The Brewers (59-51, 30-24 home) will host the Pirates (48-60, 22-32 away) in game two of this NL Central series. Starting for the Brewers is Colin Rea, while the Pirates are giving the ball to Quinn Priester. Read on to see my pick for this showdown between Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS MILWAUKEE BREWERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at American Family Field at 8:10 ET on Friday, August 4th.

WHY BET THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES:

  • The Pirates will be taking on a Brewers club that is just 2-3 vs. the runline over their last five games.
  • In their last five games as the underdog, the Pirates have put together a runline record of 3-2.
  • Colin Rea has given up four away runs across his last three starts.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES HAVE STRUGGLED AGAINST THE NL CENTRAL

The Pirates enter today’s game with an overall record of 48-60 which includes going 24-46 against teams with above .500 records. As of today, they are 4th in the NL Central. Across their 34 series, Pittsburgh is 12-19-3 and have records of 22-32 and 26-28 on the road and at home, respectively.

Pittsburgh is hoping for another impressive showing from Quinn Priester, who has earned victories in his last two outings. His ERA currently stands at 9.19 and he holds a 2-1 record. He has tallied 13 strikeouts over the course of the season and opponents are batting .262 against him. Teams have managed a .574 slugging percentage when facing Priester.

The Pirates were victorious in the last outing for Quinn Priester, emerging with a 7-6 win over the Phillies. The right-hander pitched five frames, surrendering five hits and five earned runs to his name. His record now stands at 1-0 for the 2023 season.

For the season, the Pirates are 18th in batting average, hitting a combined .236. Over their last five games, they have hit .255 which is 8th in that span. Pittsburgh’s average of 4.1 runs per game puts them 25th in the league. In terms of home runs, they have gone deep 101 times and have a team slugging percentage of .383.

Over the Pirates’ past five contests, Bryan Reynolds has been their most prolific hitter, batting .421. For the 2023 campaign, Reynolds is hitting .263 and has plated 49 runs.

WILL THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

On an overall record of 59-51, the Brewers are 1st in the NL Central. In their 34 series, Milwaukee has gone 17-16-1 which includes losing each of their last three sets. On the road, the Brewers are 29-27 and are 30-24 at home.

Colin Rea has made 19 appearances this season, with a .421 slugging percentage allowed and a 1.20 WHIP. His overall record stands at 5-4, with an ERA of 4.76 and 83 strikeouts – averaging 7.75 K’s per nine innings. On the road, Rea is 3-2 with an ERA of 4.73; at home, he is 2-2 with an ERA of 5.95.

Colin Rea’s most recent outing resulted in a no-decision for the Brewers’ 8-6 loss to the Braves. The right-hander pitched five innings, allowing five runs on five hits.

Having gone deep 6 times in their last five games, the Brewers are 6th in that span. At 4.2 runs per game, Milwaukee is 22nd in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .234 while hitting a total of 115 home runs (21st).

Brice Turang has been the leader in home runs for the Brewers over their last five games, with one. He has hit a total of five homers this season, and is batting .221.