MLB Favor the Dbacks to Beat the Pirates on Wednesday

Remember back when the Pittsburgh Pirates were one of the surprise teams in the National League and led the Central Division? As expected, the Bucs have fallen way off and are now closer to last than first. They close a series Wednesday in Arizona as MLB lines underdogs.

Pirates at Diamondbacks MLB lines & Game Info – June 13th

When: Wednesday, 3:40 PM ET Where: Chase Field, Phoenix Probable pitchers (away/home): Jameson Taillon/Zack Greinke TV: MLB Extra Innings Stream: MLB.tv Radio: 93.7 FM (Pittsburgh) / 620 AM (Arizona) Opening MLB Lines: Diamondbacks -140, Pirates +130 (8)

Why Bet on Pittsburgh?

Entering Tuesday, the Pirates have just three wins this month and four since May 26 following a 9-5 loss in Game 1 of this series. Pittsburgh actually led 5-0. Josh Harrison was lifted from Monday’s game left shoulder blade discomfort following a hit by pitch. Harrison was drilled with a 96 mph fastball by Braden Shipley. Francisco Cervelli (head) remained out of the Pirates’ lineup Monday. He left Saturday’s contest following a foul tip to the mask.  Cervelli, who is likely to be back in there Wednesday, has caught 10 runners attempting to steal this season; he had a total of nine last year. Among N.L. catchers, only Philadelphia’s Jorge Alfaro has gunned down more runners this season (11). The Pirates (22) trail only the Diamondbacks (23) for the Major League lead in triples. Dating back to the start of last season, Arizona ranks first among all big-league teams with 62 three-baggers and Pittsburgh is second with 58. Beginning with the date of his first MLB game on May 18, Pirates outfielder Austin Meadows ranks eighth among all National League players with a 1.027 OPS. He has hit safely in each of his last eight starts and in 16 of his first 19 big league starts overall, going 27-for-75 (.360) with five doubles, two triples, five homers and 10 RBI. Pittsburgh outfielders have combined to produce the best OPS among National League teams (.814) and the third-best among all Major League teams behind Boston (.887) and the New York Yankees (.824). The Pirates outfielders also lead the N.L. in total bases (375) and RBI (112).

Who Will Start on Wednesday for the Pirates?

It’s Jameson Taillon here. Taillon (3-5, 4.08) took the loss last Thursday vs. the Dodgers, allowing three earned runs over 5.0 innings. He racked up seven strikeouts but also allowed eight hits and a walk over 92 pitches. It wasn’t Taillon’s best effort overall; his eight hits allowed tied for his second-most in a single outing this season. His strikeout total makes it four straight starts with at least six K’s, however. Taillon has gone 1-5 with a 5.36 ERA (50.1ip/30er) in his last 10 starts, winning for the lone time on 6/1 at St. Louis. He was victorious in his last road start and has gone 1-3 with a 4.13 ERA overall in his six starts on the road this season. Taillon has been charged with three earned runs or less in 10 of his 13 starts this season and has pitched into the sixth inning four times in his last five outings.

Why Bet on Arizona?

The Diamondbacks were the worst team in baseball from May 9-27 with just two wins but have played great since to retake the NL West lead. Their win Monday was their fourth straight. Jake Lamb hit a three-run homer. It was Lamb’s only hit, but it was a big one; a three-run shot off Edgar Santana that tied the game at 5-5 in a game that the Diamondbacks trailed 5-0 at one point. Lamb isn’t seeing his hits drop often as seen in his .235 average, but he does have a .347 on-base percentage. The D-backs are 23-0 when scoring 5+ runs. Paul Goldschmidt was named NL Player of the Week for June 4-10, hitting .640/.690/1.440 with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 11 RBI and a 2.130 OPS. The weekly honor was Goldschmidt’s second of his career (also: April 27-May 3, 2015), and third by the D-backs this season (also: Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock). Since May 23, Goldschmidt is hitting .417/.493/.950 with 7 doubles, 7 homers, 18 RBI and a 1.443 OPS in 15 games. He ranks among MLB leaders during that span in slugging pct. (1st), OPS (1st), home runs (T-1st), average (2nd) and RBI (T-2nd).

Who Takes the Mound on Wednesday Afternoon?

The Snakes start ace Zack Greinke (5-4, 3.53). Greinke picked up the win against the Rockies on Friday, giving up four runs (three earned) on eight hits over 5.2 innings, striking out five and walking two as the Diamondbacks got a 9-4 victory. Greinke limited the Rockies to just a run in the first four innings before serving up a pair of homers in a three-run fifth. The long ball has been a bit of a problem thus far for Greinke, who has posted his worst HR/9 rate (1.48) since his rookie season in 2004. It wasn’t Greinke’s sharpest outing, but he still ended up with a respectable final line, missing a quality start by one-third of an inning on his way to bagging his fifth victory of the season. He now has a 1.10 WHIP through 79 innings, and his 83:13 K:BB is fantastic.

Latest MLB Betting Trends

• Pittsburgh is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
• Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 8 games on the road
• Arizona is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
• Arizona is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona’s last 6 games

Expert MLB Betting Prediction

Greinke has been spectacular at home – even though it’s a hitters’ park – so take Arizona on the runline.