Ryan Vogelsong (1-1, 3.25 ERA) and Edwin Jackson (2-2, 5.00 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates (56-54) and the San Diego Padres (48-64) at PNC Park. The Pirates won the last game 6-4, and Pittsburgh leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 10 and can be seen on FSSD and RTPT.
Vogelsong pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out six and walking one in a 5-2 defeat to the Braves. Gregory Polanco (.281, 59 Rs, 16 HRs, 59 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. Jackson went 8.0 innings, surrendering three runs and striking out five in a 12-3 win over the Brewers in his most recent start. Yangervis Solarte (.298, 37 Rs, 11 HRs, 48 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run.
Pittsburgh is a -165 favorite against San Diego and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Pirates have an overall money line of -26 and a record as the favorite of 32-29. The Pirates have no trouble scoring as they rank fifth in the NL in offense with 4.5 runs per game. Pittsburgh is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 84 bases.
In the other locker room, in contrast to an encouraging overall money line (+34), San Diego has an unimpressive 36-57 record when playing as the underdog. The Padres are an excellent base stealing team with 98 stolen bases, ranking third in the MLB.
The Pirates have a 41-46 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Jackson takes the mound. Vogelsong (RHP) will be on the hill against the Padres, who have a 33-51 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Pittsburgh is 22-29, while San Diego is 20-27.
The Padres managed to give up seven walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Pirates who are heading in with a 5-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
The Pirates and the Padres are both 37-9 when they notch more hits than their opponent.
Ranking 16th in runs, Pittsburgh has earned 499 this season. San Diego ranks 15th with 500 runs.
Ranking 24th, San Diego is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 317 this season. Pittsburgh ranks in the top half at 12th with 356.
The Pirates are 39-24 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Padres are 41-34 when they hit at least one homer.
