The Miami Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates begin a four-game MLB betting series tonight, their second following a three-game set in late April which Pittsburgh won 2-1. Both teams are below .500.
Time: 7:05 PM
Venue: PNC Park
Sportsbook MLB betting odds
Marlins +1½ (-175) 8½ (-115) +129
Pirates -1½ (+155) 8½ (-105) -139
Miami
On the mound: Edinson Volquez (RHP, 2-7, 3.79 ERA, 57 K) struck out 10 and walked two on Saturday against Arizona – his first no-hitter and sixth in the history of the franchise. Additionally, he had 25 strikes and his 25.5% called-strike rate is his highest in a single game since the beginning of 2015.However, he crashed into Rey Fuentes and has been experiencing discomfort in his right ankle. The Dominican right-hander threw a bullpen session on Tuesday, and did some running to ensure he would be able to move around. Manager Don Mattingly expects Volquez to be close to 100% tonight. Did Mattingly ever shave those sideburns? Volquez allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings in his previous appearance versus the Bucs during the Royals 2015 World Series-winning season.
At bat: Catcher J.T. Realmuto is 9-for-11 with one home run against the Pirates starter, while Christian Yelich, Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton and Ichiro Suzuki are a combined 18-for-45 (.400).
Miscellanea: The Marlins swept the Pirates 3-0 the last time they met in the Steel City.
Trends for fans who bet on baseball: Miami has win and covered in eight of the last 11 games but lost nine of the last 13 on the road and failed to cover in two thirds of the last six road games. The MLB betting total has gone over in four of the Marlins’ last six games and over in six of their last nine on the road.
Pittsburgh
On the mound: Gerrit Cole (RHP, 3-5, 4.27 ERA, 61 K) has not pitched beyond the fifth inning in his last three starts, during which he gave up 16 earned runs – compared to 18 on his first nine appearances. Cole allowed the Mets seven runs and three home runs on eight hits in five innings on Friday. Cole made eight consecutive quality starts from April 9th to May 17th but his ERA has ballooned from 2.84 to where it is now since. Cole surrendered three runs on 12 hits and walked three in his last game against Miami on August 2016.
Trends for fans who bet on baseball: The Bucs have failed to cover in their last five home games as well as in five of their last seven meetings with the Marlins. Moreover, they have dropped seven of their last nine encounters with Miami. On the upside, the Pirates have prevailed in 11 of their last 15 times hosting the Marlins. The MLB betting total has gone over in the Bucs’ last six games, under in 12 of their last 17 versus Miami, and under in five of the Marlins’ last six visits to PNC Park.