Diamondbacks vs. Pirates Thursday Pick
The Diamondbacks will go for a rare four-game sweep as a road team on Thursday afternoon when they play their series finale with the Pirates at 12:35 p.m. ET. Will these two teams cash another over ticket for bettors?
Game Snapshot & Odds
901 Arizona Diamondbacks (+115) at 902 Pittsburgh Pirates (-125); 7 runs
Thursday, April 25, 2019
12:35 p.m. ET, PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
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Public Betting Trends
According to our MLB Public Betting Chart page, 59% of the betting tickets are on the Diamondbacks to beat the Pirates on the moneyline.
Arizona Diamondbacks Fantasy Spin
Eduardo Escobar went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in a win over the Pirates on Wednesday. This was the third three-hit game in a row for the third baseman. He tripled in the first inning and came home on a David Peralta knock. He ripped an RBI-double later in the game and also drew a walk. Escobar started the season off slowly but has put that slump in the rear-view mirror. He is now slashing .290/.371/.473 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 105 plate appearances.
Pittsburgh Pirates Fantasy Spin
Josh Bell went 2-for-3 and smacked a home run during a loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. He took Merrill Kelly over the center field wall with the bases empty in the fourth inning. The Pirates were already deep in a hole at that point and ended up getting buried even further as the game wore on. Bell appears to be taking a big step forward at the plate this year and is now slashing a robust .299/.385/.623 with five longballs, 17 RBI and 15 runs scored through 22 games.
MLB Betting Trends
Arizona
The Diamondbacks are a perfect 9-0 in their last nine games against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh
The Pirates have dropped seven straight versus the Diamondbacks overall.
Prediction:
The Taillon-Greinke pitching matchup would indicate that Thursday’s series finale between these two teams should be a pitcher’s duel but I see value in the over. First of all, Pittsburgh has had zero success getting Escobar out in this series. The Diamondbacks have been wildly inconsistent offensively but they own a 0.184 ISO rating against right-handed pitching so they should be able to muster three runs off Pirate pitching. On the other side, Zack Greinke has been done in by home runs, as his HR/9 rating is 2.45. The over is 8-3 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams and with the total sitting at only 7, I see this trend improving by the end of Thursday.
The Pick: Diamondbacks/Pirates OVER 7