Baseball fans are in for a treat later tonight as we’ve lined up a pair of mouth-watering games that will definitely whet your sporting appetite. Kicking things off this evening is the all-important clash between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then, the San Francisco Giants square off with the St. Louis Cardinals in a marquee National League showdown.
Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two pivotal games. If you’re looking for other sports action, though, you can check out our preview of the Belgian Grand Prix.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (7:05 PM ET)
Line: Arizona Diamondbacks (+180) at Pittsburgh Pirates (-210); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
The Pittsburgh Pirates had their four-game winning streak snapped on Monday with a 4-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Bucs had no answer for D-Backs pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, who won on the road for the first time in two and a half months. He allowed just one run and three hits in 5.1 innings while striking out four and walking one. The Bucs will look to return to winning ways later tonight when they take on the D-Backs in the second game of their three-game set.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Starting for the Bucs this evening is Francisco Liriano (8-6, 3.19 ERA). He was solid in his last start, allowing just three runs on six hits in six innings of action in Pittsburgh’s 10-5 win over St. Louis on August 13. The Pirates are now 8-0 in Liriano’s last eight starts.
The D-Backs, on the other hand, will have Chase Anderson (5-5, 4.31 ERA) as their starting pitcher tonight. Arizona is 1-3 in Anderson’s last four starts. He struggled mightily in his last outing, surrendering five runs on nine hits in just five innings of work in Arizona’s 7-6 loss to Philadelphia on August 12.
Writer’s Prediction
Pittsburgh wins, 5-3.
San Francisco Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals (8:15 PM ET)
Line: San Francisco Giants (+131) at St. Louis Cardinals (-141); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
The San Francisco Giants had their four-game unbeaten run snapped on Monday with a gut-wrenching 2-1 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Giants had no answer for Cards pitcher Michael Wacha, who surrendered just one run in seven innings with six strikeouts. The Giants will look to get their playoff bid back on track when they take on the Cards in the second game of their three-game set tonight.
Pitching for the Giants this evening is Mike Leake (7-4, 4.19 ERA). He’s 5-7 with a 4.34 ERA in 16 career appearances against the Cardinals. This will be Leake’s first start since coming off the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. The Cards, on the other hand, will counter with right-hander Lance Lynn (9-7, 2.95 ERA). The Cards have won four of their last six games with Lynn as their starter. He was simply atrocious in his last start, giving up seven runs on six hits in just 0.2 innings of action in St. Louis’ 10-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 0.2 innings he pitched on Thursday was the shortest outing of Lynn’s career (199 starts).
Writer’s Prediction
San Francisco wins, 5-4. Create a betting account now and bet on the best games for tonight.
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