The Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates meet for the third time in just as many days in what should be an entertaining battle on the diamond out on the east coast. It is time to check out our MLB odds series, where our Phillies-Pirates prediction and pick will be made for all sports betting fanatics to see.
Reeling off victories in the opening two games of this series as the road team at PNC Park, the Phillies' all-around play as increased their record to 53-47 including a 27-22 mark away from home. Right in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, Philadelphia will send out lefty Ranger Suarez to combat the Pittsburgh bats. Suarez is 7-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 17 of his season starts.
While the Pirates have seen better days with a record of 40-60 through their first 100 games, Pittsburgh is still playing for pride at this point. With a current five-game losing streak on their backs, the Pirates would want nothing more to return to the win column and prevent the Phillies from winning this series on Saturday. Taking the rubber for Pittsburgh will be RHP Mitch Keller, who has compiled a 3-7 record while maintaining a 4.55 ERA on the year.
Here are the Phillies-Pirates MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Phillies-Pirates Odds
Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 ( +110)
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 ( -132)
Over: 7.5 (-118)
Under: 7.5 (-104)
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Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
Remember when the Phillies fired their manager in early June and were looking at a possibly long and grueling remainder of the season? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Fast forward nearly two months later, and the Phillies look the part of an entirely different ball club. It appears that all that Philadelphia needed was a change in leadership to rejuvenate the team's overall morale to start performing better on the diamond.
Now considered a true playoff contending team, the Phillies have the makings of making life a living hell for opposing clubs. Conversely, this couldn't be more true, as Philadelphia has weathered the storm including reeling off four wins in their last five matchups played.
The most legit part of Philly's overall game? How about a conjoined effort from the larger-than-life bats in this lineup as well as masterful outings from the pitching staff themselves? All in all, this is a much more balanced squad than most people would think. This has been on full display during the series, as an 8-7 slugfest victory was followed up with a more pitcher-friendly contest yesterday with a score of 4-2. Through exactly 100 games played, the Phillies have the fifth-most runs scored in the league with 466 total.
To make matters worse if you are a Pirates fan and or bettor, southpaw Ranger Suarez hasn't surrendered a run to the Pirates in quite some time. In fact, Suarez is 2-0 with a current 13 1/3 innings scoreless streak against Pittsburgh in four appearances in his career. This will be an intriguing factor to watch when Suarez gets ready for battle on the mound later today.
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate's life not for me! Sadly, Pittsburgh has not secured a winning record since 2018 and are coming off their first 100-loss season from last year since 2001. Yes, the Pirates have somewhat improved and are on track to avoid hitting the century mark in the loss column, this is still a franchise that has seemingly been in rebuild mode for the better chunk of their history. Regardless, the Pirates are very young and have some pieces on the roster that they hope will come onto the scene in the next few seasons to come.
In regards to this third game of the series against the Phillies, Pittsburgh hasn't been too far off from escaping the wretched claws of defeat. Losing by a combined three runs in the two matchups prior, the Pirates will need to tighten the screws to overcome their in-state divisional rivals.
For starters, can Pittsburgh consistently keep the Phillies off the board? It will all fall on the shoulders of Mitch Keller, as he is 0-2 with a 12.00 ERA in two career starts against Philadelphia. While obviously this is a red flag, he is coming off of a somewhat efficient outing versus the Miami Marlins in which he pitched six innings and surrendered three runs on five hits while striking out seven hitters.
Pittsburgh has not only struggled from the mound, but they have scuffled when at the plate as well. With the third-fewest runs in baseball, the Pirates must have somebody rise to the occasion if they want any chance to cover the spread. Look no further than middle infielder Kevin Newman to be that spark plug, as the 28-year-old leadoff man from Friday went 3-5 including two doubles to lead the Pirates offensively.
Final Phillies-Pirates Prediction & Pick
The Pirates will eventually come out triumphant in a game, but tonight's tough matchup against the Phillies will not be that time. Philadelphia should be on cruise control in this one on their way to winning by multiple runs.
Final Phillies-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+110)
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