Wily Peralta (5-9, 6.00 ERA) and the Milwaukee Brewers (56-70) meet Chad Kuhl (3-1, 3.62 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (63-61) in the first of a four-game division series at Miller Park. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 25 and will air on FSWI and RTPT.
In his last start, Peralta pitched 6.0 innings, allowing four runs, striking out one and walking two in an 8-2 loss to the Mariners. Ryan Braun (.317, 66 Rs, 24 HRs, 74 RBIs, 13 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs, two home runs, and three RBIs. The Pirates were unsuccessful against the Marlins 3-1 the last time Kuhl pitched. He went 6.0 innings, giving up three runs (one unearned). Gregory Polanco (.279, 67 Rs, 19 HRs, 72 RBIs, 11 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Pirates, going 2 for 5 yesterday with two RBIs.
Milwaukee, a +120 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Pittsburgh. The matchup currently has a nine-run Over/Under (O/U). When playing as the underdog, the Brewers have a 36-53 record and overall money line at -691. They have disappointing records of 13-24 as the underdog and 17-29 SU within their division. The Brewers are a nightmare on the bases for opponents with an MLB-high 141 steals.
On the other side, the Pirates have a record of 33-35 when they are favored and are -174 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, the team is 5-5 SU and have a poor 0-5 record when it was the favorite. Within their division, Pittsburgh’s offense has been struggling. Pittsburgh has averaged 4.0 runs per game, compared to 4.5 for the duration of the season.
The Brewers have mostly come out on top against the Pirates in their previous nine games this season, earning a 5-4 record. The Brewers will take on a right-hander (Kuhl) in this game. They have struggled against right-handed starting pitchers this season, going 32-54. Taking the hill against the Pirates will be the right-hander Peralta. They sport a 45-53 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Pirates lost by a margin of one run. The Brewers are 17-23 in one-run games. The Pirates have a 17-15 record in close games.
The Brewers managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Pirates who are coming in with a 32-21 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Brewers are 11-58. The Pirates have a 16-47 record when opponents outhit them.
Pittsburgh ranks near the bottom of the league at 26th when it comes to home runs, hitting 116 this season. Milwaukee ranks in the bottom half with 141.
Ranking 13th, Milwaukee is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.09 per game. Pittsburgh ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 8.76.
Ranking 21st, Milwaukee is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.732). Pittsburgh ranks in the bottom half at 19th with an OPS of .734.
When the Pirates allow at least one home run, they are 32-48, well-matched with the Brewers who are 34-53 when allowing at least one homer.
