Phillies Look To Cool Off the Streaking Pirates

Pirates Look to Improve On Strong Mark as a Home Favorite versus the Run Line

It”s not a bad way to get things going after the MLB All-Star Game, with the National League-leading Philadelphia Phillies staying in state to meet up with one the hottest teams in the NL. The Phillies vs Pirates MLB picks have visiting Philadelphia favored in the series opener on Friday.

Pittsburgh won two of the three games on the road in the first series of the MLB season between the teams. The teams have alternated wins and losses in the last six meetings, with six of the last 10 games between the Phillies and Pirates being decided by one run. Eight of the last 12 meetings went under the total.

• The MLB betting lines have the Phillies priced at -135 to win Friday’s series opener.
• There are +130 odds for the Phillies at -1.5 on the run line.
• Pittsburgh at +115 odds to win on Friday and move over .500 for the first time since late April.

Aaron Nola is set to pitch in the series opener for the Phillies. After that, there are more questions than answers when it comes to the starting pitchers in this series.

The MLB expert picks have Philadelphia priced at -145 to win on Friday with +120 odds for the Pirates.

The Phillies are second at +500 in the odds of winning the World Series with the Pirates well back at +25000 in the MLB odds to win the World Series.

The Hits Keep Coming

They do things in a different fashion but in July, the hitting splits look pretty similar for the Phillies and the Pirates.

The Phillies are hitting .253 with 19 home runs and a .452 slugging percentage in 12 games, while the Pirates also have a .253 batting average, 21 home runs, and a .438 slugging percentage in 13 games. Keep that in mind when it comes to the Phillies vs Pirates MLB picks.

When looking at the potential MLB player prop bets today, one number that jumps out is that the Phillies are 14-for-17 on stolen bases, with the Pirates tied with the San Francisco Giants for the fewest number of attempted stolen bases in July among National League teams.

It should be noted that Philadelphia’s leader in stolen bases in July is Whit Merrifield and he was released.

Four of Philadelphia’s last five games against National League teams.

Pirates Starting to Make Some Noise

Pittsburgh was sitting at 17-22 when the Pirates made the decision to summon uber-prospect Paul Skenes from the minors.

Since the top pick in the 2023 MLB Draft joined the Pirates, Pittsburgh is 31-26. Over the last 17 games, the Pirates are 10-7. In the 10 victories, the Pirates gave up 20 runs compared to 35 in the seven losses. That could factor into the Phillies vs Pirates MLB picks.

The win-loss numbers could be even better if not for the Pirates dropping two of their last three extra-inning games.

Ten pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched in the 48 MLB games won the Pirates have ERAs under 2.50. Skenes is the only Pittsburgh pitcher to accomplish that feat in the 48 losses.

Five of Pittsburgh’s last seven games against National League East teams went under the total.

Who’s Hot

• Orion Kerkering, Philadelphia Phillies P: Kerkering has allowed nine hits and no runs with 10 strikeouts in nine innings over his last 10 appearances.
• Kyle Nicolas, Pittsburgh Pirates P: Nicolas hasn’t allowed a hit or a run in 4.1 innings over his previous five games.
• Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates OF: Reynolds is 6-for-8 with a home run and five RBIs in his last two games.
• Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies SS: Turner is hitting .417 with eight home runs in 12 games in July.

Who’s Not

• Aroldis Chapman, Pittsburgh Pirates P: In his last five games, Chapman has surrendered six hits and five runs in 5.2 innings of work.
• Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates OF: McCutchen has eight hits and 14 strikeouts in his last 11 games.
• Jose Ruiz, Philadelphia Phillies P: Ruiz has given up 10 hits, four home runs, and eight runs in 5.1 innings in his last six outings.
• Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies 2B: Stott is 4-for-24 with one extra-base hit and eight strikeouts over his last seven games.

Phillies va Pirates Injury Update

Catcher J.T. Realmuto is getting close to returning for the Phillies, but it may not happen in this series. Pitchers Yunior Marte, Dylan Covey, Taijua Walker, Spencer Turnbull, and Luis Ortiz are all on the MLB injured list.

Outfielder Andrew McCutchen is questionable for the Pirates while pitchers Bailey Falter and Jared Jones are on the injured list.

Phillies vs Pirates Betting Preview

Four of the last five games between the Phillies and Pirates landed under the total. Both baseball teams have question marks when it comes to which starting pitchers will be used in this series, so that trend might not continue.

The Phillies are 17-13 outright as a road favorite this season, while Pittsburgh is 10-11 as a home underdog. The Pirates have covered in 15 of those games while Philadelphia is 15-15 against the run line when favored at home.

• The Phillies are 25-18 outright on the road, with the Pirates two games under .500 at home.

Philadelphia is 52-25 when listed as a favorite this season.

There are mostly dry conditions as the series gets underway on Friday.

The Phillies are 13-7 in their last 20 games against the Pirates. Can Pittsburgh prove that its strong showing heading into the MLB All-Star break wasn’t a fluke?

When considering player prop options, bear in mind that Philadelphia’s Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh all have OPS marks of 1.000 or better versus the Pirates this season. Two of Ke’Bryan Hayes’ three hits this season against the Phillies have gone for extra bases.

For MLB betting news, scores and odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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