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MLB : ATS Matchup
Tuesday 7/28/2015Line$ LineOU LineScore
PITTSBURGH  MORTON )
 
MINNESOTA  PELFREY )
-1.5  +140

+1.5  -160
-105

-105

9.5un
 
8
Final
7

PITTSBURGH (57 - 41) at MINNESOTA (52 - 46)
View Previous GameView Next Game
Tuesday, 7/28/2015 8:10 PM
CHARLIE MORTON (R) vs. MIKE PELFREY (R)
Board OpeningLatest
 LineTotalLineTotal
975PITTSBURGH-115Ov 8.5,-115-110Ov 9,-115
976MINNESOTA+105Un 8.5,-105+100Un 9,-105
ADVANCED TEAM STATS
PITTSBURGH - Current Season Performance
 Team RecordsTeamOpponent
 W-LUnitsO-URunsAvgOBPSLGOPSRunsAvgOBPSLGOPS
All Games57-41+8.442-474.00.2570.3080.3850.6933.50.2460.3020.3530.655
Road Games22-24-318-224.00.2560.3050.3790.6843.90.2580.3180.3670.685
vs Right-handed Starters47-33+8.635-374.00.2530.3050.3840.6893.50.2480.3030.3580.661
Past 7 Games4-3+0.84-34.60.2870.3100.4630.7734.70.2690.3100.4570.768
Grass Games57-41+8.442-474.00.2570.3080.3850.6933.50.2460.3020.3530.655
Night Games38-29+2.131-314.00.2540.3060.3810.6873.60.2510.3050.3630.668
Interleague11-7+2.48-104.20.2820.3250.4180.7433.20.2190.2680.3380.606
PITTSBURGH - Team Hitting and Fielding Statistics
Team BattingTeam BattingTeam Fielding
 RunsAVGOBPGABH2B3BHRSLGRBIBBSOSBLOBGIDPERRDPOSB
All Games4.00.2570.30898338787018013760.38537525079966697817111586
Road Games4.00.2560.305461645421915340.3791721164203534237425647
Righty Starters4.00.2530.30580276670115010640.38430320465149559685610170
PITTSBURGH - Bullpen Pitching Statistics
 ERAWHIPIPRERHHRBBSOW-LSVBSVPct.
All Games2.621.184295.79986263278725615-1334979.1%
Road Games2.541.359134.7493813311501252-914573.7%

MINNESOTA - Current Season Performance
 Team RecordsTeamOpponent
 W-LUnitsO-URunsAvgOBPSLGOPSRunsAvgOBPSLGOPS
All Games52-46+16.242-464.20.2510.3020.3960.6994.10.2690.3160.4190.734
Home Games32-18+16.924-204.90.2790.3270.4410.7683.90.2670.3080.4110.719
vs Right-handed Starters33-31+8.425-313.80.2470.2950.3870.6834.30.2730.3200.4250.744
Past 7 Games2-5-1.94-23.30.2330.2850.3750.6606.00.2830.3120.4830.795
Grass Games52-46+16.242-464.20.2510.3020.3960.6994.10.2690.3160.4190.734
Night Games27-24+9.820-274.30.2460.2940.3840.6783.60.2600.3060.3910.697
Interleague8-10-1.26-103.70.2370.2930.3820.6754.40.2700.3210.4170.738
MINNESOTA - Team Hitting and Fielding Statistics
Team BattingTeam BattingTeam Fielding
 RunsAVGOBPGABH2B3BHRSLGRBIBBSOSBLOBGIDPERRDPOSB
All Games4.20.2510.30298326882116726850.396393240721485761005410055
Home Games4.90.2790.3275016484608611530.4412351173332329258275717
Righty Starters3.80.2470.29564209751811320470.3872301444933836961356133
MINNESOTA - Bullpen Pitching Statistics
 ERAWHIPIPRERHHRBBSOW-LSVBSVPct.
All Games3.811.295288139122286348719614-1531781.6%
Home Games3.521.239151705914718401148-616288.9%
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
PITTSBURGH - Schedule
 Team StatsOpp Stats
DateTeam StarterOpponentOpp StarterScoreW/LLineTot.O/UHLOBEHLOBE
7/17/2015MORTON(R)@ MILWAUKEEFIERS(R)1-4L1108.5 ovU3516112
7/18/2015WORLEY(R)@ MILWAUKEENELSON(R)5-8L-1258 unO87213102
7/19/2015LOCKE(L)@ MILWAUKEEJUNGMANN(R)1-6L1258 unU6721150
7/20/2015BURNETT(R)@ KANSAS CITYVENTURA(R)10-7W1257 evO17801481
7/21/2015COLE(R)@ KANSAS CITYVARGAS(L)1-3L-1157 ovU892631
7/22/2015MORTON(R)@ KANSAS CITYVOLQUEZ(R)1-5L1157.5 evU870960
7/23/2015LIRIANO(L)WASHINGTONFISTER(R)7-3W-1857 unO1370670
7/24/2015LOCKE(L)WASHINGTONSCHERZER(R)7-5W+1206.5 unO1251760
7/25/2015BURNETT(R)WASHINGTONGONZALEZ(L)3-9L-1457 ovO7521491
7/26/2015COLE(R)WASHINGTONROSS(R)3-1W-1607 unU530751
7/28/2015MORTON(R)@ MINNESOTAPELFREY(R) 
7/29/2015LIRIANO(L)@ MINNESOTASANTANA(R) 
7/30/2015LOCKE(L)@ CINCINNATI  
7/31/2015BURNETT(R)@ CINCINNATILORENZEN(R) 
8/1/2015COLE(R)@ CINCINNATIIGLESIAS(R) 
8/2/2015MORTON(R)@ CINCINNATILEAKE(R) 
8/3/2015 CHICAGO CUBS  
8/4/2015 CHICAGO CUBS  

MINNESOTA - Schedule
 Team StatsOpp Stats
DateTeam StarterOpponentOpp StarterScoreW/LLineTot.O/UHLOBEHLOBE
7/17/2015SANTANA(R)@ OAKLANDGRAY(R)5-0W1606.5 ovU861572
7/18/2015HUGHES(R)@ OAKLANDKAZMIR(L)2-3L1407 evU6301081
7/19/2015MILONE(L)@ OAKLANDCHAVEZ(R)1-14L1457.5 unO7831240
7/21/2015GIBSON(R)@ LA ANGELSSHOEMAKER(R)0-7L1157 evP2401360
7/22/2015PELFREY(R)@ LA ANGELSWILSON(L)2-5L1507.5 ovU91211271
7/23/2015SANTANA(R)@ LA ANGELSRICHARDS(R)3-0W1707.5 unU530450
7/24/2015HUGHES(R)NY YANKEESPINEDA(R)10-1W+1408 evO144110100
7/25/2015MILONE(L)NY YANKEESSABATHIA(L)5-8L+1008 ovO7711021
7/26/2015GIBSON(R)NY YANKEESEOVALDI(R)2-7L+1158.5 evO1060750
7/28/2015PELFREY(R)PITTSBURGHMORTON(R) 
7/29/2015SANTANA(R)PITTSBURGHLIRIANO(L) 
7/30/2015HUGHES(R)SEATTLEHAPP(L) 
7/31/2015MILONE(L)SEATTLEWALKER(R) 
8/1/2015GIBSON(R)SEATTLEMONTGOMERY(L) 
8/2/2015PELFREY(R)SEATTLEIWAKUMA(R) 
8/3/2015 @ TORONTO  
8/4/2015 @ TORONTO  
KEY GAME INFORMATION
PITTSBURGH: PITTSBURGH (AP) - The scenario was familiar. The destination not so much.
A veteran player with not much time left leaving millions of dollars on the table for one last run to glory. Only A.J. Burnett didn't walk away from his $12.75 million player option with the Philadelphia Phillies for Los Angeles, Washington or St. Louis.
Nope, the 38-year-old well-traveled (and well tattooed) pitcher practically sprinted to Pittsburgh. His arrival in 2012 marked a sea change in the once-floundering organization's direction. His return three years later signals - he hopes - the end of the team's slow but steady slog from downtrodden afterthought to world champion. And he's not kidding.
''I want to win a ring and I want to win a ring in Pittsburgh,'' Burnett said.
The Pirates are as close to being in the conversation as they've been in nearly a quarter century. And they've opened up their wallets, at least a little, to get there. Pittsburgh made Francisco Liriano the highest-paid free agent in team history when they signed lefthander to a three-year, $39-million deal in the offseason to continue the career resurgence that began when they took a two-year flier on him in 2013. And while Burnett took a cut, he isn't exactly going broke. He'll make $8 million to work as the third man in the rotation behind Liriano and Gerrit Cole.
Pittsburgh even spent $5 million for the rights to sign Korean infielder Jung-Ho Kang, who hit 40 home runs on the other side of the world last year and gives the Pirates an intriguing if unproven option should shortstop Jordy Mercer falter or second baseman Neil Walker's back flare up.
General manager Neal Huntington remains adamant his team's budget will never compare to those of clubs in larger markets but allows there is ''more margin for error'' than in years' past.
''We've built a deeper club because of the money allocated to us,'' he said. ''But we need to continue to grow and mature. We want to put ourselves in a position to win the World Series.''
There are worse places to start than in Pittsburgh, which backed up its breakthrough year in 2013 with a second straight postseason berth in 2014. The playoff run ended abruptly against Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants in the NL wild card game. Yet the point had been made. The Pirates aren't going anywhere.
''It would've been easy to say 2013 was a fluke and we just got lucky,'' centerfielder Andrew McCutchen said. ''But we showed up in `14 and were able to do the same thing. We know we're for real. And other teams know they just can't come in (thinking), `All right, we're going to beat the Pirates.' We're not that team anymore.''
They're also not where they want to be, at least not yet. A National League Central title would avoid the fickleness of a one-game scenario. Pittsburgh believes it's built to withstand the rigors of October.
Here are the keys to getting there:
---
THE OTHER FRANCISCO
The Pirates' budget might be growing, but they still couldn't afford to keep catcher Russell Martin, who parlayed his tremendous 2014 into a $82 million deal with Toronto. Pittsburgh prepared for Martin's departure by trading for longtime Yankees' backup catcher Francisco Cervelli. When healthy Cervelli is an adequate defensive replacement with a decent if not powerful bat. If he can handle the pitching staff and control the basepaths, any offense he provides would be a plus.
---
SPEED TO BURN
Perennial MVP candidate McCutchen anchors one of baseball's most athletic outfields. Starling Marte surged toward the end of a bumpy 2014 and Gregory Polanco is a raw but talented work in progress. Pittsburgh felt confident enough in Polanco's progress to trade Travis Snider to Baltimore.
---
PEDRO'S PROGRESS
Pedro Alvarez moves across the infield to first base in hopes of salvaging his career after developing a serious case of the yips at third. If his can reclaim the groove that helped him mash 36 homers in 2013, the Pirates can live with whatever growing pains may come with the switch.
---
KANG SHOW
Kang (pronounced ''Gahng'') doesn't lack for confidence. He told reporters in Korea he believes he can supplant Mercer at shortstop. It may take longer than he thought after a sluggish spring training.
---
THE VANIMAL
Vance Worley, like Liriano, Burnett and the since departed Edinson Volquez, thrived under pitching coach Ray Searage's mentoring last spring. He was arguably Pittsburgh's best starter down the stretch and a strong spring gives him a leg up in the battle Jeff Locke for the fifth starter spot.
MINNESOTA: MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Paul Molitor was hired as Minnesota's new manager, bringing Hall of Fame membership and renowned intelligence and intuition to a team seeking a fresh start.
The Twins brought back one of their most popular players ever, Torii Hunter, to help solidify an unsettled outfield, mentor a fledgling team and hit a few home runs. They have collected plenty of promising young hitters, either slated for the opening day lineup or waiting in the minor league wings.
None of that will matter much if the starting pitching continues to wobble the way it has the last four seasons.
Phil Hughes had by most measures a career year, his first away from the New York Yankees, but his ability to match that is low on the list of 2015 goals. Ricky Nolasco needs to rebound from a terrible first season with the Twins. Ervin Santana must show he's worth that $55 million, four-year contract. Kyle Gibson has to reduce the times (five of 31 starts in 2014) he goes three innings or less and gives up six runs or more. The fifth spot winner, Trevor May, Tommy Milone or Mike Pelfrey, needs to keep it.
''We'd put up a couple good starts and somebody would get hurt or we'd take a step backward,'' said Hughes, whose 2014 season has been one of the few true success stories of the rotation since it unraveled in 2011. ''Every good team I've been on, it seems like the rotation gets on a roll.''
New pitching coach Neil Allen will have more impact on the staff than Molitor, but after 13 years under manager Ron Gardenhire the clubhouse has been naturally buzzing with excitement about the new boss.
''He's one of the smartest baseball people I've ever been around,'' first baseman Joe Mauer said.
As for Hunter? His presence was desired for more energy and stronger camaraderie.
''If there's no tension between players and you're comfortable with everyone, you're going to play better,'' closer Glen Perkins said. ''So that's chemistry, I guess. I think we've held it together as much as we can, as much as we've struggled.''
Here are some key angles to know about the Twins in 2015:
MAUER IMPROVEMENT
Mauer, soon to turn 32, will make $23 million each of the next four years. Injuries have limited him to an average of 116 games from 2011-14. His batting average hit a career-low .277 last season, and he had a career-most 96 strikeouts despite time lost to an oblique muscle injury.
The Twins haven't lost faith in their franchise player, the homegrown guy who was the first overall draft pick in 2001. Playing for Molitor, whom he grew up admiring as an alumnus of the same St. Paul high school, ought to help.
''He's healthy. I think he's anxious to prove that last year was just an aberration,'' general manager Terry Ryan said.
LINEUP FLEXIBILITY
Molitor has been touting his options at the top and in the middle of the order, with a team that quietly scored the third-most runs in the majors after the All-Star break last year and added an accomplished hitter in Hunter.
One decision is whether to bat Mauer third, where he was most of his career until Gardenhire began to bat him second often over the last two seasons.
With Hunter, Kennys Vargas, Trevor Plouffe and Oswaldo Arcia, Molitor has power to play with in the heart of the order. The downsides are Arcia's inconsistency, leadoff man Danny Santana being the only player with a 2014 average above .290 and an unsettled situation in center field.
''It's a small sample, our track record from last year, but it's something you can use as a foundation to see potentially how your offense can work. We're going to have depth, I think, all the way down to the bottom,'' Molitor said.
BULLPEN SHUFFLE
The Twins could return as few as three relievers to their roles from last season: Perkins, Casey Fien and Brian Duensing. Blaine Boyer and Tim Stauffer, from San Diego, were signed. At least one of the losers in the fifth starter competition was headed for the seven-man bullpen. Rule 5 draft pick J.R. Graham, who must be returned to Atlanta if he's not on the 25-man roster, has been pushing for a spot, too.
Reliever use will be one area in which Molitor's strategy could differ from that of Gardenhire.
''I want to get them out of a one-inning mentality. Not that they all have it, or don't want to pitch more. But we've talked a lot about some of those guys, trying to get two innings out of them here, if we can,'' Molitor said.
PREVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER NL PREVIEW (PITTSBURGH-MINNESOTA) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Pirates-Twins Preview* =======================

By BRETT HUSTON STATS Senior Editor

Pittsburgh (57-41) at Minnesota (52-46), 8:10 p.m. EDT

No strangers to the wild-card game, the Pittsburgh Pirates might find themselves in another win-or-go-home scenario come October.

So could the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins may already be home by that point if their lineup struggles as much as it has to begin the second half, but Minnesota has a good chance to break out Tuesday night as it faces Charlie Morton to open this two-game series with the visiting Pirates.

Pittsburgh (57-41) was four games under .500 after dropping both contests to Minnesota (52-46) at PNC Park two months ago, but it's since gone a major league-best 39-19.

Amazingly, that's only been good enough to make up a few games on St. Louis. Clint Hurdle's club has baseball's third-best record, but with the Cardinals comfortably ahead in the Central, Pittsburgh may find itself in the wild-card game for a third consecutive season.

That's a destination the Twins would welcome after four straight seasons with 70 or fewer wins. Only one of what was a four-game lead for the AL's second wild-card spot has been shaved off despite Minnesota's 3-6 record since the All-Star break.

The Twins were held to two or fewer runs for the fifth time in eight games in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees, dropping the series after winning 10-1 on Friday and leading 5-0 on Saturday.

"You get the first game and you get a little greedy," manager Paul Molitor said. "We let one slip away (Saturday), and sometimes those things carry over somewhat. So you take your medicine, you lose the series and you move on."

Minnesota's .283 average with runners in scoring position in the first half was sixth best in baseball, but Molitor's club is coming through at a .200 clip in the second half. Rookie Miguel Sano, who went 14 for 37 with a 1.138 OPS in his first 11 major league games, is 3 for 23 since the break.

Sano is hitting .350 with 11 walks against right-handers, though, and he'll see a vulnerable one Tuesday. Morton (6-4, 4.59 ERA) won his first five starts with a 1.62 ERA, but he's posted a 7.76 ERA in his last six.

Four of the five runs he was charged with over 6 2-3 innings in Wednesday's 5-1 loss at Kansas City came in the seventh, including Mike Moustakas' three-run shot that ended Morton's evening.

"I probably had the best stuff I've had all year," Morton, who has never faced Minnesota, told MLB's official website. "That last inning ruined an otherwise good outing. That seems to have happened a lot this year."

The Pirates took three of four from Washington after starting the second half 1-5, but aside from Jung Ho Kang (.400 since the break) and Starling Marte (.385) they're having some trouble at the plate. Pittsburgh is among baseball's leaders in strikeouts with 102 since the All-Star Game and has the second-fewest walks with 17.

The good news for the Pirates is they'll be facing a pitcher who's allowed the highest opponents' on-base percentage (.360) of any qualified starter. Mike Pelfrey (5-7, 3.94) surrendered 11 more baserunners and four runs - two earned - over six innings Wednesday in a 5-2 loss in Anaheim.

In more bad news, the right-hander has been much better at Target Field, where he's posted a 2.22 ERA in eight starts, and in one of his rare successful road outings he held the Pirates to a run over six innings May 20.

Aramis Ramirez, 0 for 7 so far in his second stint with Pittsburgh, is a career .186 (13 for 70) hitter at Target Field.


Last Updated: 3/19/2024 5:14:22 AM EST.


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