When the 60-43 Pittsburgh Pirates traded for J.A. Happ at the trade deadline, they envisioned picking up the perfect piece to the puzzle for the back end of their rotation. We'll see how well Happ fares in his first start in a Pirates uniform on Tuesday against the 56-47 Chicago Cubs.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Happ really needed a change of scenery out of Seattle. He was just 4-6 over the course of 20 starts with a 4.64 ERA, and he really was pitching poor of late.
A move to the National League could really help Happ out, and live bettors should be aware of that. For starters, not having to face a designated hitter as he had to in most of his starts in Seattle could help, but remember too, that a FIP of 4.07 isn't exactly proportionate to his ERA of 4.64.
The rest of the peripheral stats are scary, though. Batters have put together a BABIP of .319 against the southpaw, while they are also hitting just over one home run per nine against him. Happ has to keep the ball in play in this one to be successful.
Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Dallas Keuchel, Chris Archer and Zack Greinke. That's the entire list of pitchers who have a better WAR this year than Jake Arrieta.
Arrieta has consistently been one of the best pitchers in the game this year with a 2.62 ERA and his matching 2.62 FIP, proving that he is as solid as they come in terms of backing starters in live betting.
Arrieta has already pitched against the Pirates twice this season, and though he is only 1-1 in those games, he has allowed a total of just two runs over 14 frames.
ADVANCED STATS
We'll dig a little bit deeper here into why Arrieta has been so successful against the Pirates. In that span, the Bucs batters have struck out 14 times – exactly a 9.00 K/9.
Furthermore, they just aren't getting the ball up in the air against the righty. Arrieta has had a ground ball to fly ball ratio of 7.75 in his two starts, and if that keeps up, Pittsburgh, one of the slower teams in baseball, won't be able to get a lot of men onboard.
As a result, in those first two outings against Arrieta, the Buccos managed a total of just nine hits in 14 frames.
TALKING BULLPENS
The Pirates made a wise move at the trade deadline picking up Joakim Soria from the Tigers for virtually nothing.
You might look at what this bullpen has done and see a 2.88 ERA, but know that this isn't the unit you really want to trust in live betting.
Pittsburgh's pen has a FIP of 3.75, which is just a shade below the Rockies and their suspect bullpen, and the team's bullpen WAR of 0.9 ranks just No. 22 in the game.
Mark Melancon has done a fantastic job this year, going 33-of-34 in save opportunities, and he is as legitimate of a closer as there is in the game. That said, getting the ball to him is going to be interesting. Having Soria should help out a ton and make games a lot shorter, knowing that the ball can be turned over to him in the eighth and to Melancon in the ninth without much worries. Getting to that point though, is going to be really tough if the middle of this bullpen is involved.
The MLB lines for this Tuesday contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker's live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here, and deposit at BookMaker now! The ballgame pitting the Chicago Cubs versus the Pittsburgh Pirates will commence Tuesday, August 4, 2015 at 7:05 p.m. ET at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA. You can watch the contest live on WGN.
