Pittsburgh continues to win as the Pirates have won three straight and four of their last five games, including winning the first two games against Washington in the four-game series. Pittsburgh sends young right-hander Gerrit Cole to the mound, which is excellent news for Pittsburgh investors as Cole is a perfect 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in day games this season. Overall, Cole is 4-3 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 2014, including going a perfect 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.10 WHIP at home.
Cole now faces a depleted Washington lineup that is without its three best hitters in Bryve Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche. The Nationals are batting a woeful .246 with a .307 on base percentage this season (3.9 runs per game), including hitting .229 with a .290 on base percentage in day games (3.5 runs per game) and .230 with a .296 on base percentage versus right-handed starters (3.7 runs per game). Cole is also supported by an excellent Pittsburgh bullpen that owns a 2.88 ERA and 1.31 WHIP this season, including a 2.55 ERA and 1.28 WHIP at home and a 2.02 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in day games.
Washington starter Stephen Strasburg is 3-3 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 2014, although he has struggled on the road where he is 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. In his last two trips to Pittsburgh, Strasburg has yielded a combined six runs on ten hits in 13 innings of work. Pedro Alvarez, Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen are a combined 3 for 24 against Strasburg, although Alvarez and Marte have both homered. And, while Strasburg has gone 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA in four starts this month, he has only received seven runs of support. The Nationals are 4-23 in games in which they score less than four runs.
Pro Edge Sports also likes the following MLB games:
Toronto Blue Jays (-104): Toronto starter R.J. Dickey has limited Oakland to a mere four earned runs in his last three starts against the Athletics, a period covering 21 innings. Dickey is also 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA and 1.17 WHIP at home and 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over his last three starts. The Blue Jays are 15-7 in May and have won four straight games.
Atlanta Braves (-147): Atlanta southpaw Mike Minor is a perfect 3-0 with a career 3.96 ERA and 1.12 WHIP versus the Rockies, including limiting Colorado to just three runs over his last 20 innings pitched (three starts). Colorado starter Juan Nicasio is 0-3 with a career 9.82 ERA and 2.18 WHIP versus the Braves, including allowing a combined 14 earned runs on 18 hits in his last two outings against Atlanta (9 innings pitched). Following last night’s 3-2 win, the Braves improved to 13-2 (+10.1 units) versus the Rockies over the last three seasons, including posting an 8-1 (+6.3 units) at home. Minor is also supported by an outstanding Atlanta bullpen that owns a 2.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP on the year, including a 2.25 ERA and 1.11 WHIP at home, a 2.55 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in day games and a 1.61 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over the last seven games.