Pirates
Pirates Daily: Brubaker & Bucs Have Chance to Play Spoiler
Saturday, Sept. 10, the Pittsburgh Pirates (51-86) square off against the National League Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals (81-58) at 7:35 p.m. at PNC Park.
The Pirates are coming off an 8-2 win against the Cardinals on Saturday night in the opener of a three-game series. The Cardinals have now lost back-to-back games for the first time since late July. The Pirates’ Friday’s victory marked two straight series in which they won the opener.
The game will be aired on AT&T Sportsnet PIT and can be heard on 93.7 The Fan
Starters
Starting Saturday night for the Pirates will be JT Brubaker (3-11, 4.35 ERA). Brubaker’s last start on Sunday against the Blue Jays was a decent one. Brubaker pitched 5.1 innings while giving up two earned runs.
Starting for the Cardinals will be Jack Flaherty (0-1, 4.15 ERA). Since Flaherty returned from the 60-day injured list with a right shoulder strain Monday, he’s had one start. He went five innings and allowed one earned run and one walk with six strikeouts.
Betting Odds
The Cardinals open up as -200 favorites, with the Pirates listed as +170 underdogs on the moneyline. The Cardinals’ runline of -1.5 stands at -115, whereas the Pirates’ +1.5 is -106. The O/U is 7.5.
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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not
Who’s Hot: Oneil Cruz is at it again! Friday night, the rookie went 3 of 5 falling a home run short of the cycle. He is on a six-game hitting streak, tying a career best.
Who’s Not: Jason Delay had a rough night behind the plate for the Pirates. Delay dropped a third strike, allowed two stolen bases, and dropped a pop-up in foul ground.
Tidbits:
- Cruz has the 10 highest exit velocities for the Pirates this season after his 117-mph single Friday night.
- Cruz has a six-game hitting streak
- Roansy Contreras has 75 strikeouts since he made his MLB debut on Sept. 29 2021. That is the second-most strikeouts by a Pirates pitcher age 22 or younger during the PNC era (since 2001). Oliver Perez holds the record with 189.
Links
Potanko: Pittsburgh Pirates Must Find Mix Between Young Players, Competent Veterans (+)
Derek Shelton, Greg Allen React To MLB’s Rule Changes For 2023
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