Arizona Diamondbacks vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/02/2024

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Friday, August 2, 2024

Venue:  PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA 

Where to Watch:  ARID

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Diamondbacks -130, Pirates +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Diamondbacks -130, Pirates +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Diamondbacks -130, Pirates +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Arizona Diamondbacks:  58-51 (3rd place, NL West)

Pittsburgh Pirates:  55-53 (3rd place, AL Central)

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Arizona Diamondbacks:  7-3 last 10

Pittsburgh Pirates:  5-5 last 10

The Diamondbacks are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Washington Nationals 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 58-51 record overall and have a road record of 27-26. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 5th in the MLB with a .751 OPS. Zac Gallen was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Brandon Pfaadt is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-6 with a 3.92 ERA this season. His team won 5 of their last 6 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 ER, 1 HR, and 0 BB with 4 Ks on 7 hits through 6 IP against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Houston Astros 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 55-53 record overall and have a home record of 26-26. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Diamondbacks on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 28th in the MLB with a .669 OPS. Jake Woodford was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Luis Ortiz is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-2 with a 2.75 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 1 homer, and 3 BB with 4 strikeouts on 5 hits through 5 innings played against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The current betting odds have the Pirates listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pirates haven't looked great in their games this season, but they have finally brought themselves back over .500 with their 55-53 record overall, playing better lately. They are 26-26 in their home games this season, but they will have some momentum coming into this series off a series win against the Astros. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks have looked good in their games this season with their 58-51 record overall which has them in 3rd place of the NL West and getting themselves back into the Wild Card race. They haven't looked as good in their road games though, going 27-26 in those this season. The Diamondbacks have been getting really hot lately with their 7-3 record in their last 10 games, but they don't have a favorable pitching matchup in this one. They are going with Pfaadt on the mound here and he has been really up and down this season. He is 5-6 with a 3.92 ERA and the team has won 5 of the last 6 games he started in, but he also gave up 5 earned runs in his last start. That is going to be troublesome in this game since the Pirates offense has been getting hot in Houston and has been putting up a ton of runs lately. The Pirates will find ways to put up runs in this home game and they will take advantage of this matchup since they have the more reliable starter here. Ortiz is on the mound for the Pirates and he is 5-2 with a 2.75 ERA this season. He gave up 3 earned runs in his last start but that has been on the higher end of runs he has been giving up in his starts, and his team has still won 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. He is going to pitch well in this game as he has been doing all year and the Pirates will try to ride some momentum at home from that series win over the Astros. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pirates to win this game. 

Diamondbacks Pirates Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 2, 2024 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Pirates 6 Diamondbacks 2.

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Arizona Diamondbacks: 33-19 (+12.75 units) on the moneyline in their last 52 games. 27-17 (+9.30 units) on the runline in their last 44 games. 

Pittsburgh Pirates: 23-24 (-5.30 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 47 home games. 29-17 to the under in their last 46 games. 29-19 to the under with their team total in their last 48 home games. 

Arizona Diamondbacks:  C. Walker (1B) Out indefinitely - Oblique. E. Rodriguez (SP) Mid Jul - Shoulder. B. Walston (SP) Late Aug - Elbow. M. Kelly (SP) Mid Aug - Shoulder. D. Jameson (RP) out for season - Elbow. K. Nelson (RP) out for season - Shoulder.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  J. Palacios (RF) Mid Aug - Hamstring. D. Jefferies (RP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. C. Mlodzinski (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. N. Gonzales (2B) Out indefinitely - Groin. J. Jones (SP) Out indefinitely - Back. R. Borucki (RP) Out indefinitely - Wrist. D. Moreta (RP) out for season - Elbow. J. Oviedo (SP) out for season - Elbow. E. Rodriguez (C) out for season - Elbow.

“Right now, my top priority with Paul is that there's a delivery issue. It's not allowing him to throw the ball where he wants to, have the finish on the ball and make the pitches he normally makes.” - Torey Lovullo after his team’s win against the Nationals in their game on Wednesday.

“It's a frustrating game. This is a game that we could have won and we let slip away because we didn't play well." - Derek Shelton after his team’s loss against the Astros in their game on Wednesday.

K Marte (S) 2B

J McCarthy (L) CF

L Gurriel Jr. (R) DH

E Suárez (R) 3B

R Grichuk (R) LF

P Smith (L) 1B

K Newman (R) SS

C Carroll (L) RF

J Herrera (S) C

A McCutchen (R) DH

B Reynolds (S) LF

C Joe (R) 1B

B De La Cruz (R) RF

J Bart (R) C

K Hayes (R) 3B

O Cruz (L) SS

J Triolo (R) 2B

M Taylor (R) CF

Batting Average:  Ketel Marte (.302)

Hits:  Ketel Marte (121)

Home Runs:  Ketel Marte (24)

RBI:  Ketel Marte (72)

Stolen Bases:  Corbin Carroll (20)

Wins:  Zac Gallen (9)

Saves:  Paul Sewald (16)

ERA:  A.J. Puk (0.00)

Batting Average:  Bryan De La Cruz (.500)

Hits:  Bryan Reynolds (119)

Home Runs:  Bryan Reynolds (18)

RBI:  Bryan Reynolds (61)

Stolen Bases:  Ke'Bryan Hayes (10)

Wins:  Mitch Keller (10)

Saves:  David Bednar (19)

ERA:  Jake Woodford (0.00)

Managers:

Arizona Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo (8th season)

Pittsburgh Pirates: Derek Shelton (5th season)