In the second of a three-game series between the Milwaukee Brewers (0-4) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (0-4) at Miller Park, Jimmy Nelson (2-9, 4.93 ERA) and Vance Worley (8-4, 2.85 ERA) get the ball. The Pirates won the last game 6-2 and Pittsburgh leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 11 and will air on ROOT-PIT and FSN-WI.
Nelson gets the start after pitching 69.1 innings last season, finishing 2-9 with a 4.93 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts. Adam Lind (.615 ) kept up his strong start yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs. In his career against the Brewers, Worley is 1-3 with a 4.06 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts. Pedro Alvarez (.357 ) has been doing well to start the season for the Pirates, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs.
Milwaukee is a -122 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Brewers are in a tough position at the start of this season. It is winless when playing as the favorite, and has a subpar money line (-388). The Brewers come into the game with the NL’s fourth-ranked home scoring offense, averaging 2.0 runs per game in their own ballpark. The Brewers are a superb hitting team with 7.3 hits per home game, one of the highest marks in the NL.
On the other side, the Pirates have started off the season 0-2 when they’re the underdog and are -329 overall with the money line. One of the top road hitting teams in the NL are the Pirates, who average 7.0 hits in games away from home.
So far this season, the Pirates are 1-0 against the Brewers.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
The Brewers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Pirates have a 1-2 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When outhit, both the Brewers and the Pirates have records of 0-4.
Ranking 21st, Milwaukee is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring eight this season. Pittsburgh ranks in the top half at 13th with 14.
Ranking 23rd, Milwaukee is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching eight this season. Pittsburgh ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 12.
The Brewers are 0-1 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Pirates are 1-2 when they hit at least one homer.
