Bryan Armetta offers up a preview, prediction and pick for Saturday\u2019s MLB game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants.<\/p>\n
Old-school National League clubs are set to clash this evening on the West Coast. The Pirates (21-18) have been a pleasant surprise, hanging tough in the loaded NL Central. It\u2019s a much different story for the Giants (15-23), held back by a floundering offense. Can San Francisco earn a much-needed series win this evening at home?<\/p>\n
The Pirates are favorites (-112)<\/a> over the Giants, with the over\/under set at seven runs<\/a>. Below, I\u2019ve laid out my preview, prediction, and best bet for Saturday\u2019s showdown between Pittsburgh and San Francisco on DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pirates vs. Giants prediction, preview<\/p>\n It\u2019s a battle between two under the radar arms tonight. For the visiting Pirates, it\u2019ll be Braxton Ashcraft on the mound. The second-year pro has given Pittsburgh some rotation depth behind ace Paul Skenes. He\u2019s notched a 3.02 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 45 strikeouts over 41.2 innings this season. It\u2019s no fluke either; Ashcraft has a 2.64 xERA per Savant<\/a>. Teams have posted a .190 expected batting average against the right-hander, placing him among the top ten percent of qualified starters.<\/p>\n Even if Ashcraft was merely a league-average hurler, he\u2019d be well-positioned for success tonight. That\u2019s due primarily to a feeble San Francisco offense that\u2019s struggled against almost everyone. The Giants are putting up a league-worst 3.16 runs per game. Just two lineup regulars have a wRC+ of 100: Casey Schmitt (144) and Luis Arraez (107). All-Stars Matt Chapman (77 wRC+) and Rafael Devers (74 wRC+) have disappointed at the plate. To boot, no club has a worse OPS against right-handed pitching (.634). <\/p>\n Even in last place, the Giants remain one of the league\u2019s best at developing starting pitchers. The franchise is hopeful that Landen Roupp is their latest success story. The third-year pro is, if nothing else, consistent. He enters tonight with a terrific 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 43 strikeouts over 39.2 innings. Much like Ashcraft, a look under the hood suggests even better numbers going forward. Roupp has produced a sparkling 2.65 FIP. If that wasn\u2019t enough, he owns a pristine 0.0% barrel rate and 23.5% hard hit percentage. Both of those marks sit within the league\u2019s top 97th percentile among qualified starters.<\/p>\n In years past, we\u2019ve seen the Buccos fail to generate any kind of run support. Although it\u2019s early, this year\u2019s group feels different. The Pirates are averaging 4.79 runs per game this season, eighth-most in baseball. With that being said, most of their success has taken place at PNC Park. On the road, Pittsburgh is generating the league\u2019s fifth-fewest runs per game (3.68). The Pirates have recorded an MLB-worst eight runs over their last five contests.<\/p>\n Pirates vs. Giants pick, best bet<\/p>\n Pittsburgh\u2019s recent drought on offense is concerning, to say the least. In comparison, the Giants have been ice cold all season. On the flip side, Ashcraft and Roupp both come into this one with plenty of momentum. Expect a tense, low-scoring affair tonight.<\/p>\n