Brad Hand (3-3, 4.46 ERA) and the Miami Marlins (50-75) meet Charlie Morton (8-4, 4.06 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (75-48) in the second of a four-game series at Marlins Park. The Pirates won the last game 5-2 and Pittsburgh leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 25 and will air on FSFL and RTPT.
In his most recent outing, Hand pitched 6.0 innings, giving up one run, striking out five and walking two in a 9-7 victory over the Phillies. The Pirates were victorious over the Giants 4-0 the last time Morton pitched. He went 6.2 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out eight and walking two. Andrew McCutchen (.297, 71 Rs, 19 HRs, 81 RBIs, 6 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Pirates, going 2 for 5 yesterday with two RBIs.
Miami is a +132 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Marlins have a losing record of 28-47 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -2,224. The Marlins are a dangerous hitting team with an MLB-best 291 extra base hits. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in all of baseball with 89 steals.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Pirates come into this game with a solid win percentage of .682 when playing as the favorite (58-27) and an overall money line of +1,745. They have played at the top of their game when rated as favorite recently. They managed a 5-1 record when playing as the favorite and an SU record of 8-2. They have the second-lowest ERA in the NL at 3.17.
The previous four games have all gone Pittsburgh’s way. This game will feature Morton (RHP) on the mound against the Marlins, who have a 40-59 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The left-handed Hand will take the mound against the Pirates, who have a 13-10 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pit, O/U – Over
Notes
The Miami batters brought in a solid nine hits last game. Pittsburgh has a record of 30-30 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
It looks like the Pirates have a slight leg up on the Marlins, as the Pirates have won their last three games while the Marlins have lost their last four.
When they outhit their opponents, the Marlins are 36-20. The Pirates have a 52-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 28th in runs, Miami has earned 464 this season. Pittsburgh ranks 13th with 526 runs.
Ranking 25th, Miami is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 304 this season. Pittsburgh ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 334.
The Marlins are 30-36 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Pirates are 49-23 when they hit at least one homer.
