Jeff Locke (3-2, 4.70 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (26-23) are in San Diego to go up against Odrisamer Despaigne (2-3, 5.23 ERA) and the Padres (24-27) in a matchup that has the potential for plenty of offense. This is the last of a four-game series at Petco Park. The Pirates won the last game 5-2 and Pittsburgh leads the series 2-1. The game gets underway at 9:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 31 and will air on ROOT-PIT and FSN-SD.
In his most recent outing, Despaigne pitched 6.0 innings, allowing zero runs and striking out five in a 4-0 loss to the Angels. Justin Upton (.299, 33 Rs, 12 HRs, 37 RBIs, 10 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. In his career against the Padres, Locke is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, and five strikeouts.
San Diego is favored by a slight -110 margin in its matchup against Pittsburgh. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at seven runs. The Padres are in an interesting position this season. While they have a notable winning record in games where they’re the favorite (13-8), their overall money line (-315) is less impressive. An area where the Padres are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average 8.8 K’s per home game.
Across the field, the Pirates have a subpar record of 5-10 when they are the underdog and are -56 overall with the money line. During the last 10 games, they averaged 5.6 runs per game, above their 4.2 season average. Switching gears to Pittsburgh’s pitching staff, they have the lowest road ERA in the NL at 2.77. They also allow just 8.0 hits per road game, good for fifth in the NL. The Pittsburgh pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 8.4 strikeouts per game.
In their previous three games this season, the Pirates have a 2-1 record. This game will feature Locke (LHP) on the mound against the Padres, who have a 7-5 record when they take on a left-handed starter. The right-handed Despaigne will take the mound against the Pirates, who have a 23-19 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
San Diego is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego’s last 5 games.
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 12 of San Diego’s last 16 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego’s last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego’s last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh.
The Padres are 2-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Pirates are 0-6 in such matchups.
The Pirates are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Padres have a 4-13 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Pirates are 20-5. The Padres have a 17-3 record when outhitting opponents.
San Diego and Pittsburgh both rank in the top half of the league in runs. San Diego sits at 11th with 218 runs this season and Pittsburgh ranks 15th with 207.
Ranking 23rd, Pittsburgh is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 122 this season. San Diego ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 130.
The Padres are 16-8 when they hit at least one home run. The Pirates perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 17-11 record.
