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Pittsburgh Pirates Battle Bumgarner, SF Giants
A pair of teams that have hit the skids at the wrong time of year are going to engage in MLB betting warfare on Tuesday night at AT&T Park where the San Francisco Giants host the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Bucs were once the best team for baseball bettors, up over 15 units on the season. Since that point though, Pittsburgh has stumbled 10 straight times and fallen clear out of the NL postseason picture, and it will be a struggle just to get back to the .500 mark by season's end.
San Fran is still in a dogfight in the NL West, clawing with the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in a division that very well could only end up getting one postseason slot.
These two meet Tuesday for the second of their 3-game set at 7:15 p.m. (PT) with live television coverage on ROOT Sports TV and Comcast Sports Bay Area.
The pitching staff has been absolutely crippled over these two weeks for Pittsburgh. The unit has allowed at least 10 runs in four of its last 10 games, and at least five runs in nine of the 10. Allowing 8.20 runs per game at any stretch of the season isn't good, especially over 10 games, seven of which came at home against the lowly San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs.
James McDonald will try to stop the bleeding on Tuesday night.
The righty doesn't really have great credentials of late, allowing nine runs and 14 hits in his last 12 innings of work, including five home runs. He is 7-5 on the campaign and has a 4.23 ERA, but things could be significantly worse based upon his splits.
McDonald is letting batters hit .275 and issuing far too many walks – 54 in 121 1/3-innings of work.
Earlier this year, McDonald earned the one win for the Pirates in a 3-game series against the Giants, throwing six shutout innings and allowing just four hits in the process.
Perhaps the better panacea for Pirates pitching ills is just how bad San Francisco's offense has been. The Giants have averaged just 2.24 runs per game over the last 17 games, scoring more than four runs just once. To no surprise, the team is just 6-11 in this stretch.
You don't have to remind San Francisco's Tuesday pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, just how bad the G-Men have been with their sticks. They're averaging just 2.9 runs per game with him on the mound this season.
Bumgarner is 6-11, but he has the credentials to be an 11-6 pitcher. He has a K/BB ratio of nearly 4/1 and is doing a great job keeping the ball in the park, allowing just seven homers in 23 starts. The southpaw also has a 3.71 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.
As if things couldn't get any worse for the Pirates, not only has the Jolly Roger not been raised since the trade deadline, but they are just 3-10 in their last 13 tries against the Giants to boot.
Expect a cool, brisk night in the Bay Area on Tuesday. Temperatures will be in the low-50s and skies will be clear, but there should be wind out of the west around 15 mph (out to center).
A pair of teams that have hit the skids at the wrong time of year are going to engage in MLB betting warfare on Tuesday night at AT&T Park where the San Francisco Giants host the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Bucs were once the best team for baseball bettors, up over 15 units on the season. Since that point though, Pittsburgh has stumbled 10 straight times and fallen clear out of the NL postseason picture, and it will be a struggle just to get back to the .500 mark by season's end.
San Fran is still in a dogfight in the NL West, clawing with the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in a division that very well could only end up getting one postseason slot.
These two meet Tuesday for the second of their 3-game set at 7:15 p.m. (PT) with live television coverage on ROOT Sports TV and Comcast Sports Bay Area.
The pitching staff has been absolutely crippled over these two weeks for Pittsburgh. The unit has allowed at least 10 runs in four of its last 10 games, and at least five runs in nine of the 10. Allowing 8.20 runs per game at any stretch of the season isn't good, especially over 10 games, seven of which came at home against the lowly San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs.
James McDonald will try to stop the bleeding on Tuesday night.
The righty doesn't really have great credentials of late, allowing nine runs and 14 hits in his last 12 innings of work, including five home runs. He is 7-5 on the campaign and has a 4.23 ERA, but things could be significantly worse based upon his splits.
McDonald is letting batters hit .275 and issuing far too many walks – 54 in 121 1/3-innings of work.
Earlier this year, McDonald earned the one win for the Pirates in a 3-game series against the Giants, throwing six shutout innings and allowing just four hits in the process.
Perhaps the better panacea for Pirates pitching ills is just how bad San Francisco's offense has been. The Giants have averaged just 2.24 runs per game over the last 17 games, scoring more than four runs just once. To no surprise, the team is just 6-11 in this stretch.
You don't have to remind San Francisco's Tuesday pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, just how bad the G-Men have been with their sticks. They're averaging just 2.9 runs per game with him on the mound this season.
Bumgarner is 6-11, but he has the credentials to be an 11-6 pitcher. He has a K/BB ratio of nearly 4/1 and is doing a great job keeping the ball in the park, allowing just seven homers in 23 starts. The southpaw also has a 3.71 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.
As if things couldn't get any worse for the Pirates, not only has the Jolly Roger not been raised since the trade deadline, but they are just 3-10 in their last 13 tries against the Giants to boot.
Expect a cool, brisk night in the Bay Area on Tuesday. Temperatures will be in the low-50s and skies will be clear, but there should be wind out of the west around 15 mph (out to center).
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