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The Pittsburgh Pirates will be playing the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night. The Red Sox beat the Pirates 5-3 on Tuesday in the series opener to improve to 58-59. Pittsburgh is now 45-71 after the defeat.
"Starting the series in the win column." - RedSox
Pittsburgh has been bad at home this year, sporting just a 24-30 record at PNC Park. The Red Sox are exactly .500 on the road, and they've won four of their last five now.
Pittsburgh will tab Roansy Contreras for Wednesday's contest. He is 2-2 with a 3.83 ERA through nine starts this year. He hasn't made a big league start since June 7, so we'll see if he shows any rust.
The Red Sox offense ranks 13th in runs per game. They'll have Xander Bogaerts back in the lineup, who was dealing with a shin injury. The Red Sox pounced on Mitch Keller on Tuesday, scoring five quick runs, but then they failed to score in the final seven frames. We'll see if Contreras, who has shown decent potential, can put together a serviceable start on Wednesday.
Rich Hill, who is 4-5 with a 4.75 ERA, will be on the bump Wednesday for Boston. Last time out, the veteran was shelled. Last week against the Atlanta Braves, Hill tossed four frames, giving up seven hits and four earned runs while failing to record a strikeout. Boston would go on to lose that contest 9-7.
Fortunately for Hill, Pittsburgh's offense ranks 28th in runs per game and should be a lot easier to navigate than Atlanta's. Even though Hill hasn't been great recently, he has a chance to bounce back against a weak lineup.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Boston Red Sox Match Details
Fixture: Boston Red Sox @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Date & Time: Wednesday, August 17, 7:05 p.m. EDT
Venue: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Boston Red Sox Betting Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Boston Red Sox Best Picks
Roansy Contreras has been down in the minors for the last few weeks, racking up a decent amount of Ks. He's struck out 15 in his last two starts. His previous MLB appearances saw him retire seven Cinncinati Reds via the punchout. Look for him to notch four in his return to the big leagues.
Pick: Roansy Contreras Over 3.5 Strikeouts (-150)
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Boston Red Sox Betting Prediction
With their previous loss, the Pirates have now dropped five straight, heading into Wednesday's contest. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have been playing solid baseball, especially from a pitching perspective, which has been their weakness all year long. However, they're just 3-8 in their previous 11 games as favorites.
Both teams' starting pitchers have pretty high ERAs in recent starts, so target the total here to go over.
Prediction: Over 8 Runs (-110)
Last 15 Days' MLB Picks are: 117-88-4 (+196.0 Units)
