A.J. Burnett (0-0, 3.38 ERA) and Shane Greene (1-0, 0.00 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates (3-4) and the Detroit Tigers (6-1) at PNC Park. The Pirates won the last game 5-4 and Pittsburgh leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Apr. 14 and can be seen on FSN-DET and ROOT-PIT.
Burnett is 6-2 with a 5.19 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts against the Tigers. Pedro Alvarez (.304 ) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Greene went 8.0 innings, surrendering zero runs (one unearned), striking out five and walking one in a 7-1 win over the Twins in his last outing. Miguel Cabrera (.517 ) has been successful at the plate to the start the season for the Tigers, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs and one RBI.
Pittsburgh is a -121 favorite against Detroit and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Pirates are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with nine.
Over in the other dugout, Detroit has a perfect record of 2-0 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of +610 at this point in the season. Offensively, they average 7.8 runs per game, which is tops in the AL. The Tigers have a dynamic offense, ranking third in the league with 26 extra base hits. The Tigers are an excellent base-stealing team with an MLB-best 10 stolen bases. Detroit’s pitching staff has set the standard for its league, with an AL-low 2.00 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Tigers are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.03 for the season.
The Pirates have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Pirates have a 2-4 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Greene takes the mound.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
Pittsburgh has won 50% (1-1) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Detroit has won 80% (4-1) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Pirates have a 2-0 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they outhit their opponents, the Pirates are 3-1. The Tigers have a 6-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Detroit tops the league in runs with 51 this season. Pittsburgh ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 29.
Ranking first in walks, Detroit has earned 33 this season. Pittsburgh ranks 24th with 14 walks.
The Pirates are 3-2 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Tigers are 5-1 when they hit at least one homer.
