ODDS ANALYSIS
After taking six of seven games last season from the Phillies, the Pirates are at it again, winning the first two of a four-game set and extending their win streak to four following Tuesday’s 7-2 victory. A trip to Citizens Bank Park is just what the Buccos need to jumpstart their season, building off a series win over division-leading St. Louis over the weekend. Pittsburgh has won 10 of the last 12 meetings at Philadelphia averaging five runs. Showing signs of an awakened offensive attack, the over is 4-2 in Pittsburgh’s last six games and the Bucs are in the black 3.9 units.
It’s been a struggle for the Phillies on the field and at the betting window. They lost their fourth straight game and sixth in the last seven Tuesday and have settled into the basement in the NL East. The Phils are down 2.85 units through the first five of a 10-game homestand and 9.37 units on the moneyline for the season. They’re even more of a risk on the runline in the red 12.20 units on the season. Philadelphia is the worst run producing team in baseball at fewer than three per game but the over has been a surprising play going 5-3-1 in the last nine and 16-12-6 on the year. Aaron Harang has proven to be the ace of the staff with the club winning four of his seven starts with the under at 4-1-2.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Vance Worley (2-2, 4.63 ERA) allowed five earned runs in five innings Saturday in a no-decision against the Cardinals. After a quality start in his previous outing, Worley gave up five runs in the fourth inning and didn’t record a strikeout against the Cardinals. He is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three road starts this season.
Worley has faced his former team just once getting a win after allowing four hits and three runs with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
Aaron Harang (3-3, 2.38 ERA) made one bad pitch and it cost him in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Mets. An elevated cutter turned into a two-run home run, spoiling an otherwise fine effort in which he allowed three runs – two earned – on eight hits while striking out two in seven innings.
Harang has started 28 games in his career against the Pirates posting a 16-8 record and 4.04 ERA in 180.2 innings. He took the loss against the Bucs giving up a run on four hits with seven K’s in his last confrontation with Pittsburgh on Sept. 22, 2014.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“We might be a little challenged as far as overall talent at the major league level right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t play a winning-type of baseball. That’s what we’re focused on. That and watching guys develop. Our focus right now is watching the improvement and watching the development of players.” – Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Even a potential Hall of Famer can go through a truly horrendous stretch. Just ask Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, who extended his hit streak to four-straight games Tuesday to raise his average to .127. It’s early but it’s also rare for a regular starter to be hitting that poorly. And it’s not like we could see this coming. Sure he’s 37 now, and the skills will decline with age, but to have it happen so fast is astonishing. Since 2010 only four players have finished the season hitting under .200 while still qualifying for the batting title and the lack of production puts manager Ryne Sandberg in a tough spot. There’s certainly a chance Utley will emerge from this slump and be a productive player again, but how long can the Phils wait?
PROP TALK
Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutcheon has got his groove on and that’s trouble for the rest of the NL. After going hitless in four at-bats against the Reds on May 5 dropping his average to .185, McCutcheon hit safely in six of his next seven games with 10 hits in 26 ABs, getting his average up to .229 with a pair of hits Tuesday, including his third home run and first since April 12. The perennial MVP candidate, who has a .300 lifetime average against Aaron Harang, will take his hacks against the veteran righty on Thursday and will be successful.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Josh Harrison had a breakout season in 2014 earning a contract extension from the Pirates. He’s repaid them by floundering at the start of this season, even getting benched in favor of Jung Ho Kang. It hasn’t helped that superstar Andrew McCutcheon has also struggled, eliminating two big sticks from the middle of the order. But we are starting to see a turnaround from both players and he results are following. “We’re not where we need to be yet and that’s the great thing,” McCutcheon said.
The Phillies can relate to the Pirates hitting woes because they are right there with them at the bottom of the league rankings. It’s hard to win when you don’t score and that’s been an issue with the Phils, last in the majors in runs with fewer than three per game. Outside of Thursday’s starter Aaron Harang, the pitching hasn’t been much better and management has essentially raised the white flag on the season by sending Cody Asche to the minors to learn a new position and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. saying the team is a “little challenged as far as overall talent at the major league level.” Harang will deal, like he always does, but the challenged Phils fall.
Pittsburgh 5, Philadelphia 2
The MLB lines for this 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!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Pittsburgh Pirates versus the Philadelphia Phillies will commence Thursday, May 14, 2015, at 1:05 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
