Pirates Daily: Zach Thompson Chasing Better Outing at Chase Field

Tuesday, Aug. 9, the Pittsburgh Pirates (44-65) play game two of a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks (49-59) at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Pirates are coming off a disappointing game one against the Diamondbacks, when they were shut out 3-0. The first pitch for game two is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET. 

The game will be broadcasted on AT&T Sportsnet PIT and over the airwaves on SportsRadio 93.7 THE FAN.

Starters

Zach Thompson (3-8, 5.15 ERA) is set to go for the Pirates as he will face the left-handed rookie Tommy Henry (0-1, 7.20 ERA).

Thompson is looking to change his recent fortunes. In Thompson’s last three games, he has allowed 24 hits and 17 earned runs. Not what I’d call a formula to success.

Henry, who was drafted in 2019, made his major league debut on Aug. 3 against the Cleveland Guardians. In his outing, Henry went five innings and gave up four hits, four earned runs, three walks, and three strikeouts. Henry offers five pitches but will stick primarily to his four-seam fastball and slider.

Betting Odds

The Pittsburgh Pirates open as underdogs with the moneyline reading PIT +135 and ARI -160. The O/U stands at nine runs, with the run lines looking like PIT +1.5 (-160) and ARI -1.5 (+129).

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not?

Who’s Hot: Bryan Reynolds in August is batting .360/.484/.520 in 25 at-bats. Sure, it’s a small sample size, but it is encouraging.

Who’s Not: Bligh Madris has had a rough go of things since getting recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. In his 27 at-bats, Madris has registered just two hits.

Tidbits

• Prior to Monday’s game, the Pirates have had a total of 322 games this season played by rookies, the third-highest total in baseball behind the D-backs (418) and Royals (406), and well above the Major League average of 140
  games.
• The Pirates have played in 34 games decided by one run, tied for the fourth-highest total in the NL behind the Marlins (42), Brewers (35), and D-backs (35).
• Since May 23, 47 of the team’s 68 games (69%) have been decided by two or fewer runs, including 30 of their last 40 losses (75%) in that time.

Links

• Murphy: Santiago Florez Has the Stuff, But is Still Searching For Results
• Like Soto, these 5 players will ignite the rumor mill hype machine
• Meet the brothers behind the corn at the ‘Field of Dreams’ site

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