Pittsburgh Pirates vs Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/08/2023

Game Time: 4:10 pm ET, Saturday, July 8, 2023

Venue:  Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Where to Watch:  BSAZ

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +105, D-Backs -125; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +100, D-Backs -120; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +105, D-Backs -125; Over/Under:  9 runs

Pittsburgh Pirates:  40-47 (4th place, NL Central)

Arizona Diamondbacks:  50-38 (1st place, NL West)

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Pittsburgh Pirates:  5-5 last 10

Arizona Diamondbacks:  4-6 last 10

The Pirates are entering this series on a 2 game losing streak and lost their 4-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 40-47 record overall and have a road record of 18-26. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Diamondbacks on Saturday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 23rd in the MLB with a .709 OPS. Rich Hill is their starting pitcher on Friday while Mitch Keller is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 9-4 with a 3.52 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 7 Ks on 8 hits through 5 IP against the LA Dodgers.

The Diamondbacks are entering this game on a 4 game losing streak and got swept 3-0 in their 3-game series against the New York Mets in their last series. They enter this game with a 50-38 record overall and have a home record of 24-23. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 7th in the MLB with a .756 OPS. Zac Gallen is their starting pitcher on Friday while Slade Cecconi is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA this season. He has been called up from the minors to start in this game and will be making his MLB debut here.

The current betting odds have the Pirates listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pirates haven't been good lately but they are still fighting to climb the standings in their division and they will have their best chance at winning with Keller on the mound here. Keller has been really good all season as he hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts and he has been pitching really well in his starts lately too. The Diamondbacks do have a really good offense but they have actually struggled more in their home games this year as they are barely over .500 in home games this season. The Diamondbacks are also going with a rookie in this game but not just any rookie, they are going with Cecconi who will be making his MLB debut in this game and he is going to struggle here with the Pirates being desperate for a win to stop the bleeding. The Pirates offense was pretty good against the Dodgers in their last series and along with a solid performance from Keller here, the Pirates will be able to edge the Diamondbacks out in this game as the D-Backs continue to struggle in their home games. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pirates to win this game.

Pirates Diamondbacks Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, July 8, 2023 (4:10 pm ET start time) is Pirates 5 Diamondbacks 2.

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Pittsburgh Pirates: 26-36 (-7 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 8-18 (-8.8 units) on the moneyline after scoring 4 runs or less in 3 straight games. 12-3 OVER after 2 straight games with no home runs. 21-11 OVER when the money line is +125 to -125.

Arizona Diamondbacks: 51-38 (+16.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 36-26 (+12 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 9-4 OVER against NL Central opponents. 

Pittsburgh Pirates:  R. Zastryzny (RP) Mid July - Forearm. J. Bae (SS) Out indefinitely - Ankle. J. Choi (1B) Mid July - Achilles. W. Crowe (SP) Mid July - Shoulder. J. Hernandez (RP) Mid July - Calf. V. Velasquez (SP) out for season - Elbow. J. Brubaker (SP) out for season - Elbow. O. Cruz (SS) Mid Aug - Ankle. J. Garcia (RP) Out indefinitely - Bicep. M. Kranick (SP) Late Aug - Elbow.

Arizona Diamondbacks:  C. Carroll (LF) Ques Fri - Shoulder. M. Kelly (SP) Late July - Calf. C. Sulser (RP) Mid July - Shoulder. M. Melancon (RP) Late July - Shoulder. C. Martin (SP) out for season - Shoulder.

“July Fourth baseball is always lit, and to have a comeback like that with the boys and be able to finish it off is a blessing. It just shows the boys if you keep working hard, you keep trusting in your processes, you keep grinding and keep staying resilient, good things happen.” - Josh Palacios after their win against the LA Dodgers in their game on Tuesday.

“Things checked out a little more positive than I was expecting based on what I saw. It didn't look good. The last three innings I was thinking, how is Corbin doing? We got some good news.” - Torey Lovullo after his team’s loss against the Mets in their game on Thursday.

Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B

Bryan Reynolds (S) LF

Henry Davis (R) RF

Carlos Santana (S) DH

Connor Joe (R) 1B

Jack Suwinski (L) CF

Nick Gonzales (R) SS

Rodolfo Castro (S) 2B

Jason Delay (R) C

Geraldo Perdomo (S) SS

Ketel Marte (S) 2B

Corbin Carroll (L) LF

Christian Walker (R) 1B

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R) DH

Emmanuel Rivera (R) 3B

Dominic Fletcher (L) RF

Gabriel Moreno (R) C

Alek Thomas (L) CF

Batting Average:  Drew Maggi (.333)

Hits:  Bryan Reynolds (75)

Home Runs:  Jack Suwinski (19)

RBI:  Carlos Santana (46)

Stolen Bases:  Ji Hwan Bae (20)

Wins:  Mitch Keller (9)

Saves:  David Bednar (16)

ERA:  Yerry De Los Santos (0.82)

Batting Average:  Emmanuel Rivera (.303)

Hits:  Ketel Marte (88)

Home Runs:  Corbin Carroll (18)

RBI:  Christian Walker (57)

Stolen Bases:  Corbin Carroll (24)

Wins:  Zac Gallen (10)

Saves:  Andrew Chafin (8)

ERA:  Kevin Ginkel (2.56)

Managers:

Pittsburgh Pirates: Derek Shelton (4th season)

Arizona Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo (7th season)