With the wildcard race in the National League heating up, the Pittsburgh Pirates are still in the thick of the fight.
After a 2-2 series split with the Giants on the road in San Francisco, The Pirates entered Monday just five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies for the two playoff spots. They look to close the gap with a series win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Twins meanwhile are eager to bounce back from a second straight series loss after losing 2-4 to the Detroit Tigers in their series Finale last Sunday. It was yet another disappointing performance for the Twins who managed to put up just four hits in the loss, including Max Kepler drilling a solo homerun and Johnny Field adding an RBI.
Only a few people expected the Pittsburgh Pirates to be where they are after playing 119 games this season. Considering their struggles last season, being at 61-58 entering the Twins series is already an impressive feat for them. Although they are coming off a 3-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants, the Pirates have won four of six games heading to Tuesday’s opener.
Chris Archer will start on top of the mound for the Pirates in this second and final game of their mini-series against the Twins. Archer has started 19 games this season and has a record of 4-5 with an ERA of 4.36 and a WHIP of 1.43. The 29-year-old right-hander was recently acquired by Pittsburgh from Tampa Bay.
In his first start with the Pirates, Archer did not get the decision in a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on August 3rd after giving up 5 runs on 7 hits. However, Archer bounced back with a better performance against the Rockies on August 8th, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks, three strikeouts and getting his fourth win of the season.
Gregory Polanco leads the Pirates with 19 home runs and 65 RBIs for the season. However, the right fielder is in a slump as he’s slashing .132/.209/.237 with only six RBIs and no home runs in 44 plate appearances for the month of August. With 43 games left, Polanco hopes to get it going for the Pirates.
The Minnesota Twins are struggling and their season is spiraling downwards. Unless they start a turnaround, this season is just going to pass them by really quickly. Heading into this two-game series against the Pirates, Minnesota has lost four out of their last five games and their current record is 54-63.
In their most recent outing, the Twins lost 2-4 to the Detroit Tigers. During that game, Kohl Stewart pitched four shutout innings and got the first out of the fifth. However, he allowed the next five batters to reach base. He ended up allowing three runs on 8 hits while getting the loss in his Major League Debut.
Jose Berrios will get the opportunity to start on top of the hill for the Twins on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Puerto Rican right-hander has started a total of 24 games this season and has a record of 11-8 with and ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.09. Berrios ranks 8th in the AL in WHIP (1.09), 9th in strikeouts (153) and 10th in innings pitched (150).
In his most recent start, Berrios did not get the decision during last Thursday’s loss to Cleveland. In that game, Berrios gave up four runs on four hits while walking six and fanning five across four innings pitched. He exited the game after throwing 97 pitches, just 54 of which were strikes while giving up a season-high six walks.
Eddie Rosario is the Minnesota offensive leader with 20 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .296 batting average for the season. Rosario is in the midst of a slump at the plate with only a .544 on-base plus slugging. During the Twins last game against the Tigers on 8/11/18, he got his first rest since late June, giving Johnny Field the start for the Twins.
Entering this series, the Minnesota Twins are 14-4 in their last 18 home games and also 14-4 in their last 18 home games against teams with losing record. The Twins have also beaten the last 8 starting pitchers they’ve faced who had a WHIP of more than 1.30. However, the Twins have also lost four out of their last five games SU. Likewise, they are 2-4 in their last six games SU at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates heading to this series.
The Pirates have a 16-39 record in their last 57 games against teams with a winning home record. However, they are 4-2 in their last 6 games straight up and have won four of the last six against the Twins in Minnesota.
Credit the Pirates for hanging around in the wildcard race. But the Twins really don’t have pressure on their side now and will be playing to spoil someone’s chances of making the postseason. Berrios has been struggling as of late but he has been solid all season long. Meanwhile, Archer is still adjusting to a new team and his unfamiliarity with the Pirates gives the Twins the advantage here. We’re picking the Minnesota Twins to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on 8/51/18.
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