Gerrit Cole (4-1, 2.27 ERA) takes the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates (15-16) as they go up against Jerome Williams (2-2, 5.18 ERA) and the Philadelphia Phillies (11-21) in the first of a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park. The game gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday, May. 11 and will air on ROOT-PIT and CSN-PHI.
Williams has a 4.37 ERA and a 1-4 record in his career against the Pirates, and is up against a struggling Pittsburgh offense that’s hitting just .237 on the year. Freddy Galvis (.340, 10 Rs, 1 HR, 8 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday. In his pitching opportunities against the Phillies, Cole is 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA. He meets a less-than-stellar Philadelphia offense that’s batting just .228. Starling Marte (.278, 16 Rs, 7 HRs, 21 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Pirates, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Philadelphia is a +149 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Phillies have a losing record of 10-18 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -635. Over the last 10 games, they have performed poorly when playing as the underdog (3-7). The Phillies rank fifth in the NL in home ERA with a 3.09 team average.
On the other side, the Pirates have a record of 11-9 when they are favored and are -437 overall with the money line. They have the fourth-lowest ERA in the NL at 3.16. They also allow just 7.8 hits per road game, good for fifth in the NL.
The Phillies will take on a right-hander (Cole) in this game. They have struggled against right-handed starting pitchers this season, going 8-17. The right-handed Williams will take the mound against the Pirates, who have a 14-14 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Under
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Philadelphia is 8-11, while Pittsburgh is 3-6.
The Phillies are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Pirates have a 4-9 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Pirates have a slight leg up on the Phillies, as the Pirates have won their last two games while the Phillies have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Pirates are 11-3. The Phillies have an 8-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 30th in runs, Philadelphia has earned 91 this season. Pittsburgh ranks 23rd with 117 runs.
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. Philadelphia sits at 24th with 75 this season and Pittsburgh ranks 27th with 72.
When the Phillies hit at least one home run, they are 4-9. When the Pirates hit at least one homer, they have a 10-7 record.
