Jeff Locke (2-3, 5.00 ERA) and Rubby De La Rosa (4-4, 3.53 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates (25-19) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (21-26) at PNC Park. The Pirates won the last game 12-1, and Pittsburgh leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 25 and can be seen on FSAZ and RTPT.
Locke pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering two runs, striking out six and walking two in an 8-2 win over the Braves. Gregory Polanco (.307, 33 Rs, 6 HRs, 28 RBIs, 6 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 5 with two runs, one home run, and five RBIs. De La Rosa went 6.2 innings, surrendering one run, striking out seven and walking four in a 2-1 defeat to the Giants in his most recent start. Jake Lamb (.275, 21 Rs, 6 HRs, 23 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday.
The odds for Pittsburgh and Arizona are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Pirates have no trouble scoring as they rank fourth in the NL in offense with 0.0 runs per game. The Pirates are one of the best in the MLB in terms of batting average with an impressive team average of .283. Pittsburgh is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 31 bases. Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0.
Offensively, the Diamondbacks have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Diamondbacks capitalize on their at-bats at a high percentage, ranking .269 in the league with a .269 team batting average. The Diamondbacks allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
The Pirates lead the season series, 3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT
Notes
For the sixth time this season, the Diamondbacks registered at least two errors in a game.
The Pirates are coming into this matchup after a high-scoring game where they scored a whopping 12 runs. The Diamondbacks have a 0-3 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Diamondbacks are 2-18. The Pirates have a 3-12 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 24th in home runs, Pittsburgh has hit 40 this season. Arizona ranks 10th with 53 home runs.
Pittsburgh and Arizona both rank in the top five of the league in hits. Pittsburgh sits at second with 9.91 hits per game and Arizona ranks third with 9.47.
Pittsburgh and Arizona both rank in the top five of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Pittsburgh sits at third with an OPS of .791, and Arizona ranks fifth with an OPS of .774.
When the Diamondbacks allow at least one home run, they are 7-22. When the Pirates allow one or more homers, they have a 14-16 record.
