Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies Prediction: Can Aaron Nola, Phillies Clinch Playoff Berth?
The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Eagles face off tonight for a three game series. Can Aaron Nola and the Phillies clinch a playoff berth today? Matt McCuen breaks it down.
Matt McCuen - September 26, 2023, 11:48 AM EDT
5 minPittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies Prediction: Can Aaron Nola, Phillies Clinch Playoff Berth?
The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Eagles will clash for a battle of the keystone state on Tuesday night.
Pirates vs. Phillies Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: September 26, 2023
- Game Time: 6:40 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies Prediction
The Pirates have officially been eliminated from playoff contention and will attempt to play spoiler the rest of the way.
Pittsburgh represents an overall record of 74-82.
This was a team not expected to compete entering the year, but they did get off to a relatively hot start.
Brian Reynolds is not the guy to blame for the team’s struggles. The all-star outfielder is batting .267 on the campaign with 23 home runs and 82 home runs.
Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes leads the Pirates in batting average, batting .274 overall. Hayes is one of the best defensive third basemens in all of baseball.
The best power source for the Pirates has been Captain Jack Suwinski. Suwinski has blasted a team-best 26 home runs.
Pittsburgh has been without one of its stars, O’Neil Cruz. Cruz played in just nine games this year before an injury that ended his season.
Pittsburgh will send all-star Mitch Keller to the mound. Keller is 13-9 with a 4.25 ERA.
The Phillies have an opportunity to clinch a playoff berth tonight with a win.
Philadelphia represents an overall record of 87-69, which is good for first place in the NL Wildcard.
This is the most games over .500 the Phillies have been all season.
Bryce Harper missed the beginning of the season but has been in MVP form since returning. Harper is batting .292 with 20 home runs and 70 runs batted in.
Trea Turner has been one of the best players in baseball over the last six weeks. Turner has hit 26 home runs while driving in 76 runs.
Nick Castellanos has been swinging a hot stick as of late. The all-star outfielder set a career-high in runs batted in last week with 106 on the year.
The Phillies will send Louisiana-born right-hander Aaron Nola to the bump. Nola is 12-9 with an ERA of 4.57.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies Pick
Philadelphia has everything to play for tonight while the Pirates season is over.
Playing in front of their crowd, I expect the Phillies to feed off that energy and dominate this game tonight.
Nola has been much better at home, with an ERA of 3.44 compared to a road ERA of 5.43.
Nola has dominated this current Pirates lineup, who has a team batting average of .209 against Nola in 43 at-bats.
Keller has drastic splits. Keller has a road ERA of 5.49 compared to a home ERA of 2.90.
The Phillies have crushed Keller with a team batting average of .407 in 81 at-bats.
Harper is batting .444 against Keller. Kyle Schwarber is batting .700 against Keller with four doubles. Additionally, catcher JT Realmuto is batting .545 against Keller in 11 at-bats.
Pick: Phillies -1 -113 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
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