The Pittsburgh Pirates (55-88) take one of the lightest-hitting offenses in MLB on the road to face the New York Mets (89-55) at Citi Field on Thursday to open a four-game series. The Pirates are in the midst of a 10-game road trip. They are coming off a four-game sweep of the Reds, taking the finale 10-4 on Wednesday at Great American Ball Park. Ke’Bryan Hayes was 3 for 5 with a double, one run, and one RBI. The Mets are in the midst of a seven-game homestand. They were just swept in three games against the Cubs, dropping the finale 6-3 on Wednesday at Citi Field. Tomas Nido went 2 for 3 with a solo home run.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Mets have won two of three in the season series between the teams, including a 10-0 victory in their most recent meeting on September 7 at PNC Park. Jacob deGrom threw seven scoreless innings- striking out eight – for the win.
ON THE MOUND
JT Brubaker (3-11, 4.35 ERA) is in line to start for Pittsburgh. The RHP allowed three runs over six innings in his last start, a 7-5 road defeat against the Cardinals on Saturday. He scattered six hits while striking out three and walking two in the no-decision. Brubaker is making his first appearance against the Mets this season. Over two starts against the Mets in 2021, Brubaker was 0-1 with a 10.38 ERA over 8.2 innings. He had 12 strikeouts and four walks. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (14-6, 3.91 ERA) will toe the rubber for New York. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Pirates. In his last start on Saturday, Carrasco got the win on the road against the Marlins. He threw six innings and gave up one run on four hits, striking out six, in the 11-3 victory. The RHP is tied for fifth in the NL in wins.
AT THE PLATE
The Pittsburgh offense is averaging 3.6 runs per game for the season, fourth lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .223/.289/.366. Bryan Reynolds leads the team in OPS at .789. The center fielder is slashing .257/.337/.451 with 23 home runs, 54 RBIs, and 63 runs over 127 games. Over the last five games, however, Pittsburgh has averaged 5.2 runs a game while slashing better across the board (.250/.309/.455). Against right-handed pitchers like Carrasco this season, the Bucs have a .655 OPS, third lowest in the league. Reynolds also is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .794 OPS in 336 at-bats. New York is slashing .258/.329/.410 for the season and averaging 4.7 runs per game. Pete Alonso leads the team with a .849 OPS. The first baseman has 35 home runs, 111 RBIs, and 78 runs scored with a slash line of .268/.344/.505. The Mets have a .755 OPS against right-handers in 2022, third highest in the league. With a .856 OPS over 408 at-bats, Alonso also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Pittsburgh is on a four-game winning streak in road games, bringing their record to 27-45 in 2022. The Bucs have scored 3.5 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.7 runs. New York has lost five in a row at their home ballpark. The Mets are 46-26 at home this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. New York is 6-4 in the last 10 games at Citi Field between the teams with an average scoreline of 5.2-4.2.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Pirates are fifth in the NL Central, 29 games behind the division-leading Cardinals. The Mets lead the NL East by zero games over the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
New York Mets (-250)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
