Arizona Diamondbacks by 2
Alright folks, allow me to indulge your MLB needs with this matchup: Arizona Diamondbacks are slithering their way into the Pittsburgh Pirates' territory, PNC Park – a haven where batters can go a little sobbing into their gloves.
A quick look at the mound reveals Diamondbacks’ Jordan Montgomery who - oh boy - has an ERA of 5.88 and WHIP of 1.66. And the lucky number of times he made batters swing and miss this season - a mere 5.9 times per nine innings. On the flip side, Pirates' skipper Mitch Keller, with a 3.34 ERA and a WHIP 1.22, and fools the hitters even more often with 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Now let's give a shout out to the top players here. The Diamondbacks boast of Ketel Marte exhibiting some sweet 0.365 batting average and packing 24 RBIs in his pocket. Watch your heads in the stands when this guy is at bat, he's sent 9 balls going over the fence. Not to forget, Jake McCarthy and Eugenio Suarez both coming in hot with stellar batting averages there.
Meanwhile, our Pirates have Bryan Reynolds who's been hitting balls 0.345 of times he's at bat while tugging along 17 RBIs and just about five homers. Not too shabby for the season, Bryan. Don't you look past the young gun Oneil Cruz with a 0.322 batting average and 20 RBIs as well.
Peeking back into the history, the previous bury-the-hatchet between these two produced scores like they're coming out of a pinball game. Sneaky last-minute wins, surprise home runs, you name it. The Diamondbacks have been poking back at the Pirates more often than not.
The Diamondbacks have been showing their scales this season with 59 victories under their belt, clearly outshining the Pirates who've been able to hoist the black flag only 55 times. Add to it, the more recent battles have been more of walk the plank for the Pirates while the Diamondbacks seem to have shed their cold-bloodedness and are on fire.
Unscrewing my crystal baseball, my prediction rests with the Diamondbacks turning Pirates into parrots.
Albert’s Prediction: Arizona Diamondbacks by 2