Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 7/21/24, 8:15 AM  by Bill Christy | Modified on 7/21/24 at 8:16 AM in MLB Picks

The Philadelphia Phillies (62-36) are looking to avoid being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates (50-48) today. After blowing a lead on Friday, they never led in Saturday’s game as their bats were ice cold. The Pirates were able to get to Christopher Sanchez enough to mount a lead that became insurmountable for the Phillies. Philly were only able to get 4 hits, one of which was a Bryce Harper blast that was too little too late. O’Neil Cruz continued to be a thorn in the Phillies sides as he went 2-4 with a homer and 3 RBIs. He is now 5-9 with 3 doubles, a home run, and 6 RBIs. If the Pirates are going to complete the sweep, he will likely be at the front of their offense. Marco Gonzalez (1-0, 2.45) of the Pirates will be tasked with shutting down the Phillies offense. He is coming off a 1 run game over the Chicago White Sox where he picked up his 1st win after 4 starts. He will be countered by the Phillies’ Tyler Phillips. He is coming off his 2nd big league start where he allowed 4 runs on 6 hits to the Athletics. Despite the mediocre pitching, he did pick up the win.