With the quantity of games left in the season dwindling, Bruce Bochy knows that he has a pivotal decision to make with his San Francisco Giants in what should feel like a bit of a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday Night Baseball.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Giants are two-games back of the Dodgers for the NL West lead, and they’re starting to fall out of the Wild Card chase. They're 65-55 entering this series with +4.36 units of profits for bettors.
The Pirates seem destined to host the NL Wild Card game yet again, as they come into this series at 71-47 and +15.39 units.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Here is Bochy's dilemma. Mike Leake has only thrown one game with the Giants since he was acquired at the trade deadline. Reports suggested that he would come off of the DL on Tuesday, but he still hasn't been activated as of Thursday night.
It's still possible that Chris Heston could get pushed back to Sunday to start this game, though he is scheduled to start Saturday right now. Leake is a potential starter as well, but if he can't go, it'll be up to Ryan Vogelsong.
There is no doubt who is going to be pitching for Pittsburgh. Francisco Liriano had a rough go of it on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, allowing five runs in seven innings, but he was bailed out by his offense in a 9-8 victory.
Pittsburgh has now won nine consecutive games which Liriano has started.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"He has a little different arm now. We've talked about that. So that consistency has been a little off, but I think it's going to keep getting better with work… He feels good. He knows he's real close." – Giants manager Bruce Bochy on Mike Leake, who is struggling to return from the DL thanks to a hamstring injury
SITUATIONAL BETTING
Nineteen straight decisions. That's what the Pirates have managed with their bullpen over the course of the last month and change. Their relievers have been fantastic, and bullpen games are literally always won by Pittsburgh at this point.
The last time a Pirates reliever was handed a loss was before the trading deadline. There isn't another bullpen in the game which has fewer than two losses since then.
PROP TALK
Nori Aoki is back from the seven-day disabled list due to the concussion he suffered last week, and that could be good news for the Giants. They badly need a replacement for Hunter Pence, who just went on the DL on Wednesday, and Aoki might be the right fit.
He's hitting .302 rather quietly this year, and he's a good bet to get onboard in this game against Liriano.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
There are a lot of unknowns in this game, and obviously, there's a big difference between Vogelsong and Leake pitching in this one.
However, the commonality here is the fact that both of these men have a good history of pitching at PNC Park.
The luck for Liriano and the Pittsburgh bullpen is destined to run out at some point, and this might be the day that it all comes crashing down for the Bucs against a very good and underrated team.
San Francisco 5, Pittsburgh 4
The baseball betting odds for this Sunday game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates will start at 8:08 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 23, 2015 at PNC Park. You can watch the contest live on ESPN.
