Pirates

Pirates Daily: Is it Time for a Quintana Hug Watch Saturday Night?

Published

2 years ago

July 23, 2022

The Pittsburgh Pirates (39-55) did not get their unofficial second half underway the way they wanted to against the Miami Marlins (44-49). Can the Pirates snag game two and force a Sunday rubber match against the Fish?

Lineup

1. 2B Kevin Newman

2. CF Greg Allen

3. 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes

4. LF Ben Gamel

5. RF Cal Mitchell

6. 1B Josh Van Meter

7. SS Oneil Cruz

8. DH Yoshi Tsutsugo

9. C Tyler Heineman

Weather

The weather in Pittsburgh at first pitch (7:05 p.m.) looks a little gloomy with rain coming through the city from 4-6 p.m. Weather should clear up at first pitch, but expect some clouds the sky. Temp will be 80 degrees with the wind blowing Southwest at 5-10 mph.

Starters

The Pirates are expected to send out Jose Quintana (2-5, 3.99 ERA). Quintana is scheduled to face Max Meyer (0-1, 8.44 ERA) in his second career start in the big leagues.

Quintana is coming into Saturday’s game after an extremely rough start on July 15th against the Rockies. Quintana went five innings, walked two, and gave up six earned runs on seven hits. Can Quintana bounce back?

Meyer’s lone start in the big leagues had a similar line to Quintana’s on July 16th. In 5.1 innings pitched, Meyer walked one and gave up five earned runs on seven hits.

Betting Odds

There is no clear-cut favorite as of yet between the Pirates and Marlins. The Pirates are opening up as -105, whereas the Marlins are -115. The O/U is opening up at 8.5 runs. The run line opens up with the Pirates at +1.5 (-170) and the Marlins at -1.5 (+145).

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not?

Who’s Hot: Jason Delay, in his brief time with the Pirates, has exploded onto the scene with a .324 average and an OPS of .861.

Who’s Not: Diego Castillo, in his last seven games (18 at-bats), is batting .222 with four strikeouts, no walks, and no runs driven in.

Tidbits

Could this be the last time we see Jose Quintana in a Pirates uniform? With the departure of Daniel Vogelbach and trade season in full swing, Quintana could be under the hug watch.
Does the departure of Vogelbach mean we see Michael Chavis at first base full time? With his defense and bat, Chavis has been a breath of fresh air.
With Pirates’ prospect Bligh Madris getting work at first base in Triple-A, could he be Chavis’ back up soon? This is all assuming Tsutsugo stays at DH.