Pirates vs Marlins Predictions, Picks, Odds

Get ready for another intriguing series-opener between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Miami Marlins tonight.

The Pirates enter this bout as losers of back-to-back games, and they’ll be hoping that Jeff Locke can help them stop the bleeding with an excellent performance on the mound. The Marlins, meanwhile, are coming off a resounding victory at Atlanta and will counter with their own lefty in Justin Nicolino. Read on below for a closer look at this National League showdown.

If you’re craving for more baseball action, click here for our preview of the Dodgers vs. Cubs.

MLB World Series News and Previews

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins Betting Preview

Where: Marlins Park, Miami, FL

When: Monday, May 30, 2016, 7:10 PM ET

Line: Pittsburgh Pirates (-130) vs. Miami Marlins (+120); total: 9.0 – view all MLB lines

TV Broadcast: RTPT

Betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates (28-21)

Pittsburgh’s losing woes will probably end tonight with Jeff Locke set to toe the rubber. He’s recorded back-to-back wins in his previous two outings after a pretty rocky start in the month of May. Those two wins, however, were at home and it’ll be interesting to see if Locke can translate his success on the road, where he is just 1-2 with an unacceptable 6.15 ERA across five starts this season.

Well, if Locke, who holds a career ERA of 3.00 against the Marlins, ends up struggling on the mound, the pressure is definitely on the Pirates’ offense to contribute some much-needed runs at the plate. And that being said, look to the trio of Josh Harrison, Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen to do just that.

Harrison leads the team in batting (.321) this year, but his status for this game remains unquestionable thanks to an illness. Marte and McCutchen, meanwhile, are hitting .353 and .308, respectively, in the last four games. The two have also combined for three doubles, two homers and five RBIs during that same stretch.

The Bucs are 4-6 SU in their past 10 road games. They are also priced at +700 to win their division.

Betting on the Miami Marlins (26-24)

After a pair of solid performances in his first two starts this year, Justin Nicolino couldn’t keep up his momentum in the following three games. He went 0-2 with a 5.62 ERA in that losing stretch. But the Marlins should feel a little optimistic about their game against the Bucs tonight especially since Nicolino’s coming off a relatively notable performance in his most recent start.

Nicolino logged in 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball along with a career-high of six strikeouts despite getting the no-decision opposite Tampa Bay last week. Also, the 24-year-old lefty surrendered just two runs—both earned—in six frames during his last and only start versus the Bucs.

Over on offense, expect the streaking Marcell Ozuna, who boasts team-bests of 27 RBIs, 65 hits and a .344 batting average, to continue leading the charge. He enters tonight’s aiming to extend his hitting streak to 17 games in a row. Ozuna also owns a triple-slash line of .379/.400/.655 throughout 23 home games this season.

Miami is 4-6 SU in its previous 10 home games. The Marlins are also pegged at +3,300 to win the World Series this year.