Pirates to pound Rockies all over again?
Between a bothersome injury and a general lack of sharpness, Gerrit Cole’s first month-plus of the season didn’t unfold as planned. Unfortunately for Colorado, Pittsburgh’s ace seems to be on the cusp of returning to dominance.
Cole’s Pirates and the Rockies battle in tonight’s series opener, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch at PNC Park. Online sports book Bovada.lv leans in the hosts’ direction, listing them as 1.5-run favorites. Walt Weiss’ club, conversely, enters as a +195 underdog. The over/under run total sits at 7.5.
Having just dealt Atlanta an 8-2 loss, Clint Hurdle gets to hand the ball to Cole (4-3, 3.05 ERA) this evening. The righty last threw over the weekend, limiting the Cubs to three hits across eight scoreless innings. It marked the first outing of six-plus frames for Cole, whose first start didn’t occur until April 9 because of a rib ailment.
Offensively, the Rockies (20-20) did their part in yesterday’s 13-7 defeat at St. Louis. Highly touted prospect Jon Gray had no chance vs. the Redbirds’ ferocious lineup, though, and Weiss’ relievers fared similarly. Eddie Butler (2-1, 4.74) will be tasked with rectifying matters in a few hours. He actually came out of the bullpen to face the Buccos last month, surrendering a run in 2 1/3 innings.
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Bottom line: Pittsburgh holds a seven-game winning streak over Colorado, outscoring the Rockies 57-30 during that span. There’s little to reason to believe that Cole won’t mow down the opposition’s bats, so Butler basically inherits a near-impossible situation. Bet on Starling Marte and the rest of the Pirates (22-18) to make the evening an unpleasant one for the visiting crew.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: PIRATES -1.5
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