Christian Bergman (3-0, 3.81 ERA) and Charlie Morton (9-8, 4.26 ERA) start in the third of a four-game series between the Colorado Rockies (63-88) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (91-60) at Coors Field. The Pirates won the last game 6-3 and Pittsburgh leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 8:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Sep. 23 and can be seen on RTRM and RTPT.
Bergman pitched 3.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run and striking out three in a 10-2 win over the Padres. Nolan Arenado (.283, 90 Rs, 39 HRs, 115 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI. Morton went 4.0 innings, surrendering five runs (one unearned), striking out five and walking two in a 9-6 defeat to the Cubs in his last outing.
Pittsburgh takes on Colorado as a -130 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 11 runs. The Rockies have recorded an overall money line of -1,266 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 44-67. The Rockies lead the NL in hits at home with a phenomenal 10.5 per game.
As for their opponent, Pittsburgh is coming in with an overall money line of +1,896 and an impressive record of 71-35 as the favorite. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 5-2 record, and a 6-4 record SU. The Pirates are tough outs for opponents, ranking fourth in the NL with 9.1 hits per game.
The Pirates lead the season series, 4-1. The Rockies have a 55-61 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Morton takes the mound. Bergman (LHP) will be on the hill against the Pirates, who have a 16-14 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pit, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rockies managed to give up seven walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Pirates who are coming in with a 7-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Pirates have a slight leg up on the Rockies, as the Pirates have won their last four games while the Rockies have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rockies are 45-15. The Pirates have a 65-7 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 11th, Pittsburgh sits in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 652 this season. Colorado ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 671.
Ranking 27th, Colorado is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 362 this season. Pittsburgh ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 424.
When the Rockies hit at least one home run, they are 52-51. When the Pirates hit at least one homer, they have a 59-28 record.
