Coach Fletcher’s Premium Pick
4:10 pm Cleveland Indians at Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pick Pittsburgh Pirates -122 The Greek
Pirates Shoot for 8th Straight Interleague Win
The hot hitting Pirates, fresh off a 3 game sweep of Detroit at Detroit, get a chance to win their 8th straight interleague game today against the Indians. The game will feature 2 pitchers that have excelled at home (Morton) and on the Road (Bauer). But both have been anything but impressive in their last 3 starts.
Pirates, Morton Indians, Bauer
** 6-1, 4.28 ERA, 1.30 whip ** 6-5, 3.96 ERA, 1.30 whip
** 1.98 ERA at home ** 1.69 ERA on road
** 8.56 ERA last 3 games ** 5.82 ERA last 3 games
** Last game 6 inn, 4 runs, 10 hits ** Last game 7 inn, 4 runs, 5 hits
** 2nd to last 2/3 inn, 9 runs, 8 hits ** 2nd to last 3 inn, 7 runs, 9 hits
Clearly these pitchers are off kilter. With Charlie Morton it has to do with him inducing ground balls. Nicknamed “Ground Chuck”, Morton needs to keep the ball down and keep it out of the air. Bauer needs to find the form that propelled him to a 4-1 record and 1.10 ERA in his first 6 road starts. Morton has excelled in interleague play tossing 12 consecutive scoreless innings versus the AL. Pittsburgh has a slight edge in the pens with a 2.39 ERA versus 3.22 for Cleveland.
Pittsburgh’s Offense is Just Fine
In their 3 game series against the Tigers, the Bucs popped 22 runs and 49 hits. 17 of those hits were for extra bases. Obviously they are seeing the ball well. Neil Walker is 14-26 in the last 6; Jordy Mercer is hitting .469 in his last 7 and Starling Marte is hitting .438 in his past 8.
Pirates Indians
** 4.1 runs per game home ** 4.0 runs per game road
** .264 batting average at home ** .247 batting average road
** Past 7 games hitting .301 ** Past 7 games hitting .266
** Interleague runs per game 4.3 ** Interleague runs per game 3.3
** 6th in MLB hits per game ** 18th in MLB hits per game
Pirates Indians
** 4th in MLB stolen bases per game ** 17th in MLB stolen bases per game
Odds and Ends
** Pirates have won 5 of last 6 ; Indians have won 4 of last 4
** Pirates are 45-33 ; Indians are 37-41
** Pirates 45-33 on grass field ; Indians are 34-41 on grass field
** Pirates are 26-12 vs teams with losing record ; Indians are 17-24 vs teams with winning rec
** Pirates are 24-14 at home ; Indians are 22-18 on road
Coach’s Conclusion
The Pirates have been hitting the ball recently because they have been aggressive at the plate and attacking. If they get guys on base they will run when they have the chance to keep the pressure on the Indian pitchers. It’s hard to figure what direction the pitchers are headed, but Morton at home and the stout Buc bullpen should result in a Pirate victory.
The Pick Pirates -122 2*
Thanks and good luck,
Coach Fletcher