While most teams would be happy to be sitting in a pretty comfortable playoff spot at this stage of the season, there are others who must feel a little aggrieved. I am talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team with one of the best records in baseball, who look as though they and their MLB betting fans may have to settle for a Wild Card spot. They will continue to chase the Cardinals when they finish up a 3-game series versus the Marlins in Miami on Thursday.
Closer Look at the Pittsburgh at Miami MLB Betting Preview and Odds
Date/Time: August 27, 7:10 PM ET Venue: Marlins Park, Miami, Florida TV: ROOT SPORTS Radio: KDKA-FM 93.7 Opening Lines: Pittsburgh -178, Miami +168
Remember When A.J. Burnett Shattered A Car Window? #OnCloudConine | http://t.co/7K8fF8bMCo pic.twitter.com/D8gbg4zeW9
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) August 26, 2015
If you took the Pittsburgh Pirates (75-49) and their current record, and placed them in any other division, they would have a clear lead in all but one. As it is, they are currently 3.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who continue to win despite being beset by injuries. The Wild Card in not the ideal way into the playoffs for any team, particularly one that has played as well as the Pirates have all year. All they can do at this point is continue to play at a high level and allow the chips to fall where they may.
If they do have hopes of running down the Cardinals, they will need to try and avoid losses like the one they took against the Marlins on Tuesday. These are the types of teams that need to be swept aside in order to make up ground. Gerrit Cole (14-7, 2.49 ERA) has taken 3 losses in his last 5 starts, and has suffered from a lack of run support in that stretch.
To say that the Marlins (51-75) victory over the Pirates on Tuesday was a surprise is very much putting things mildly. The Marlins have been on a perpetual downward spiral all season long, and have not really shown much of anything against teams far worse than the Pirates. You get the sense that this was very much the case of a blind squirrel finding a nut, and I really don’t expect to see the Marlins pick up another win in this series.
The good news for Miami is that Giancarlo Stanton may be back in the lineup by the end of the week, although it’s tough to say what sort of impact he will be able to make on this team. Justin Nicolino (2-1, 3.77 ERA) has shown some real promise in the 5 starts that he has made so far.
