Luis Ortiz is expected to make his first start of the season as the Pittsburgh Pirates (21-15) face off against the Colorado Rockies (14-22) at PNC Park on Tuesday. The Pirates took Monday’s series opener 2-0, their fifth straight head-to-head victory, including all four games this season. Starter Mitch Keller threw a complete game shutout.
He allowed only four hits, striking out eight and walking one en route to the win. Rodolfo Castro went 1 for 2 with a home run and two RBIs in the win. Kris Bryant was 2 for 4 for the Rockies.
ON THE MOUND
Connor Seabold (0-0, 5.30 ERA) is set to start for Colorado. The RHP allowed three runs over five innings in his last start, a 9-6 road win over the Brewers on Thursday.
He yielded seven hits while striking out one in the no-decision. Seabold has made one previous appearance against the Pirates this season, a 14-3 home loss on April 17.
He allowed two hits over 2.1 scoreless innings.For Pittsburgh, righty Ortiz will toe the rubber, his season debut. He was 0-2 over four starts last season with an ERA of 4.50. He struck out 17 and walked 10 over 16.0 innings.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Colorado has averaged 5.4 runs a game, up from their season average of 4.2, thanks in part to better on-base performance (.344 vs .318). Against right-handed pitchers like Ortiz this season, the Rockies have a .718 OPS.
Elias Diaz is the team’s strongest performer against right-handers with a 1.001 OPS in 77 at-bats. Pittsburgh is averaging only 1.4 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.6 for the season, with their slash line dropping across the board (.184/.253/.276).
The Bucs have a .732 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a 1.039 OPS over 66 at-bats, Jack Suwinski has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Colorado is 7-13 away from Coors Field in 2023, scoring 3.6 runs per game while allowing 4.0 runs. Pittsburgh has gone 10-7 at home this season, averaging 3.9 runs per game while surrendering 4.6. In the last 10 games between the teams at PNC Park, Pittsburgh is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.6-3.2.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rockies are fifth in the NL West, seven games behind the division-leading Dodgers. The Pirates lead the NL Central by zero games over the Brewers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Pittsburgh Pirates (-165)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
