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The Pirates make the trip to Denver to face the Rockies! The Pirates are inconsistent, but can still turn their season around, while the Rockies have been one of the worst teams in the MLB this season. Our MLB odds series has our Pirates-Rockies prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.
Pirates-Rockies Projected Starters
Jared Jones vs. Ryan Feltner
Jared Jones (4-5) with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched five innings and gave up three runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in a Pirates loss.
2024 Road Splits: (2-3) 4.73 ERA
Ryan Feltner (1-5) with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched 5.1 innings and gave up four runs on two hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a Rockies win.
2024 Home Splits: (0-1) 7.38 ERA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Rockies Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: -1.5 (+138)
Moneyline: -108
Colorado Rockies: +1.5 (-166)
Moneyline: -108
Over: 10.5 (-120)
Under: 10.5 (-102)
How to Watch Pirates vs. Rockies
Time: 8:40 pm ET
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pirates have been inconsistent this season on their way to a 32-35 record. They have struggled behind the plate, but their pitching has been average and in the middle of the pack this season. Connor Joe, Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, and Jack Suwinski have been solid behind the plate despite the offensive struggles as a whole. Bailey Falter, Jared Jones, and Mitch Keller have been solid for the pitching staff. It is also worth noting that Paul Skenes has started five games and has been great in a limited capacity so far. The Pirates have struggled to find consistency this season, but they get a perfect matchup against the Rockies.
The Pirates have not announced who they are starting yet, but signs point to Jared Jones starting on the mound. He has a 4-5 record, a 3.27 ERA, and a 1.06 WHIP. Through 74.1 innings, he has allowed 31 runs on 61 hits with 18 walks and 79 strikeouts. He has started 13 games this season, and the Pirates have gone 5-8. He has been solid on the mound this season and gets a difficult matchup against the Rockies behind the plate.
The offense for the Pirates has struggled this season. They are 26th in the MLB in team batting average at .229 after having a batting average of .239 last season. Andrew McCutchen, Oneil Cruz, and Bryan Reynolds are the leaders in almost every batting category. Reynolds leads in batting average at .263, in RBI at 35, and in hits at 71. Cruz leads in home runs at nine, and McCutchen leads in OBP at .336. They get a favorable matchup in this spot against Ryan Feltner on the mound for the Rockies.
Why The Rockies Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Rockies are one of the worst teams in the MLB this season. They are 24-44 this season and have lost three out of their last four games. Their bats have been excellent this season, and rank just outside the top 10, but they have the worst pitching staff in the MLB by a wide margin. Brendan Rodgers, Ryan McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar, Brenton Doyle, and Elias Diaz have all been solid for the Rockies behind the plate. Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber have been okay at best for a unit that has struggled this season. The Rockies' offense has improved, but their pitching has been terrible and is a massive reason why they have struggled so much this year.
The Rockies are starting Ryan Feltner on the mound. He has started the year with a 1-5 record, a 5.74 ERA, and a 1.48 WHIP. He has allowed 52 runs on 83 hits with 19 walks and 59 strikeouts through 69 innings. The Rockies are only 4-9 in the 13 starts this season. Feltner has struggled this season on the mound, but the Pirates offense has struggled so far this season. This favors him due to the Pirates offense not being that impressive.
The Rockies' offense has been a bright spot, especially recently. They are 11th in team batting average at .246 after finishing last season at .249. The offense is led by Elias Diaz, Ryan McMahon, and Ezequiel Tovar. Diaz leads in batting average at .303 and in OBP at .352. McMahon leads in home runs at 12 and in RBI at 36. Finally, Tovar leads in total hits at 82. If the Pirates go with Jones, it will be a tough matchup for the Rockies and their offense will be solid.
Final Pirates-Rockies Prediction & Pick
This game comes down to pitching and the Rockies have struggled across the board in that aspect. Feltner has struggled this season, while if the Pirates start Jones then they immediately have the pitching advantage. The Rockies have the better offense, but pitching decides it and Jones is the X-factor. Expect the Pirates to win and cover on the road against a team struggling as much as the Rockies.
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Final Pirates-Rockies Prediction & Pick: Pirates -1.5 (+138)
