PREMIUM
Rogers' NL Game of the Day - SIZZLING 16-2 L18 MLB Sides! $20 Tuesday!
(MLB) Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia,
09/13/2016 3:05 PM, Score: 5 - 3
Money Line: -151.00 Pittsburgh (Away)
Result: Win
Money Line: -151.00 Pittsburgh (Away)
Result: Win
The set-up: The wild card round was instituted back in 2013 and each of the last three years, the Pirates have been a participant in that one-game, winner-take-all contest in the NL. The fly in the ointment, of course, has been Pittsburgh has lost each time. However, the team's problem here in 2016, more and more, looks like Pittsburgh won't even be playing in this season's NL wild card game. The Pirates lost 6-2 last night at the 64-80 Phillies, giving them 12 losses in the last 14 games and a look at the standings on Tuesday morning reveal that the 69-73 Pirates are SIX games out of the final wild card spot.
The pitching matchup: Ivan Nova (6-12, 4.13 ERA) will get the start for Pittsburgh and Alec Asher (1-0, 0.00 ERA) starts for Philadelphia. While Pittsburgh's postseason hopes seem to be fading, the rest of the 2016 season for Phildalphia will be spent evaluating what the future may hold. Asher getting a start here is an indication of what Philly is doing down the stretch. Asher made his 2016 season debut at Washington last Thursday and dominated through six innings, scattering two hits without allowing a run to earn the win. He had his 2016 season halted by an 80-game PED suspension but was solid in the minors after being reinstated and has earned another chance in the Philadelphia rotation. Pittsburgh's Nova has been fantastic since joining the Pirates at the trade deadline, going 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his seven starts (Pittsburgh is 6-1).
The pick: Here's the bottom line. The Pirates had a 67-61 record and were a half-game back of the final wild-card spot through August 28 but the team's 2-12 stretch has all but eliminated them from contention. "If we can flip a switch and fix it, we certainly would," general manager Neal Huntington said recently, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "But every time we seem like we're falling in the wrong direction, we seem to right ourselves. Every time we right ourselves, we seem to take a misstep. We've been the streakiest team in baseball this year, and our goal is to spend some time figuring out how we become more consistent." The time is clearly now for Pittsburgh and Nova's outstanding pitching gives them a clear edge in this game, especially against Asher, who went 0-6 with a 9.31 ERA in seven starts for the Phillies in 2015 (team was 1-6). Pittsburgh is an 8* play.
The pitching matchup: Ivan Nova (6-12, 4.13 ERA) will get the start for Pittsburgh and Alec Asher (1-0, 0.00 ERA) starts for Philadelphia. While Pittsburgh's postseason hopes seem to be fading, the rest of the 2016 season for Phildalphia will be spent evaluating what the future may hold. Asher getting a start here is an indication of what Philly is doing down the stretch. Asher made his 2016 season debut at Washington last Thursday and dominated through six innings, scattering two hits without allowing a run to earn the win. He had his 2016 season halted by an 80-game PED suspension but was solid in the minors after being reinstated and has earned another chance in the Philadelphia rotation. Pittsburgh's Nova has been fantastic since joining the Pirates at the trade deadline, going 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his seven starts (Pittsburgh is 6-1).
The pick: Here's the bottom line. The Pirates had a 67-61 record and were a half-game back of the final wild-card spot through August 28 but the team's 2-12 stretch has all but eliminated them from contention. "If we can flip a switch and fix it, we certainly would," general manager Neal Huntington said recently, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "But every time we seem like we're falling in the wrong direction, we seem to right ourselves. Every time we right ourselves, we seem to take a misstep. We've been the streakiest team in baseball this year, and our goal is to spend some time figuring out how we become more consistent." The time is clearly now for Pittsburgh and Nova's outstanding pitching gives them a clear edge in this game, especially against Asher, who went 0-6 with a 9.31 ERA in seven starts for the Phillies in 2015 (team was 1-6). Pittsburgh is an 8* play.
