Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Pick & Prediction JULY 28th 2024

Preview and Prediction

The Arizona Diamondbacks, who were the defending National League champions, appear to have left their rocky start behind them and are now standing at a season-high five games above .500.

The Diamondbacks will be looking for their fifth consecutive win and their 11th win in their last 14 games as they finish their three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.

With their two wins in this series, Arizona has now won four straight series and have an impressive record of 7-0-1 in their last eight games.

After being four games below .500 following a loss to the Oakland Athletics on June 28, the Diamondbacks have turned things around and have gone 16-7 since then. This run is reminiscent of last season when they made a surprise appearance in the playoffs and eventually reached the World Series.

"We're not trying to replicate last season," said Arizona outfielder Jake McCarthy after their 9-5 win on Saturday. "We take things one game at a time and our goal is to keep improving. We have good momentum right now and we're playing solid baseball. It's all about taking it one day at a time."

McCarthy had a standout performance on Saturday with a career-high five hits, becoming the first Diamondback to achieve this feat since David Peralta in April 2021. All five of McCarthy's hits were singles, a much-needed boost after going 1-for-11 in his last three games.

"It's always a great feeling when your hits are falling," McCarthy said. "I was just trying to have quality at-bats and a few of those hits came with two strikes. I just focused on not chasing bad pitches and not trying to do too much."

The Diamondbacks recently acquired left-handed reliever A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins to strengthen their inconsistent bullpen. In his debut with Arizona, Puk pitched a scoreless eighth inning and has yet to allow a run or more than one hit in his nine appearances in July.

The Pirates had been on a hot streak, winning 10 of their last 13 games, before losing the first two games of this series.

Shortstop Oneil Cruz had a standout performance on Saturday, hitting a massive home run and also tripling to deep center field. The home run traveled an impressive 472 feet and cleared the pool area in right center, making it Cruz's 16th homer of the season.

"It was a big day for Cruz," said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. "He had some great swings, the home run was a bomb and the triple was also a great hit."

Pittsburgh lost two players to injuries during Saturday's game, with Nick Gonzales leaving in the sixth inning due to a groin injury and Rowdy Tellez out with back spasms. All-Star Bryan Reynolds has also been absent for the last three games, the first due to a back injury and the last two due to bereavement leave.

In Sunday's game, Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.34 ERA) will try to shut down the Diamondbacks' offense. In his three career starts against Arizona, Keller has a record of 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA.

Keller's last outing resulted in a no-decision, as he gave up one run and six hits over seven innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. This was the fifth time this season that he has pitched at least seven innings.

The 28-year-old has a 4.04 ERA on the road, compared to a 2.74 ERA at home. Both Ketel Marte (4-for-9) and Eugenio Suarez (2-for-13) have hit home runs against Keller, with Marte hitting his 23rd homer of the season on Saturday.

On the other side, Arizona right-hander Yilber Diaz (1-1, 5.40 ERA) will be making his fourth career start on Sunday. After two strong starts where he allowed only one run and four hits in six innings, Diaz struggled in his last outing against the Kansas City Royals, giving up seven runs and nine hits in just three-plus innings.

Both of Diaz's impressive starts came at home, so he will be looking to bounce back in front of the home crowd on Sunday.

PREDICTION

Pittsburgh Pirates

4

5

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Recap JUL 28TH 2024