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It is game two of this series as the Pittsburgh Pirates face the Miami Marlins. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Pirates-Marlins prediction and pick.
These two teams faced off in game one of their four-game series on Thursday for opening day in Miami. It was Paul Skenes on the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Sandy Alcantara on the mound for the Miami Marlins. The Marlins would find themselves down 4-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth, but they would come back. In the bottom of the ninth, a Kyle Stowers single would win the game for the Marlins.
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Marlins Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: -1.5 (+122)
Moneyline: -144
Miami Marlins: +1.5 (-146)
Moneyline: +122
Over: 7.5 (-120)
Under: 7.5 (-102)
How to Watch Pirates vs. Marlins
Time: 7:10 PM ET/ 4:10 PM PT
TV: SNP/FDSNFL
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
Article Continues Below
The Pittsburgh Pirates will be sending a new addition to the team to bat lead-off with Tommy Pham expecting to bat first. Pham spent time with the White Sox, Cardinals, and Royals last year. Between the three teams last year, he hit .248 with a .305 on-base percentage and .368 slugging. Further, he drove in 39 runs while scoring 49 runs last year between the three teams. Bryan Reynolds is expected to be in the two spot in the lineup. Reynolds was solid last year, leading the team in WAR while hitting .275 with a .344 on-base percentage. Reynolds also led the team with 24 home runs and 88 RBIs last year.
Oneil Cruz and Joey Bart will hold down the middle of the order for the Pirates. Cruz hit .259 last year with a .324 on-base percentage and a .449 slugging percentage. He also hit 21 home runs, and drove in 76 runs, while also scoring 72 times last year. Joey Bart returns for the Pirates as the backstop. Bart played in just 80 games last year, hitting 13 home runs and driving in 45 runs. Finally, the end of the order is expected to have Ke'Bryan Hayes. Hayes hit .233 last year with a .290 slugging.
Mitch Keller is expected to be on the mound for the Pirates in this one. He was 11-12 in his 31 starts last year. Further, he has a 4.25 ERA while also having a 3.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Keller also had a 4.08 FIP last year, which measures Fielder Independent Pitching. This is a metric of how good a pitcher is at getting batters out, regardless of the defense behind him. Keller's FIP was right at the league average last year.
Why The Marlins Will Cover The Spread/Win
Xavier Edwards is expected to be at the top of the lineup for the Marlins.. Edwards played in just 70 games last year but hit .328 with a .397 on-base percentage in that time. He also slugged .423 last year. Further, Edwards drove in 26 runs, scored 39 runs, and stole 31 bases in his 70 games last year. Kyle Stowers is expected to be hitting behind him. Stowers played in just 50 games last year, hitting .186 with a .262 on-base percentage and 15 RBIs.
The top returning bat for the Marlins will be Jonah Bride, who is projected to be hitting third. Bride played in just 71 games last year but did hit .276 with a .357 on-base percentage and a .461 slugging percentage. He also hit 11 home runs and 39 RBIs last year. Matt Mervis is expected to start at first base and hit fourth for the Marlins in this one. He has spent time in the Cubs minor league system the last few years and played in 36 games with the major league club in the last two seasons. In that time he has hit just .155 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.
It will be Connor Gillispie is expected to make his first major league start in this game for the Marlins. He played in just three games at the major league level last year, pitching for Cleveland. Gillispie pitched eight total innings, giving up two earned runs. He was solid in Spring Training, having a 3.86 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP.
Final Pirates-Marlins Prediction & Pick
This game is going to come down to pitching. The Pirates have the better lineup, with the Marlins lacking power in their lineup. This means the game could come down to the difference between Mitch Keller and Connor Gillispie. Keller did slow down at the end of last year, but still pitched great overall. Further, he has been solid in the spring and historically has started seasons strong. Meanwhile, Gillispie is making his first major league start. The Pirates have veteran bats in the middle of the lineup, with Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen. If Gillispie gets a second round through the lineup, the Pirates should take advantage of that. Even if he is pulled early, the Pirates will take advantage of a weak Marlins bullpen in this one.
Final Pirates-Marlins Prediction & Pick: Pirates ML (-144)
