Jeff Locke (4-4, 4.55 ERA) and Cody Anderson (1-0, 0.57 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates (45-34) and the Cleveland Indians (38-41) at PNC Park. The Indians won the last game 5-2, continuing a five-game winning streak. Action begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jul. 4 and can be seen on STO, ROOT-PIT and MLB Net.
Locke pitched 5.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out five and walking three in a 2-1 defeat to the Braves. Andrew McCutchen (.296, 43 Rs, 10 HRs, 49 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Anderson went 8.0 innings, surrendering one run and striking out two in a 7-1 win over the Rays in his most recent start. David Murphy (.327, 21 Rs, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with two runs.
Pittsburgh is a -125 favorite against Cleveland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Pirates have recorded an overall money line of +516 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 38-19. In interleague play, they have had a solid season, earning 7-4 and 8-4 records as the favorite and SU respectively. Pittsburgh is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 61 bases. Crossing over to the pitching and defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Pirates. The 3.4 runs that Pittsburgh’s pitchers allow per game makes them the second-ranked staff in the NL.
In games where it is the underdog, Cleveland has a 12-14 record and an overall money line of -1,306. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-3 record, and a 5-5 record SU. Offensively, the Indians have really sputtered in interleague games. They have decreased their season average of 4.1 runs per game by averaging 3.3 in those contests. The Indians have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 9.3 strikeouts per game.
The Indians have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Pirates have a 36-27 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Anderson takes the mound. Locke (LHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a 12-18 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
The Indians are 2-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Pirates are 4-7 in such matchups.
The Indians are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Pirates have a record of 15-18 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Indians are 31-6. The Pirates have a 33-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Tied at 18th for total runs, Pittsburgh and Cleveland have each notched 322 runs this season.
Ranking 21st, Pittsburgh is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 208 this season. Cleveland ranks in the top five at second with 288.
The Pirates are 26-16 when they hit at least one home run. The Indians perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 30-17 record.
