Free MLB Picks Today: New York Yankees vs Pittsburgh Pirates 9/20/22

The New York Yankees (88-58), one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league, are set to host the Pittsburgh Pirates (55-92) at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday for the opener of a two-game Interleague series. The Pirates are kicking off the final series of their 10-game road trip. They are coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of the Mets, dropping the finale 7-3 on Sunday at Citi Field. Oneil Cruz was 2 for 4 with a home run and a double. He drove in three runs. The Yankees are back home for a six-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Brewers in their last series, taking the finale 12-8 on Sunday at American Family Field. Aaron Judge’s on-base streak is up to 18 games as he went 4 for 5 with two home runs and a double. He scored three runs and had four RBIs. Oswaldo Cabrera went 3 for 4 with a home run and a double. He scored two runs and had two RBIs.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The teams have split their games this season 1-1, as the Yankees evened the season series with a 16-0 victory in their most recent meeting on July 6 at PNC Park. Starter Luis Severino threw six scoreless innings to get the win.

ON THE MOUND

For New York, lefty Nestor Cortes (10-4, 2.70 ERA) will toe the rubber. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Pirates. In his last start on Wednesday, Cortes got the win on the road against the Red Sox. He threw five innings and gave up one run on three hits, striking out seven and walking two in the 5-3 victory.

AT THE PLATE

The Pittsburgh offense is averaging 3.6 runs per game for the season, fourth lowest in the league, with a slash line of .221/.287/.363. Bryan Reynolds leads the team in OPS at .778. The center fielder is slashing .256/.335/.444 with 23 home runs, 54 RBIs, and 63 runs over 131 games. Against southpaws like Cortes this season, the Bucs have a .650 OPS, fourth lowest in MLB. Ke’Bryan Hayes is the team’s strongest hitter against left-handers with a .806 OPS in 140 at-bats. New York is slashing .240/.323/.426 for the season and averaging 5.0 runs per game, second best in the league. Judge leads the team with a 1.120 OPS. The right fielder has 59 home runs, 127 RBIs, and 122 runs scored with a slash line of .316/.419/.701. New York is averaging 6.2 runs per game in the last five with a better slash line (.268/.337/.486).

HOME AND AWAY

Pittsburgh is on a four-game losing streak in road games, bringing their record to 27-49 in 2022. The Bucs have scored 3.4 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.8 runs. New York has gone 50-22 at home this season, averaging 5.1 runs per game while surrendering 3.3. New York is 2-1 in three games at Yankee Stadium between the teams with an average scoreline of 4.7-3.0.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Pirates are fifth in the NL Central, 31 games behind the division-leading Cardinals. The Yankees lead the AL East by five games over the Blue Jays.