The Pittsburgh Pirates (40-47) are on the road to face the Arizona Diamondbacks (50-38) at Chase Field on Friday to open a three-game series.
The Pirates are in the midst of a seven-game road trip. They won only one out of four in their last series against the Dodgers, dropping the finale 5-2 on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.
Jack Suwinski was 1 for 3 with a double and one run, extending his on-base streak to 10 games. The Diamondbacks are in the midst of a six-game homestand.
They are coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Mets, dropping the finale 9-0 on Thursday at Chase Field for their fourth straight loss. Nick Ahmed went 1 for 1.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Diamondbacks have won two of three in the season series between the teams, including an 8-3 victory in their most recent meeting on May 21 at PNC Park. Merrill Kelly went five innings for the win, giving up three runs (2 ER) on three hits.
ON THE MOUND
Rich Hill (7-8, 4.50 ERA) is set to get the start for Pittsburgh. The lefty allowed three runs over five innings in his last start, a 6-3 road defeat against the Brewers on Sunday. He was charged with the loss, scattering three hits while striking out eight and walking two.
RHP Zac Gallen (10-3, 3.15 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona. He has made one prior start against the Pirates this season, giving up eight runs (5 ER) over 3.2 innings in a 13-3 road defeat on May 19. He gave up eight hits and walked four while striking out two in the loss.
In his last start on Sunday, Gallen took the loss on the road against the Angels. He threw seven innings and gave up four runs on five hits, striking out 12 and walking one in the 5-2 defeat. The righty is tied for the NL lead in wins and is tied for fourth in strikeouts (120).
AT THE PLATE
The Pittsburgh offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .241/.318/.391. Suwinski leads the team in OPS at .889. The right fielder is slashing .236/.365/.524 with 19 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 40 runs over 77 games.
Against righties like Gallen this season, the Bucs have a .698 OPS. Suwinski also is the team’s best performer against right-handers with a .961 OPS in 173 at-bats. Arizona is slashing .259/.326/.430 for the season and averaging 5.0 runs per game.
Corbin Carroll leads the team with a .924 OPS. The center fielder has 18 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 61 runs scored with a slash line of .290/.365/.559.
Arizona is averaging only 2.2 runs per game in the last five with their slash line slipping across the board (.184/.253/.301). The D-backs have a .720 OPS against Southpaws in 2023.
With a .950 OPS over 64 at-bats, Evan Longoria has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Pittsburgh is 18-26 away from home in 2023, scoring 4.3 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Arizona has lost five in a row in front of their home fans.
The D-backs are 24-23 at home this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game while surrendering 4.7. Arizona is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings at Chase Field with an average scoreline of 6.5-3.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Pirates are fourth in the NL Central, eight games behind the division-leading Reds. The Diamondbacks lead the NL West by zero games over the Dodgers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Arizona D-Backs -1.5 (+100)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
