rs, 12 HRs, 43 RBIs, 11 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 3 for 4 with one run and one RBI. When pitching against the Pirates, Hamels is 3-2 with a 2.73 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts. Ben Revere (.275, 31 Rs, 16 RBIs, 14 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 3 for 5 yesterday with two runs and two stolen bases.
Pittsburgh is a -132 favorite against Philadelphia and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Pirates have recorded an overall money line of +132 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 27-15. Pittsburgh is an impressive 6-2 as the favorite over its last 10 games. Pittsburgh’s batters do not strike out very often at home, with only 6.7 per game. As for the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Pirates, who have a team ERA of only 2.92. The Pirates are the fifth-best team in the NL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 8.4 hits per game so far this season.
Over in the other dugout, Philadelphia is coming in with an overall money line of -1,408 and a disappointing record of 19-35 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 2-7 record, and a 3-7 record SU.
The Pirates lead the season series, 4-2. The Pirates have a 4-4 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Hamels takes the mound. Burnett (RHP) will be on the hill against the Phillies, who have inferior records against right-handed starting pitchers on the road and overall of 6-19 and 18-32, respectively.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Under
Notes
Philadelphia has won 32% (10-21) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Pittsburgh has won 42% (10-14) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Pirates are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Phillies have a 3-15 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Pirates have a slight leg up on the Phillies, as the Pirates have won their last three games while the Phillies have lost their last five.
When they outhit their opponents, the Phillies are 14-6. The Pirates have a 24-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 30th in runs, Philadelphia has earned 197 this season. Pittsburgh ranks 18th with 249 runs.
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. Pittsburgh sits at 22nd with 154 this season and Philadelphia ranks 27th with 141.
The Pirates are 21-14 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Phillies are 12-14 when they hit at least one homer.
