The Pittsburgh Pirates (44-56, 46-54 RL, 52-44-4 O/U) battle the San Diego Padres c(48-53, 49-52 RL, 43-51-6 O/U) in the last of a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. The Pirates will have Johan Oviedo on the mound. The Padres will counter with Seth Lugo. The Pirates lead the season series 4-0.
Johan Oviedo will get the call on Wednesday. Oviedo was pelted last time out, conceding five runs in four innings against the Angels, and was charged with the loss. The right-hander had a strong June but has struggled in three of his four outings this month and has recorded a 4.77 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP accompanied by a 3-11 record in 111.1 innings pitched on the season. Oviedo has squandered three runs in two career innings against the Padres.
Pittsburgh is at the end of a challenging road trek. They dropped two of three to the Angels on the weekend, scoring 13 runs in the series. It’s been a rough month for a young squad that has yet to win a series in July. They are nine games below .500 on the road and 3-7 in their last ten bouts.
The guy just rakes. pic.twitter.com/NVl8EbwAAS
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 25, 2023
Jack Suwinski continues to produce, collecting 14 RBIs and a marvelous .979 OPS on the month. The 24-year-old slugger has been a bright spot in a rough patch of games for a young squad. He now has 21 homers with 52 RBIs and an .862 OPS. Suwinski is 5 for 14 with three RBIs against the Padres. Ke'Bryan Hayes remains out of the lineup.
The Pirates are averaging 4.17 runs on the year, pegging them 24th. The pitching has been exploited in this road trek and is carrying a 4.54 team ERA, positioning them 22nd.