Pittsburgh Pirates vs Arizona Diamondbacks Picks and Predictions August 3rd 2024

From PNC Park in Pittsburgh, we have the Diamondbacks and Pirates facing off in an NL matchup. First pitch for this one is set for 6:40 PM ET, and the Pirates are the slight money line favorite, with their odds sitting at -118 compared to the Diamondbacks at +100. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs.

Arizona will be looking to keep their four-game winning streak alive, as they are 59-51 and 2nd in the NL West. The Pirates are 3rd in the NL Central with an overall record of 55-54. Jordan Montgomery is starting for the Diamondbacks, and he is facing off against Mitch Keller for the Pirates.

Arizona vs. Pittsburgh Key Information

Jordan Montgomery gets the start for the Diamondbacks today as he faces off against the Pirates on the road. He has made 15 appearances this season and has a record of 7-5 with an ERA of 6.51. Looking at his overall numbers, Montgomery has a WHIP of 1.69 and opponents are batting .309 this season. In his 15 starts, he has turned in five quality starts and is averaging 5.79 strikeouts per nine innings. Montgomery’s last outing came on July 29th, where he finished with a no-decision, giving up six earned runs in four innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

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Arizona comes into the game as the top-scoring team in the league, averaging 5.2 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. The Diamondbacks have been a tough lineup to strike out, as they come into the game with the 7th fewest strikeouts in the league. As a team, they are also near the top of the league in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

Over his last seven games, Ketel Marte has gone 10/24 with four home runs and 10 RBIs. Marte is also on a four-game hitting streak. Christian Walker and Ketel Marte are the team’s top two home run hitters, with 26 and 23 homers, respectively.

Mitch Keller is coming off a start in which he went seven innings and finished with a no-decision. In that outing vs. the Diamondbacks, he gave up two earned runs, six hits, and two walks. Keller has finished with a no-decision in each of his last three starts. Before that, he had won three straight decisions. Keller’s record for the season is 10-5, and he has an ERA of 3.30. Opponents are batting .242 off the right-hander this season. Keller has turned in 12 quality starts and one complete game this year.

Oneil Cruz has been swinging a hot bat for the Pirates of late, going 9/25 in his last six games with two homers and five RBIs. Bryan Reynolds and Bryan De La Cruz are both tied for the team lead with 18 homers, with Reynolds also leading the team in RBIs (63) and batting average (.286). De La Cruz is batting .245 for the season.

As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game and have been a better offensive team on the road this season. Overall, they are 20th in home runs and have a collective batting average of .233. The Pirates have three players with a current hitting streak, with Andrew McCutchen leading the way at four games.

Today’s Diamondbacks and Pirates matchup should feature plenty of offense, as this is projected to be the 4th highest-scoring game of today’s slate. Our lean would be towards taking the over. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Diamondbacks to pick up the win. Looking at today’s starters, we have Mitch Keller as the better strikeout option.

D-backs Seek Another Quick Start vs. Pirates

The Arizona Diamondbacks will strive for their 6th straight series triumph on Saturday night when they play the second challenge of a three-game set against the host Pittsburgh Pirates.

Diamondbacks’ Hostile Flood

The Diamondbacks started the series opener with a twist on Friday, as the initial four batters came around to score immediately following their at-bat as part of a five-run first inning. Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson, and previous Pirate Josh Ringer hit back-to-back-to-back homeruns in the first before Marte and Chime added independent shots later in the game to move Arizona to a 9-8 triumph.

Chime was making his Diamondbacks debut after he was acquired from the Miami Marlins earlier this week.

Geraldo Perdomo tore a go on RBI twofold in the eighth inning for the Diamondbacks, who bounced back from squandering an early five-run lead to move a season-best eight games more than .500.

“They’re contenders,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of his players. “They had each reason to feel frustrated about themselves. They didn’t really. They had each reason to close down, and they didn’t. They accepted they planned to dominate this match in any event, when things were looking extremely, desperate.”

Marte made sure of that by giving insurance in the 10th inning, launching a shot above and beyond the right-field wall and into the Allegheny Waterway. He is batting a powerful .368 (42-for-114) since June 23 with 11 homers, 32 RBIs, and 26 runs in that stretch.

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Chime has dove deep multiple times in his past eight games. He is hitting .438 (14-for-32) with 11 RBIs in that span.

Arizona has dominated four straight matches and eight of its past nine.

Pirates’ Resilience

Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz collected a pair of RBI singles Friday night to highlight his career-high five-hit performance. The solid offensive performance came after his throwing error allowed Corbin Carroll to score following a game-opening triple.

“It just feels good to have a 5-for-5 game,” Cruz said. “But the most important thing is you learn from your mistakes. And today, I was able to bounce back.”

Pittsburgh, as a team, did the same and secured a 7-6 lead in the sixth inning when Cruz’s infield single scored Andrew McCutchen.

“That was a good comeback for us,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after his team’s second straight loss. “We were down 5-0 in the first, and we continued to battle and took the lead. We just didn’t finish it. We did a nice job of moving the ball forward. We did a nice job with runners in scoring position. We had good at-bats. We just didn’t finish the game.”

Pitching Matchup

Pittsburgh will look for a fast start on Saturday against Arizona left-hander Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 6.51 ERA). He will be opposed by Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.30).

Montgomery escaped with a no-decision on Monday after allowing six runs on nine hits in four innings against the Washington Nationals. Montgomery, 31, is 1-3 with a 2.63 ERA in four career starts vs. the Pirates.

Keller, 28, settled for his third straight no-decision on Sunday after permitting two runs on as many hits in seven innings against Arizona. He is 1-0 with a 2.49 ERA in four career starts vs. the Diamondbacks.

Game Outlook

As the Diamondbacks aim for their 6th straight series triumph, they will depend on the energy from their new hostile blast and the solid introduction of Josh Ringer. The Pirates, then again, will hope to quickly return from their new misfortunes and capitalize on their ability to generate runs, wanting to give Mitch Keller the help he wants to get a success. Fans can expect a thrilling and serious matchup as the two teams endeavor to achieve their particular goals in this crucial game.