The Pittsburgh Pirates (56-96) host the Chicago Cubs (66-86) at PNC Park on Sunday with the home team eyeing a split of the four-game series. The Pirates won 6-0 on Saturday for their first win of the series, their ninth head-to-head victory in 18 games this season. Johan Oviedo threw seven scoreless innings- striking out seven – to get the win. Jack Suwinski went 1 for 2 with a home run and three RBIs in the win over the Cubs.
ON THE MOUND
Adrian Sampson (2-5, 3.35 ERA) is set to get the start for Chicago. The right-hander allowed one run over six innings in his last start, a 2-1 road win over the Marlins on Tuesday. He yielded eight hits while striking out three and walking one in the no-decision. Sampson has made one previous start against the Pirates this season, a 3-2 home victory on July 25. He surrendered two runs on six hits over seven innings, striking out three and walking one. Southpaw Luis Ortiz (0-0, 0.84 ERA) will take the mound for Pittsburgh. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Cubs. In his last start on Tuesday, Ortiz took a no-decision on the road against the Yankees. He threw five innings and gave up two runs (1 ER) on three hits, striking out five and walking two in the 9-8 loss.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Chicago has averaged 3.0 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 4.0. Against left-handed pitchers like Ortiz this season, the Cubs have a .696 OPS. Patrick Wisdom is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a .852 OPS in 117 at-bats. Pittsburgh is averaging 4.6 runs per game in the last five, up from 3.6 for the season, with a stronger slugging percentage (.380 vs .364). The Bucs have a .652 OPS against righties in 2022, third lowest in MLB. With a .823 OPS over 361 at-bats, Bryan Reynolds has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 35-42 on the road in 2022, scoring 4.0 runs per game while allowing 4.9 runs. Pittsburgh has gone 29-45 at PNC Park this season, averaging 3.8 runs per game while surrendering 5.2. In the last 10 games at PNC Park between the NL Central rivals, each club has won five, though Pittsburgh has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 5.2-4.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cubs are third in the NL Central, 22 games behind the division-leading Cardinals. The Pirates are fifth in the NL Central, 32 games behind the Cardinals.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Pittsburgh Pirates (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
