Gerrit Cole (9-2, 1.73 ERA) is on the hill for the Pittsburgh Pirates (33-27) as they square off against Sean O Sullivan (1-4, 4.96 ERA) and the Philadelphia Phillies (22-40) in the second of a three-game series at PNC Park. The Pirates won the last game 1-0 and Pittsburgh leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 13 and can be seen on CSN-PHI and ROOT-PIT.
Cole is 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA in his appearances against the Phillies, and goes up against a below-average Philadelphia offense which is batting just .239 this season. Starling Marte (.257, 32 Rs, 12 HRs, 42 RBIs, 11 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 3 for 7 with one RBI. Against the Pirates, O Sullivan is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and two strikeouts. Jeff Francoeur (.261, 13 Rs, 4 HRs, 20 RBIs) went 1 for 5 yesterday.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Pittsburgh, a substantial -264 favorite, takes on Philadelphia. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of seven runs. The Pirates have recorded an overall money line of +32 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 26-15. Pittsburgh is an impressive 5-2 as the favorite over its last 10 games. Pittsburgh’s batters do not strike out very often at home, with only 6.5 per game. As for the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Pirates, who have a team ERA of only 2.99. The Pirates are the third-best team in the NL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 8.3 hits per game so far this season.
In the other locker room, Philadelphia is coming in with an overall money line of -1,308 and a disappointing record of 19-34 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 2-6 record, and a 3-7 record SU.
The Pirates lead the season series, 3-2. The Pirates have a 28-23 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when O Sullivan takes the mound. Cole (RHP) will be on the hill against the Phillies, who have inferior records against right-handed starting pitchers on the road and overall of 6-19 and 18-32, respectively.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Under
Notes
Pittsburgh earned its fifth shutout of the season in its last game. Philadelphia has been shut out six times this season.
When the Phillies play into extra innings, they have a 2-3 record. The Pirates are 1-6 when their games exceed nine innings.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Phillies are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Pirates have a 5-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Phillies are 6-31. The Pirates have a 4-18 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 30th in home runs, Philadelphia has hit 36 this season. Pittsburgh ranks 23rd with 50 home runs.
Ranking 13th, Philadelphia is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.98 per game. Pittsburgh ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.71.
Ranking 30th, Philadelphia is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.643). Pittsburgh ranks in the bottom half at 20th with an OPS of .695.
When the Phillies allow at least one home run, they are 7-28. When the Pirates allow one or more homers, they have a 9-18 record.
