Game: Milwaukee Brewers @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Odds: Brewers -140, Pirates +125
Total: 8.5
The Milwaukee Brewers are coming at the Pittsburgh Pirates in a very different set of circumstances than when the teams last faced off. The new three-game series begins tonight. When they arrived in Milwaukee on June 16, Pittsburgh had just been swept by the Chicago Cubs and had dropped six of eight. The Brewers defeated the Pirates in three games by a combined score of 15-6.
After a 10-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Pirates have now won four of their last six games and just completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres. Despite their difficulties, the Pirates found their offensive stride against the Padres, scoring 21 runs in the three games.
In their series victory over San Diego, the Pirates continued a recent trend, with three recently recalled rookies—right fielder Henry Davis, shortstop Nick Gonzales, and third baseman Jared Triolo—making significant contributions to the team. Against the Padres, they combined to go 13-for-29 (.448), driving in eight runs and scoring seven. Davis, who has played the most games (10 total) of the three, is on a seven-game hitting streak.
Before Milwaukee’s mid-June sweep of the Pirates, the team had dropped six straight games. The three victories over last night. After struggling to find his rhythm at the plate since coming off the injured list on June 5, Milwaukee optioned infielder Luis Urias to Triple-A Nashville prior to the series finale at New York. Brice Turang started at second base last night and 1-for-4 with a double.
Right-handers Freddy Peralta (5-7, 4.65 ERA) of Milwaukee and Osvaldo Bido (1-0, 3.45) of Pittsburgh will face off in the first game of the series tonight. Peralta just suffered a loss at Cleveland on Saturday in which he went five-plus innings and gave up three runs and four hits. He was able to escape a fourth-inning jam with just one run after the bases were loaded and there were no outs.
In 18 games against Pittsburgh in his career, half of which were starts, Peralta is 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA. This includes a no-decision on June 18 when he made a start and surrendered two runs on two hits and three walks over the course of six innings.
Bido is a rookie and will make his first career start against the Brewers. It’s just the fourth start of his young MLB career. In his previous two games, he didn’t receive much run support. His most recent outing was a no-decision on Saturday at Miami during which he gave up two runs in 5.2 innings. Bido struck out five while giving up nine hits and no walks.
Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last five games, 5-1 SU in the last six against Pittsburgh, and 5-2 SU in its last seven games on the road. The Pirates have won four of their last six games, but those four wins are the Bucs’ only victories in their last 16 games.
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