Leading up to game three of this National League battle, the Pirates (46-58, 24-27 home) will send Rich Hill to the mound to take on the Phillies (56-48, 28-28 away) and Cristopher Sánchez. Find out who I like to come out on top in this Philadelphia Phillies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates matchup in Pittsburgh.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates +127

This game will be played at PNC Park at 1:35 ET on Sunday, July 30th.

WHY BET THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES:

  • In their previous five games, the Pirates have a record of 3-2.
  • The Pirates have gone 3-2 in their five games at home.
  • Cristopher Sánchez has given up five home runs across his last four starts.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES STRUGGLING VS RUNLINE OF LATE

This year, the Phillies have put together a 42-62 record against the runline. On the road, their runline mark sits at 25-31. Straight-up, they are 56-48 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 43-54.

Philadelphia pitcher Cristopher Sánchez has not had the best of luck in 2023, entering with an 0-3 record and 2.98 ERA. On the road, Sánchez has been particularly impressive, boasting a .75 ERA. However, his home ERA is 3.82. His season-long WHIP stands at .97 while his opponents’ batting average against him is .215 and slugging percentage is .387.

Cristopher Sánchez put forth a solid performance in his last start, tossing seven innings and giving up two runs. Unfortunately, the Phillies were unable to come out on top, losing 3-2 to the Orioles.

Having gone deep 3 times in their last five games, the Phillies are 9th in that span. At 4.5 runs per game, Philadelphia is 18th in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .255 while hitting a total of 112 home runs (18th).

The Phillies’ offensive leader this season has been Kyle Schwarber. Heading into today’s game, the slugger is batting .185 with 65 runs batted in and 27 home runs.

WILL THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

On a record of 46-58, the Pirates are 4th in the NL Central. At home, they have put together a win percent of 47.1% compared to 41.5% on the road. This season, Pittsburgh has gone 23-45 against teams who are above .500, and hold an overall series record of 11-20-2.

Rich Hill is set to make his 22nd appearance of the season today, boasting a 7-10 record. His ERA stands at 4.82 and opponents are batting .323 against him. The veteran pitcher has struck out 97 batters and holds a WHIP of 1.47. On the road, Hill’s ERA is 4.94, while it’s slightly higher at 5.18 when he pitches at home.

Rich Hill’s most recent outing resulted in a loss to the Padres, as he allowed two runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of work.

So far this season, the Pirates’ has gone deep 98 times, placing them 22nd in the league. Over Pittsburgh’s previous five games, they are 13th in runs scored, with their season average of 4.1 runs per game putting them 25th in the league. The Pirates’ overall team batting average stands at .236 along with an OBP of .312.

Jack Suwinski has been a key contributor to the Pirates’ offensive success this season. With a batting average of .229, he has driven in 52 runs and hit 21 home runs.