In the second of a three-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates (48-34) and the San Diego Padres (48-34) at PNC Park, Francisco Liriano (5-6, 2.99 ERA) and Tyson Ross (5-7, 3.63 ERA) get the start. The Pirates won the last game 2-1 and Pittsburgh leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jul. 7 and will air on FSN-SD and ROOT-PIT.
Liriano is 1-2 with a 1.97 ERA against the Padres in his career, and is up against a less-than-stellar San Diego offense that’s hitting just .239 on the year. Andrew McCutchen (.299, 45 Rs, 10 HRs, 51 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with two runs. In his pitching opportunities against the Pirates, Ross is 1-2 with a 3.55 ERA. He gets a solid Pittsburgh offense that’s batting .256. Yonder Alonso (.307, 23 Rs, 2 HRs, 20 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been doing well, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run.
Pittsburgh is a -168 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at six runs. The Pirates have a winning record of 40-20 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +599. The Pirates rank fourth in the NL in hits at home with 8.7 per game. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in all of baseball with 62 steals. As for the pitching staff, the Pirates rank second in the NL in ERA with a 2.92 team average. The Pirates don’t give up many hits to opposing batters at PNC Park, ranking fourth in the NL with only 8.2 hits allowed per home game. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, averaging 8.1 strikeouts per game.
Across the field, the Padres have a subpar record of 18-27 when they are the underdog and are -553 overall with the money line. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in the NL with an average of 8.4 strikeouts per game.
In their previous five games this season, the Pirates have a 3-2 record. This game will feature Ross (RHP) on the mound against the Pirates, who have a 38-28 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Padres will be the left-hander Liriano. They sport a 10-8 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
Pittsburgh has won 45% (15-18) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, San Diego has won 54% (21-18) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Pirates are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded five strikeouts. The Padres have a record of 8-5 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
It looks like the Pirates have a slight leg up on the Padres, as the Pirates have won their last three games while the Padres have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Padres are 28-9. The Pirates have a 35-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 19th in runs, Pittsburgh has earned 330 this season. San Diego ranks 15th with 337 runs.
Pittsburgh and San Diego both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. Pittsburgh sits at 22nd with 213 this season and San Diego ranks 21st with 216.
The Pirates are 27-16 when they hit at least one home run. The Padres perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 26-15 record.
