Diamondbacks vs. Pirates Monday Pick
The Pirates couldn’t muster enough runs yesterday against a bad Giants team to win with their ace on the mound. That said, will Joe Musgrove lead the Bucs to victory over the Diamondbacks at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday?
Game Snapshot & Odds
951 Arizona Diamondbacks (+128) at 952 Pittsburgh Pirates (-138); 7.5 runs
Monday, April 22, 2019
7:05 p.m. ET, PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
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Public Betting Trends
According to our MLB Public Betting Chart page, 64% of the betting tickets are on the Pirates to beat the Diamondbacks on the moneyline.
Arizona Diamondbacks Fantasy Spin
Jarrod Dyson went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk in the Diamondbacks’ loss to the Cubs on Sunday. Dyson slugged a line-drive, game-tying solo homer — his second long ball of the season — to right field off Cubs closer Pedro Strop in the top of the ninth inning. The 34-year-old veteran outfielder has already matched his entire over-the-fence total from last year, and is on pace to surpass his previous career-high of five round trippers, set with the Mariners back in 2017.
Pittsburgh Pirates Fantasy Spin
Josh Bell went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in the Pirates loss to the Giants on Sunday. Bell launched a mammoth 416-foot blast — his fourth round-tripper of the season — off Giants starter Dereck Rodriguez with two outs in the fourth inning. He also walked in the sixth. The 26-year-old slugger is rapidly evolving into a quality mixed-league asset, hitting .308/.390/.600 with 13 runs scored and 15 RBI in 77 plate appearances to open the season.
MLB Betting Trends
Arizona
The Diamondbacks are a perfect 6-0 in their last six games against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh
The Pirates have dropped four straight versus the Diamondbacks overall.
Prediction:
Musgrove has put together three straight quality starts and in 20 1/3 innings, he has allowed just two earned runs. I expect the Diamondbacks’ right-handed bats to struggle tonight and for the Pirates’ offense to rebound following a poor performance on Sunday. Zack Godley did bounce back from a rough outing against the Padres when he limited the Braves to only two runs over six innings in a no-decision last Wednesday. Still, this Pirates team is due for an unexpected outburst after scoring just four, three and two runs at home versus the Giants over the weekend.
The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates -138