Hoping to avoid being swept at home, the Pittsburgh Pirates bring the Boston Red Sox into their home stadium.
MLB Performance Recap
The Bucs, who have been sliding over the past week, fell on Wednesday night after a promising first frame.
Following up Kevin Newman’s leadoff single, Bryan Reynolds clubbed a home run to center field. Despite the early two-run lead, Roansy Contreras gave up the lead for good in the next half inning. Both Alex Verdugo and Christian Arroyo registered three hits for the guests.
Boston (59-59) pulled back to .500 for the third time this month, keeping them in the hunt for an American League Wild Card spot.
As of this moment, they’re jostling with:
- Minnesota
- Baltimore
- Chicago White Sox
For the position. Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Toronto currently own those seats at the postseason table. Somehow, the Red Sox are in the cellar of the uber-competitive AL East.
They’ve won five of their last six, though, and another win would vault them into a crucial stretch of nine games against divisional foes.
Any hope for the Pirates (45-72) to reach the playoffs is virtually lost. With 19.5 games separating them from a Wild Card spot, only Washington has done worse in the Senior Circuit this season.
Pittsburgh, too, sits at the foot of their grouping, and they’ve gone 24-31 in front of a friendly crowd — or at least what’s left of one.
Another loss to the Red Sox would mean that the Bucs would be suffering through their second seven-game slide since the All-Star break.
Batting Average
In terms of team batting average, the Pirates are the second-worst club in the major leagues. They’re hitting .220, which is only better than Oakland’s mark of .215. They also rank in MLB’s bottom three in RBIs, base knocks, and total runs.
Reynold Analysis
The center fielder Reynolds has essentially been Pittsburgh’s only bright spot during another dismal campaign.
He paces the team in batting average (.259), homers (18), runs driven in (42), and on-base percentage (.346).
Including him, five members of the squad have registered double-digit long balls. That group includes:
- right fielder Jack Suwinski
- first baseman Michael Chavis
- designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach
- shortstop Diego Castillo
Suwinski has been sent back to the minors, while Vogelbach was dealt to the New York Mets. Post-All-Star break, Chavis paces all batters who have at least 50 plate appearances. He’s hitting .269.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Boston Red Sox Odds
MLB odds favor the visiting franchise. Boston is -1.5 on the run line at -115, while the Pirates are -104 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Red Sox are -196 and Pittsburgh a +164 underdog. The total has been set at 8.5 runs, with the over being -105 and the under -115 at the time of this writing.
MLB’s Top 10
Boston grades out within MLB’s top 10 as it pertains to collective batting average (.253) and total hits.
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers have both been crucial parts of the Red Sox’ offense.
They’re tied for a team-best .302 batting average, while the former has a .372 on-base percentage. The latter has belted 25 dingers and has pushed 62 runs across.
Interestingly, only three hitters have piled up at least ten homers for Boston, the others being second baseman Trevor Story and first baseman Bobby Dalbec.
Story traveled with the crew to Pittsburgh but is still on the injured list with a hurt wrist. Left fielder Tommy Pham and first baseman Eric Hosmer were acquired before the trade deadline. Neither is swinging for a batting average better than .258.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Boston Red Sox Betting Preview
Who Is Pitching for the Red Sox?
Right-hander Josh Winckowski will make his 12th start of the season for the visitors. He has a 5-5 record, along with a 4.69 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.
After the Red Sox lost four of his starts in a row, they’ve come out on the right side of his last three outings.
The most recent of which came against the Orioles. In that game last Thursday, he went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs.
Who Is Pitching for the Pirates?
Going up against him will be JT Brubaker, who’s turned in a 2-10 mark for the Pirates thus far. He owns a 4.45 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.
Things just haven’t gone his way as of late. Pittsburgh has fallen short in each of his last six starts. The Bucs haven’t won a game he’s thrown in since June.
Against Arizona last Thursday, he went five frames, giving up three hits and two homers. He also struck out six challengers.
Pirates vs. Red Sox Picks and Predictions
Now, it’s time to make some Red Sox vs. Pirates picks. The Red Sox are heating up right when they need to, especially heading into such an important run.
They have much more motivation to get it done here, knowing that their playoff lives are fading with each defeat.
In line with that, Pittsburgh is looking ahead to another year once again. One of their best players isn’t even with the club, and the ones who are — including Oneil Cruz — haven’t looked good recently.
That’s why it’s smart to take Boston to easily cover the spread on Thursday night.
MLB Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (-130)
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