Rockies vs. Pirates Odds & Picks: Bet Pittsburgh As Favorite? (May 23)
(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) Pictured: Ke’Bryan Hayes.
- The Rockies travel to PIttsburgh to open a three-game series against the Pirates.
- Chad Kuhl gets the start for the Rockies and JT Brubaker will take the ball for the Pirates.
- Tony Sartori breaks down the matchup and shares his bet bet below.
Rockies vs. Pirates Odds
| Rockies Odds | +110 |
| Pirates Odds | -135 |
| Over/Under | 7.5 (-115 / -105) |
| Time | 6:35 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB.TV |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here. | |
We have the first matchup of a three-game series as the NL Central's Pittsburgh Pirates host the NL West's Colorado Rockies. This is the first matchup between these two teams this season.
Can the Pirates walk away with the victory as a short home favorite, or will the Rockies pull off the road upset?
Colorado Rockies: Will Road Woes Continue?
The Colorado Rockies enter this contest in poor form as they have lost 10 of their past 13 games. Over their past 10 games as a road underdog, the Rockies are just 1-9 straight up.
I expect this trend to continue as right-hander Chad Kuhl is projected to take the mound for Colorado. Kuhl is coming off of two awful starts, during which he went 0-2 with an 11.74 ERA.
Even if Kuhl positively regresses, the bullpen behind him is fade-worthy. Colorado's relief pitching ranks dead last in the league in ERA, 28th in BAA, 26th in SLG, 29th in wOBA, 30th in WHIP and 27th in FIP.
Colorado's pitching staff may not get much run support in this matchup either as the Rockies are slated to go against right-hander JT Brubaker. When facing right-handed pitchers on the road this season, Colorado ranks last in BA, 29th in SLG, 29th in OPS and 29th in wOBA.
Over 23 career plate appearances against Brubaker, this Colorado lineup possesses a mere .150 BA, .200 SLG and .223 wOBA.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Can Brubaker Stop the Slide?
The Pittsburgh Pirates also enter this matchup in poor form as they are just 3-5 over their past eight games. That being said, I think this is a good matchup for them to grab a win.
As I mentioned above, right-hander JT Brubaker is slated to take the mound. Brubaker has had a tough start to the season as he possesses a 5.50 ERA and 1.417 WHIP through eight starts.
That being said, his metrics suggest that Brubaker is due for some positive regression. Brubaker boasts a .319 xwOBA, .217 xBA and .423 xSLG.
In Brubaker's lone start against the Rockies last season he threw six scoreless innings and gave up just four hits. Backing up Brubaker is a very mediocre bullpen, but it is still better than Colorado's.
Pittsburgh's relief pitching ranks 23rd in the league in ERA, 15th in BA, 19th in SLG, 19th in wOBA, 22nd in WHIP and 22nd in FIP. Additionally, this pitching staff could get some good run support as the Pirates are slated to go against right-hander Chad Kuhl.
When facing right-handed pitchers at home this season the Pirates rank 21st in the league in BA, 24th in SLG, 22nd in OPS and 22nd in wOBA. While those numbers are certainly nothing to brag about, they all are better than Colorado's numbers in this matchup.
Despite the incredibly small sample size, it is worth noting that this Pirates roster has had success against Kuhl. Over 12 career plate appearances against the Colorado right-hander this current Pirates lineup boasts a .300 BA, .900 SLG and .521 wOBA.
Rockies-Pirates Pick
There is no beating around the bush in this matchup as both of these teams are very bad. That being said, the Pirates are better in almost every single category.
We are getting good value in Pittsburgh's moneyline as no one likes to bet on the Pirates. That being said, every number and metric favors them in this specific matchup and they should walk away with a win.
Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates ML (-125) | Play up to (-140)
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