The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. This is the first of a three game series between these two teams. The Pittsburgh Pirates come into the game with a 52-50 record on the season. Pittsburgh is coming off a win on Wednesday over the Cardinals, and they are in third place in the National League Central.
For Arizona, they are 53-50 on the season. The Diamondbacks beat the Royals in back to back games. Arizona is in third place in the National League West, battling it out with the San Diego Padres.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are big favorites in this game. The Diamondbacks are -172 over Pittsburgh. The total is 8.5 runs. The runline is Arizona -1.5 at +122.
Pirates look to continue solid play
Since the second half of the season started, the Pirates have been exceptional. They won series from both the Phillies and Cardinals. In their four wins, the Pirates scored just shy of 5 runs per game. In the two losses, they combined for just a single run.
Pittsburgh on the offensive side could use some help at the deadline. The top threats so far have been Bryan Reynolds, who is hitting .288 with 18 homeruns, along with O’Neill Cruz and his 15 homeruns. The Pirates as a team are hitting .232, which is 26th out of 30 Major League Baseball teams.
The Pittsburgh Pirates will send Luis L. Ortiz to the hill in this game. Ortiz is 5-2 on the season with a 2.57 earned run average. He has thrown 73.2 innings and struck out 59 batters, while walking 19 on the season.
Arizona turns to Gallen
For Arizona, Zac Gallen will get the start. Gallen is the Diamondbacks ace, but has missed some time this season. The righthander is 7-5 on the season, with a 3.64 earned run average. Gallen has thrown 81.2 innings, and struck out 80 batters this season, while walking 27.
The Diamondbacks have also won four out of six since returning from the break. Arizona won two out of three in Chicago against the Cubs, and two more in Kansas City. In the back to back wins over the Royals, Arizona scored 7 runs per game. The Diamondbacks need to keep that offense coming, as their pitching has not been up to par, allowing 4.7 runs per game.
Corbin Carroll has struggled big time this season for Arizona. The second year outfielder is hitting just .210 on the season, with six homeruns. The top offensive threat has been Christian Walker. He has 23 homeruns and 20 doubles. Ketel Marte is also putting together a great season with 22 homeruns.
Arizona wins at home
We like the Diamondbacks in this game. Arizona is glad to be back home and they get to put their hitting shoes back on. Look for Arizona to score a few runs early and calm the place a little. The Diamondbacks stay hot and win this game on Friday. Our final bet for this game is the Arizona Diamondbacks -1.5 (+122) over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Enjoy the game and best of luck with all your Major League Baseball betting!
