The Pittsburgh Pirates (55-90) are on the road to face the New York Mets (91-55) at Citi Field on Saturday. The Mets lead the series 2-0 after winning 4-3 on Friday, their fourth straight head-to-head victory and fourth in five games this season. Taijuan Walker went 7.1 innings for the win, giving up three runs (2 ER) on five hits, and Edwin Diaz threw 1.2 scoreless innings to earn his 30th save. Daniel Vogelbach went 1 for 2 with a solo home run and two walks in the win. Eduardo Escobar added a double and two runs. Oneil Cruz was 1 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs for the Pirates.
ON THE MOUND
Bryse Wilson (3-8, 6.03 ERA) is slated to take the mound for Pittsburgh. The right-hander allowed three runs over 5.2 innings in his last start, a 6-3 home win over the Reds on Monday. He was credited with the win, giving up seven hits while striking out four and walking two. Wilson has made one previous appearance against the Mets this season, a 5-1 home loss on September 7. He surrendered four runs on seven hits over six innings, striking out three. RHP Chris Bassitt (13-8, 3.44 ERA) gets the start for New York. He has made one prior start against the Pirates this season, giving up one runs over seven innings in a 5-1 road win on September 7. He gave up five hits and walked one, while striking out 10 in the win. In his last start on Monday, Bassitt took the loss at home against the Cubs. He threw 3.2 innings and gave up five runs on five hits, striking out two and walking two in the 5-2 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Pittsburgh has averaged 4.2 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 3.6. Against righties like Bassitt this season, the Bucs have a .651 OPS, third lowest in the league. Bryan Reynolds is the team’s strongest hitter against right-handers with a .790 OPS in 343 at-bats. New York is averaging only 3.4 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.7 for the season, with their slash line falling across the board (.231/.313/.381). The Mets have a .756 OPS against right-handers in 2022, third highest in MLB. With a .376 OBP over 285 at-bats, Jeff McNeil has their highest on-base percentage against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Pittsburgh is 27-47 in away games in 2022, scoring 3.4 runs per game while allowing 4.7 runs. New York has gone 48-26 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. New York is 7-3 in the last 10 games at Citi Field between the teams with an average scoreline of 5.5-3.7.
The Pirates are fifth in the NL Central, 30 games behind the division-leading Cardinals. The Mets lead the NL East by one games over the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
New York Mets (-350)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
