Pittsburgh Pirates vs Seattle Mariners Picks and Predictions August 17th 2024

There appears to be a chance of light rain in Pittsburgh on Saturday, where the forecasted temperature is 70 degrees. First pitch for this interleague matchup is set for 1:05 PM ET from PNC Park. Pittsburgh is 5th in the NL Central, while the Mariners are 2nd in the AL West.

Seattle is favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -158 compared to the Pirates at +133. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and this Mariners are looking to snap a four-game losing streak. On the mound, Luis Castillo is starting for the Mariners, and he is facing off against Bailey Falter.

Seattle vs. Pittsburgh Key Information

Seattle is sending Luis Castillo to the mound today vs. the Pirates, and he will be looking to build off his last outing, where he gave up just one earned run in six innings of work. In that outing vs. the Mets, he picked up the win. Looking back over his last four outings, Castillo has given up three earned runs in three of them. For the season, he has made 25 starts, and opponents are batting .232 vs. Castillo this year. His ERA for the season is 3.40, along with a record of 10-11. Out of his 25 starts, Castillo has turned in 17 quality starts.

Cal Raleigh has been struggling at the plate for the Mariners of late, going just 3/18 in his last five games. However, he does have two homers in that stretch and comes into the game with a team-high 26 home runs and 76 RBIs, which is 12th best in the league. Julio Rodríguez is on a three-game hitting streak and is batting .265 for the season with 11 homers and 38 RBIs.

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For the season, the Mariners are 27th in the league in scoring at 3.9 runs per game. Overall, they are hitting just .215, which is the worst mark in the league. As a team, they are also 29th in strikeouts and have the league’s worst on-base percentage.

Pittsburgh is sending left-hander Bailey Falter to the mound today vs. the Mariners. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 5-7 with an ERA of 4.07. Falter’s WHIP for the season is 1.24, and he has pitched much better at home, coming in with an ERA of 4.48 compared to 5.1 on the road. In his last outing, Falter finished with a no-decision, giving up four earned runs in four innings of work. Before that, he had gone 5 1/3 innings without giving up an earned run.

Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are 23rd in the MLB in runs scored, averaging 4.1 runs per game. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 4.2 runs per game. As a team, the Pirates are batting just .235, which is 17th in the league, and are also near the bottom of the league in strikeouts. However, they do have three guys with at least 18 homers, including Bryan Reynolds, who is batting .283 and has gone deep 19 times.

Oneil Cruz and Bryan De La Cruz have both been swinging the bat well of late, with Oneil Cruz hitting .357 and Bryan De La Cruz batting .310 over their last seven games. Oneil Cruz has also gone deep once during this stretch. Andrew McCutchen is currently on a six-game hitting streak for the Pirates, and Yasmani Grandal has also put together a three-game streak.

For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over, as this is projected to be the 8th highest-scoring game of today’s league slate. As for a straight-up pick, we are leaning toward the Pirates to come out on top. The Pirates have the 2nd best team hits projection and 3rd best team runs projection. Bailey Falter is our lowest projected starting pitcher in terms of strikeouts, but we still like the Pirates to come out on top.

Pirates Look to Build Momentum Against Mariners

The Pittsburgh Pirates finally managed to snap their losing streak. Now, they aim to start a winning streak as they host the Seattle Mariners in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday. After a 5-3 victory on Friday, which ended a 10-game skid, the Pirates are eager to maintain this newfound momentum.

Breaking the Streak

On Friday, the Pirates dug out from a deficit to get their most memorable success since August third. The game got off to a terrible start for Pittsburgh, as they followed 2-0 from the beginning. In any case, the group revitalized with five unanswered rushes to guarantee the triumph.

Freshman pitcher Paul Skenes assumed a urgent part, conveying a strong presentation that kept the Pirates in the game. Albeit the Mariners figured out how to add a spat the 10th inning against closer David Bednar, Pittsburgh hung on for the success.

“Definitely doesn’t feel good that we had the streak in the first place,” Skenes remarked after the game. “It’s nice to do it at home and get it out of the way. Hopefully we can put it behind us.”

The Pirates last dominated sequential matches in late July when they caught three straight triumphs. The dry season from that point forward had been disappointing for the group, yet Friday’s success could check the start of a circle back.

Injury Concerns

While the victory was a relief, the Pirates are now facing concerns over the health of two key players. Designated hitter Andrew McCutchen has been battling soreness in his left knee, an issue that forced him out of the game on Friday. McCutchen pulled up in pain at first base after a seventh-inning single, casting doubt on his availability for the rest of the series.

Additionally, shortstop Oneil Cruz left the game in the seventh inning after experiencing discomfort in his left ankle. Cruz had just delivered a crucial two-run double, but his aggressive base running led to the injury as he made a hard stop while rounding second base. Both players are listed as day-to-day, and their status for Saturday’s game remains uncertain.

Key Players Stepping Up

With McCutchen and Cruz possibly sidelined, the Pirates will look to other players to fill the gap. One of those players is Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who was acquired by Pittsburgh last month. Kiner-Falefa has been a solid contributor, and he has a strong track record against Seattle, batting .296 in 69 career games against the Mariners.

Saturday’s Pitching Matchup

Left-hander Bailey Vacillate will take the hill for the Pirates on Saturday. Vacillate, who has a 5-7 record and a 4.07 ERA this season, has confronted the Mariners two times in his profession, posting a 3.38 ERA in those trips. The Pirates will require major areas of strength for a from Flounder as they hope to get a series triumph.

Mariners Seek to Rebound

The Mariners, then again, are amidst their own battles. Friday’s misfortune was Seattle’s fourth in a row to start a nine-game excursion, and the group’s offense has been alarmingly calm. Over the last two games, the Mariners have overseen only six hits in 52 at-bats, a small .114 average.

Seattle manager Scott Servais remains optimistic, despite the recent downturn. “I believe in our guys,” Servais said. “We’re going to fight through it. We need to get some big hits, though. That’s what it’s about. You’ve got to come through with guys in scoring position.”

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The Mariners’ offense showed some signs of life on Friday with two home runs—one from Luke Raley and another from Jorge Polanco—but they continued to struggle with runners in scoring position, going just 1-for-5 in those situations.

Outfielder Dominic Canzone echoed the frustration in the clubhouse.

“It hurts all the same, honestly,” Canzone said. “We should be going out there and executing the game plan every day. … And it’s hard because I look around the clubhouse and I see everybody doing it. You’ve got to keep showing up and playing the game and hope that the big hit starts coming, and it doesn’t stop coming.”

Mariners Turn to Castillo

To assist the Mariners with quickly returning, right-hander Luis Castillo will take the hill on Saturday. Castillo has been a reliable starter for Seattle, flaunting a 10-11 record with a 3.40 Period this season. His vocation numbers against Pittsburgh are noteworthy, with a 6-4 record and a 2.32 Time in 14 appearances.

As the Mariners hope to snap their own horrible streak, Castillo’s exhibition will be vital. Seattle needs serious areas of strength for a from their veteran pitcher to even the series and gain some genuinely necessary certainty on this difficult excursion.

The stage is set for an extreme fight as the Pirates attempt to move their energy along while the Mariners look to turn around their new fortunes.