Free Daily Lock Pick: MLB Tampa Bay vs Boston 7:10PM – September 26th – Max Confidence Comp
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The Philadelphia Phillies play host to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night an a National League showdown from Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies are one o the hottest teams in baseball of late, as they move closer to clinching the NL's top Wild Card spot. For the Pirates, this season marked an improvement over how the last few year's have gone but there is still work to do as they set their eyes on 2024. Pittsburgh surprisingly took two of three games in this first series between these two in July, as Philadelphia looks to return the favor and grab the win on Wednesday.
The Pirates may be eliminated from playoff contention but they remain a dangerous opponent, even as their sights shift towards the 2024 season. They come into this one having gone 6-4 over their last ten games and with success against Philadelphia already under their belt this season, that confidence could come in handy in this one. They sit in fourth-place in the NL Central and have a losing record on the road but with nothing to lose, Wednesday's game could provide a unique opportunity for this group to find success over the regular season's final week. Fans can expect the Pirates to put their best foot forward, though it might not be enough in this one.
According to MLB.com, the Pirates remain unsure of who they'll be handing the ball off to in this one. As a staff, they carry a 4.65 ERA, which is a good number, especially considering some of the youth that has had to throw sig nificant innings. The starting rotation has an ERA closer to 5.2 and against a dangerous Philadelphia lineup, could struggle in this one.
Pittsburgh's offense started the season strong but a slow finish and countless injuries, have them scrambling to keep pace with opponents right now. They are only averaging 4.4 runs per game and are hitting .236 as a team. They continue to be without their heartbeat in the lineup in Andrew McCutchen (Achilles), while the absence of O'Neil Cruz (ankle) has haunted them as well. Even with those injuries, the lineup still has some balance and danger to it. Ke'Bryan Hayes, Jack Suwinski, and Bryan Reynolds, lead across three of the five major offensive categories, though there's a significant drop off in production after those three. With depth remaining a concern, it'll be interesting to see how they continue to handle the lineup in this mid-week tilt.
Free Daily Lock Pick: MLB Tampa Bay vs Boston 7:10PM – September 26th – Max Confidence Comp CLICK TO SEE PICK NOW