Pittsburgh Pirates (47-58) vs Detroit Tigers (47-59)
Game Info: Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 7:05 pm (PNC Park)
Johan Oviedo (4-11) (4.60) vs Matt Manning (3-2) (4.32)
Betting Odds: Pittsburgh Pirates -115 / Detroit Tigers -105 --- Over/Under: 8.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Detroit Tigers will play the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 1 of their series on Tuesday night at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Tigers have started to fall back in the AL Central and they will probably trade at least two pitchers before the deadline on Tuesday afternoon. Pittsburgh started the season playing very well, but they have faded over the last couple of months.
Tigers Preview
The Detroit Tigers are 47-59 this season and they have lost five of their last six games. Detroit is coming off of a series loss to Miami, where they lost two out of three games. The Tigers played well in the first few series after the All-Star break, but they have lost five of their last six to Miami and the Angels. The Detroit pitching staff has a 4.49 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and a .246 opponent batting average this season. The Tigers offense has scored 417 runs with a .232 batting average and a .300 on base percentage. Spencer Torkelson is batting .229 with 15 home runs and 59 RBI’s for the Tigers. The projected starting pitcher for Detroit is Matt Manning, who is 3-2 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP over 41.2 innings pitched this year.
Pirates Preview
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 47-58 this season and they have won four of their last six games. Pittsburgh is coming off of a series win against the Phillies, where they won two out of three games. The Pirates got the offense going in Games 2 and 3 of that series, scoring 13 total runs in the two wins. The Pittsburgh pitching staff has a 4.50 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, and a .251 opponent batting average. The Pirates offense has scored 435 runs with a .236 batting average and a .313 on base percentage this year. Jack Suwinski is batting .229 with 21 home runs and 52 RBI’s for the Pirates. The projected starting pitcher for Pittsburgh is Johan Oviedo, who is 4-11 with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP over 117.1 innings pitched this season,
Pittsburgh Pirates Team Facts
- The Pirates have lost each of their last six night games against AL Central opponents.
- The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 18 games as home favourites against American League opponents following a win.
- The Pirates have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last eight night games against AL Central opponents.
- The Pirates have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last six night games against AL Central opponents.
- The Pirates have lost the first inning in three of their last four games as home favourites against American League opponents.
Detroit Tigers Team Facts
- The Tigers have won eight of their last nine games as underdogs against NL Central opponents following a road loss.
- The Tigers have covered the run line in each of their last nine games as underdogs against NL Central opponents following a loss.
- The Tigers have led after 3 innings in three of their last four games as underdogs against National League opponents.
- The Tigers have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last six night games against opponents that held a losing record.
- The Tigers have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last four night games.
Pittsburgh Pirates Player Prop Facts
- Ji-Man Choi has hit a home run in three of his last five appearances against AL opponents.
- Ji-Man Choi has recorded at least one RBI in four of his last five appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Andrew McCutchen has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 11 home appearances against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- Andrew McCutchen has recorded two or more total bases in four of his last five home appearances against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- Bryan Reynolds has scored a run in each of the Pirates' last four home games.
Detroit Tigers Player Prop Facts
- Javier Baez has recorded two or more total bases in six of his last seven road appearances against the Pirates after not playing the previous day.
- Javier Baez has scored at least one run in each of the Tigers' last four games.
- Zach McKinstry has hit a home run in two of the Tigers' last three night games against NL opponents that held a losing record.
- Spencer Torkelson has recorded at least one RBI in four of the Tigers' last five games against NL Central opponents.
- Riley Greene has recorded at least one hit in each of the Tigers' last seven games against NL opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks 27th in the league for runs scored this season (435).
- The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks 26th in the league for slugging percentage this season (.385).
- The Detroit Tigers ranks 28th in the league for RBI's this season (404).
- The Detroit Tigers ranks 28th in the league for batting average this season (.232).
Pick
Both of these teams come into this game with very similar records, but the Tigers have the benefit of playing in the worst division in baseball. Detroit was trying to make a push in the race for the AL Central, but they are now 12 games under .500 and out of it in my opinion. Detroit is starting Matt Manning, who has pitched well this year, but did allow seven earned runs to the Angels in his last start. Pittsburgh is starting Johan Oviedo, who has allowed 1, 5, 1, 5, and 8 earned runs in his last five starts. I think Manning will bounce back from that poor start against the Angels and I like the Tigers on the road here.
David’s Pick Tigers ML
AUTHOR: David Racey
Mitch's Take...
