Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies 8/28/22 - MLB Picks & Predictions

In-state rivals will square off on Sunday afternoon, when the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies wrap up their weekend series from Citizens Bank Park. The Pirates (47-78) are in the midst of a six-game losing streak and are stuck in the NL Central Division basement. Last night, Pittsburgh went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and struck out 12 times during a 6-0 road loss. 

Twenty-two year old righty Roansy Contreras (3-4 3.86 ERA) will take the mound for the Pirates in this matchup. Last time out, Contreras gave up two runs in seven innings during a 2-1 home loss versus Atlanta.

The Philadelphia Phillies have reeled off five straight victories and are currently in second place in the NL Wild Card standings. On Saturday, Philadelphia SP Kyle Gibson (9-5) scattered six hits and fanned nine batters in seven innings to earn the win. J.T. Realmuto started the scoring with a bases clearing double for the Phillies, who improved to 72-55 on the season.

The Phillies will counter with hard-throwing righty Noah Syndergaard (8-8 3.77 ERA) on Sunday. Philadelphia has won Syndergaard’s last four starts and he has allowed ten runs over his last 25 frames.