Already leading the series 1-0, the Phillies (56-47, 28-27 away) are sending Aaron Nola to the mound to take on the Pirates (45-58, 23-27 home) and Quinn Priester in game two of this series. See who I like to come out on top in this National League matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at PNC Park at 7:05 ET on Saturday, July 29th.

WHY BET THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES:

  • Against the runline, the Pirates have gone 3-2 in their five games at home.
  • The Pirates come into the game on a two game win streak vs. the runline.
  • Aaron Nola has given up six home runs across his last four starts.

CAN THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES PULL OUT A WIN AS ROAD FAVORITES?

This year, the Phillies have put together a 42-61 record against the runline. On the road, their runline mark sits at 25-30. Straight-up, they are 56-47 and are 2nd in the NL East. Lately, Philadelphia has had problems on the road, losing two straight series. The team’s over/under record for the season is 42-54.

Aaron Nola is slated to take the hill for Philadelphia, having gone six-plus innings in four consecutive outings. The right-hander has put together a 9-6 record and 4.25 ERA this season, with 133 strikeouts and 30 walks. His WHIP stands at 1.07, while his WOBA allowed is .285.

In Aaron Nola’s last outing, he provided the Phillies with a quality start, yielding three runs on six hits in seven innings. Nonetheless, his efforts did not result in a decision as Philadelphia emerged victorious in an 8-5 victory over the Guardians.

As a team, Philadelphia has scuffled at the plate of late, with a combined batting average of just .179 over their last ten games. Compared to other teams, this is just 30th in that span. When looking at the team’s power numbers, they have a season-long slugging percentage of .414% while going deep a total of 112 times (17th). Overall, the Phillies are 17th in the MLB at 4.5 runs per contest.

Kyle Schwarber is the Phillies’ home-run leader in 2023, boasting 27 round-trippers and 64 RBIs. His slugging percentage for the season stands at .437.

WILL THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

103 games into the season, the Pirates have a record of 45-58, putting them 4th in the NL Central. This mark includes an overall series 11-20-2. At home, they are 23-27 compared to 22-31 on the road.

Heading into his third start of the 2023 campaign, Quinn Priester has allowed a home run in each of his outings thus far. His ERA is 9.28, with a record of 1-1, and his strikeout to walk ratio stands at 6/5. Additionally, the right-hander has a WHIP of 1.50 while opponents have posted a .256 batting average against him this season.

Quinn Priester notched a victory in his last outing against the Padres, despite surrendering four runs and four hits. The Pirates ultimately emerged victorious with a score of 8-4.

In their ten most recent games, the Pirates have put together a batting average of only .203, placing them 25th compared to the rest of the league. At 4.1 runs per game, Pittsburgh is 26th in the MLB. This figure has come on a team batting average of .235 and OPS of .694 which has them 21st in baseball.

Over the Pirates’ past five games, Bryan Reynolds has been at the top of the team in hits, batting .188. This season, he is hitting .256 and has 47 RBIs.