Ny Yankees Yankees vs Pittsburgh Pirates Picks and Predictions September 27th 2024

Carlos Rodon and the Yankees will host the Pirates on Friday, with the game being set for 7:05 PM ET from Yankee Stadium in New York, NY. The forecast calls for cloudy skies and temperatures in the low to mid-70s. SN PT is carrying this game on TV.

New York is currently favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -180 compared to the Pirates at +152. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs. Jared Jones is starting for the Pirates, and they are 5th in the NL Central. The Yankees lead the AL East and have a record of 93-66.

Pittsburgh vs. New York Key Information

Jared Jones gets the start for the Pirates today as he faces the Yankees on the road. So far this season, he has made 21 starts and has a record of 6-8. Jones’ ERA is 4.14, along with a WHIP of 1.18. In his 21 starts, he has turned in 11 quality starts and is averaging 9.59 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Jones took the loss, giving up six earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had gone seven innings, giving up just two earned runs and picking up the win.

Oneil Cruz and Bryan De La Cruz are both near the top of the Pirates home run leaderboard, but both are looking to get their batting averages up, as De La Cruz is hitting just .234 and Cruz is at .263. Cruz has also struggled of late, going just 4/24 in his last seven games. However, he does have two homers in that stretch. Bryan Reynolds has been a bright spot for the Pirates this season, as he is batting .275 with a team-high 22 homers and 85 RBIs.

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As a team, the Pirates are averaging just 4.1 runs per game, and they have been even worse on the road, averaging only 3.9 runs per contest. They also have one of the worst team batting averages in the league and are near the bottom of the league in terms of on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.

Carlos Rodón gets the start for the Yankees today and comes in with a record of 16-9 and an ERA of 3.98. So far, he has made 31 starts and 16 of them have been quality starts. Rodón has a WHIP of 1.21 and is averaging 10.08 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Rodón didn’t give up a run in six innings of work, picking up the win. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight starts. Rodón has been tough to beat at home, coming in with a record of 9-2 and an ERA of 3.6.

Not only do the Yankees lead the league in home runs this season, but they also have the top offense in the league, averaging 5.1 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.3 runs per contest. New York’s team batting average of .249 is 8th in the league, and they have the top team on-base percentage in the league. As a team, they are also 2nd in OPS and 4th in slugging.

Aaron Judge has been on a tear of late, going 8/18 with five homers over his last six games. For the season, he is batting .325 with 144 RBIs and 58 homers. Juan Soto is also having a great season, batting .288 with 41 homers and 108 RBIs. Soto has also gone deep in three straight games.

Even though we have this one as the 3rd lowest-scoring game of the day, we are still leaning towards taking the over. As for who we are leaning to take this one straight up, we like the Yankees to come out on top. New York starter Carlos Rodón has the 7th best strikeout projection among today’s starters.

Yankees in Pursuit of Wins and Aaron Judge Homers vs. Pirates

After clinching the American League East title, the New York Yankees now shift their focus to securing the best record in the AL and witnessing how many more home runs Aaron Judge can hit. Fresh off a 10-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles that sealed their division title, the Yankees will host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of their regular-season series on Friday.

The Yankees (93-66) hold a one-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the race for the best AL record. If both teams finish tied, New York would win the tiebreaker, having taken four of six meetings this season.

Yankees Riding High on Judge’s Hot Streak

New York’s recent success has been bolstered by Aaron Judge’s incredible home run streak. Judge tied his career-high by homering in five consecutive games, with his latest two-run blast bringing his season total to 58. He has hit seven homers in his past 12 games. In Thursday’s division-clinching victory, Giancarlo Stanton also contributed, homering in the second inning and later delivering a bases-clearing double during a six-run sixth inning.

Despite the celebrations, Yankees manager Aaron Boone emphasized that the team is still focused on clinching home-field advantage for the playoffs. Boone noted, “I feel like we got to do it, but we’ll be playing to win.”

Pirates Struggling as Season Winds Down

The Pirates (74-85) have struggled down the stretch, going 19-33 since July 30 and losing nine of their past 13 games. In that span, they have been held to three or fewer runs in 11 of those 13 contests. In their most recent outing, a 5-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, Pittsburgh was shut out until Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning.

Oneil Cruz had a rough game, going 0-for-4 and making two baserunning mistakes. Pirates manager Derek Shelton expressed frustration with Cruz’s lack of awareness on the base paths, calling his actions “unacceptable.”

Rodon Aims for 17 Wins as Yankees Look to Maintain Momentum

Carlos Rodon (16-9, 3.98 ERA) will take the mound for the Yankees on Friday, seeking to become the first Yankees left-hander to win 17 games since CC Sabathia in 2011. Rodon has been impressive in September, going 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts. He has been strong since the All-Star break, posting a 7-2 record with a 2.87 ERA in 11 starts.

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Rodon last pitched in a 10-0 win against Oakland, where he delivered six scoreless innings and allowed just five hits. He is 3-2 with a 3.99 ERA in five career starts against the Pirates.

Jared Jones Looks to Finish Rookie Season Strong for Pirates

Pittsburgh rookie Jared Jones (6-8, 4.14 ERA) will start for the Pirates. Jones is looking to end his rookie campaign on a positive note and earn his first road victory since May 16. He has struggled since returning from a lat strain, going 1-2 with a 6.15 ERA in his past five starts.

In his last outing, Jones allowed six runs on six hits over five innings in a 7-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates hope for a better showing as Jones takes the mound against the high-powered Yankees lineup.

Series Outlook

The Yankees, with a hot Aaron Judge and a strong pitching rotation, will look to keep their momentum going into the postseason while trying to secure home-field advantage. The Pirates, on the other hand, are playing out the string and hoping for a strong finish to an otherwise disappointing season.