Gerrit Cole (10-2, 1.71 ERA) gets the start for the Pittsburgh Pirates (38-27) as they go up against Jeff Samardzija (4-4, 4.84 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox (28-36) in the second of a two-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox lost the last game 3-2, extending a six-game losing streak. The game gets underway at 8:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 18 and will air on ROOT-PIT and WGN.
Samardzija is 4-4 with a 2.22 ERA against the Pirates in his career, but faces a solid Pittsburgh offense that’s hitting .256 on the year. Jose Abreu (.283, 33 Rs, 12 HRs, 40 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. The Pirates were victorious the last time Cole pitched. He had a good outing, pitching, going 6.0 innings, allowing one and striking out seven in a 4-3 victory over the Phillies. Andrew McCutchen (.296, 36 Rs, 8 HRs, 42 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Chicago, a +125 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Pittsburgh. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at seven runs. The White Sox perform poorly as an underdog with a 12-22 record and have an overall money line of -919. They are 1-5 as the underdog over their last 10 games. The White Sox will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In the last 10 games, Chicago has only averaged 2.6 runs per game compared to the 3.5 they’ve averaged on the season. Chicago’s pitchers struggle against teams that play in the National League. The White Sox have given up an average of 5.4 runs to opponents from the NL, well over their defense’s season average of 4.6 runs per game. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, averaging 8.2 strikeouts per game.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Pirates come into this game with a solid win percentage of .674 when playing as the favorite (31-15) and an overall money line of +532. They have played at the top of their game when rated as favorite recently. They managed a 7-2 record when playing as the favorite and an SU record of 7-3. The Pirates will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their 10 most recent games, Pittsburgh’s run production has dropped to 3.0 runs per game, compared to 3.5 for the duration of the season. One of the top hitting teams in the NL are the Pirates, who average 8.9 hits per game. Pittsburgh is a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in the MLB with 51 stolen bases. The Pirates are a problem for opposing batters, sporting a 2.76 ERA this season. They have a WHIP of 1.18, second best in the MLB. The Pittsburgh pitching staff has been an intimidating group on the road this year, averaging 8.2 strikeouts per game.
The previous three games have all gone Pittsburgh’s way. This game will feature Cole (RHP) on the mound against the White Sox, who have a 23-28 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Pirates will be the right-hander Samardzija. They sport a 30-23 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Chicago is 12-12, while Pittsburgh is 10-14.
The White Sox are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Pirates have a 6-8 record when opponents give up that many walks.
This game has the potential to be a major blowout, as the Pirates are coming in on a seven-game winning streak whereas the White Sox have lost their past six.
When they outhit their opponents, the White Sox are 20-4. The Pirates have a 28-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 28th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 223 this season. Pittsburgh ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 267.
Chicago and Pittsburgh both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. Chicago sits at 28th with 146 this season and Pittsburgh ranks 22nd with 163.
The White Sox are 16-15 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Pirates are 23-14 when they hit at least one homer.
