The Marlins and Pirates face off in an NL matchup at 12:35 PM ET at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The money line odds have the Pirates as the heavy favorite at -178, while the Marlins are sitting at +150. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs.
Miami comes into the game on a two-game losing streak, and they are 54-91 overall. Pittsburgh is 69-76 and they have won three straight. Jonathan Bermudez is starting for the Marlins, and he will be facing off against Bailey Falter for the Pirates. SN PT is carrying this game on TV.
Jonathan Bermúdez Set for First Start as Marlins Look to Break Losing Streak
Jonathan Bermúdez will be making his first start of the season for the Marlins, as he has made a couple of appearances out of the bullpen. In his first outing, he went one inning, giving up 1 run on 1 hit. Then, he went 3 2/3 innings in his second appearance, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits. The Marlins’ offense has been led by Jake Burger and Jesús Sánchez this season, with Burger leading the team in home runs (25) and RBI (61). Josh Bell is currently on a 7-game hitting streak. Miami is 5th in the NL East and 33 games behind the Phillies. They are 54-91 overall and 16-29 in divisional games. The Marlins are 0-2 in their current series with the Pirates.
Miami is 36-34 against the run line on the road this season, but they have lost their last two games against the run line. They are 66-61 against the run line as the underdog, but just 2-16 as the favorite. The Marlins are 28-47 at home and 26-44 on the road this season. Their over/under record is 79-62 overall, and today’s line is set at 8.5 runs. Miami’s games have averaged 9.0 runs per game this season, and 17.9% of their games have had lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.
Pirates Look to Extend Winning Streak as Falter Faces Marlins at Home
Pittsburgh is 69-76 overall and is 14.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates have gone 22-20 in divisional play this year. They have won three straight games, and this has come after dropping four in a row. At home, the Pirates are 36-38 this season compared to 33-38 on the road. This year, they are 32-26 as the favorite and 37-50 as the underdog. Pittsburgh has won three straight at home, and their overall series record is 19-21-6. The Pirates have a run line record of 80-65 this season, including a 37-37 mark at home. Their average run margin is -0.3 runs per game. They have gone 43-28 against the run line on the road, where their scoring margin is -0.2 runs per game. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.2 runs per game, while it is -3.6 runs per game in losses. They are currently on a run line win streak as the favored team.
Left-hander Bailey Falter gets the start for the Pirates today as he faces the Marlins at home. He has made 24 starts this season and has a record of 7-7 with an ERA of 4.45. Falter’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.31. In his last outing, he picked up the win, going five innings and giving up three earned runs on seven hits. Looking back, he has made seven quality starts this year and is averaging 6.23 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, Falter has allowed 15 homers and is averaging 2.67 walks per nine innings. The Pirates have struggled to score runs this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game, which ranks 19th in the league. Their offense has been particularly poor on the road, where they average just 4.1 runs per game. The Pirates have hit a total of 143 home runs, which is 22nd in the league. Their batting average of .236 is 16th in the league, and they rank 26th in strikeouts per game at 9.0. Bryan Reynolds has been a bright spot for the Pirates, leading the team in batting average at .277 and home runs with 22. Andrew McCutchen has also been swinging a hot bat, hitting .357 over his last 4 games and is currently on a 3-game hitting streak.
Betting Preview: Pirates vs. Marlins – Why Taking the Over 8.5 Runs is the Smart Play
Our prediction for the Pirates vs. Marlins game is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8.5 runs. We actually have the Pirates winning this one 5-4, but with the payout for a Pirates win being -178, we like the over a lot more.
Looking at some potential player props, Bailey Falter is projected to finish with just four strikeouts, which is second-worst among all starters today. As for the Pirates, they are projected to finish with eight strikeouts, which is the sixth most in the league today.
