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Los Angeles Angels vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
When: Friday, June 3, 7:05 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Angels (+150) at Pittsburgh Pirates (-170); total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: ROOT/FS-W
Betting on the Los Angeles Angels (+150)
The Los Angeles Angels had their two-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday with a gut-wrenching 3-0 defeat to the Detroit Tigers in their series finale. The Angels had no answer for Detroit pitcher Michael Fulmer who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. It was another disappointing defeat for the Angels who have now lost three of their last five games.
With the Angels struggling mightily right now, the pressure is on Jered Weaver (4-4, 5.40 ERA) to deliver a solid start for Los Angeles tonight. The problem for the Angels is that Weaver has also gone off the rails of late. He has yielded a whopping 25 earned runs in his last six starts. The Angels went 1-5 during that stretch. Weaver has has now allowed eight homers in his last 30 innings for the Angels.
With Weaver still a big question mark at this point, the onus is on the Los Angeles hitters to provide some much-needed runs tonight. Expected to lead the Angels’ offense in the series opener against the Pirates is Mike Trout. He leads the Angels in hits (61), homers (12), RBIs (40) and on-base percentage (.416) this season. He is 2-of-8 lifetime against Pittsburgh starter Francisco Liriano with two RBIs.
The Angels are 6-4 in their last 10 road games. They are pegged at +2,500 to win the American League pennant.
Betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates (-170)
Pittsburgh’s losing woes show no sign of abating as the Pirates suffered a tough 3-2 defeat to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night. It was another disappointing defeat for the Bucs who have now lost four of their last five games. With the loss, Pittsburgh dropped to 29-23 in the NL Central standings.
The Pirates will look to return to the win column when they face the Angels in the opening game of their three-game set tonight. Starting for Pittsburgh in this ballgame is right-hander Francisco Liriano (4-4, 4.63 ERA). Liriano’s struggles continued on Sunday in Texas, where he surrendered five runs over six innings in a 6-2 loss to the Rangers. He finished the month of May with a 2-3 record and a 5.34 ERA (five starts). Contributing to Liriano’s erratic form is his high walk rate. He has allowed a whopping 15 walks in his last four outings for the Bucs.
With Liriano struggling with his command right now, the onus is on the Pittsburgh hitters to provide some crucial run support tonight. Expected to lead the Bucs offense in the series opener against the Angels is third baseman David Freese. He is 4-of-6 (.667) in his career against Weaver with one RBI. Freese is batting 11-of-28 in his last seven games for the Bucs with two homers and six RBIs.
The Pirates are 8-2 in their last 10 home games. They are priced at +2,500 to win the World Series this year.
Writer’s Prediction
Pittsburgh (-170) wins, 6-4.
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