Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Odds, Line, Picks, and Prediction - June 30th | 2022 MLB Season
The Pittsburgh Pirates host the Milwaukee Brewers for the first game of a four-game set on Thursday. The Pirates are 30-45 and are fresh off of a win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. The Brewers sit at 44-33 after winning both games of their quick two-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Stopped by St. Pete for a quick sweep.
@UWCreditUnion | #ThisIsMyCrew https://t.co/ZNnPzhRUsr
"Stopped by St. Pete for a quick sweep." - Brewers
The Pirates hand the ball to J.T. Brubaker on Thursday, who is sporting a 1-7 record and 4.14 ERA this year. Prior to his last two starts, Brubaker had barely received any run support, and he's somewhat unlucky to have such a poor win-loss record.
Over his last four starts, Brubaker's been pretty reliable, allowing only eight earned runs in 24 1/3 innings. This will be his second time this season facing a Milwaukee lineup that ranks 13th in runs scored per nine innings. The Brewers slug a lot of long balls, so Brubaker will have to keep the ball in the yard to be successful in the opener.
The visiting Brewers will have righty Adrian Houser on the hill, who has a 4-8 record and a 4.50 ERA through 14 starts. Houser had an excellent 2021, but it's looking like luck played a part in that. He had a 3.22 ERA in 2021 but a much higher 4.33 FIP and 4.12 expected ERA. His xERA this year is 4.25, not that far off from last year, and he hasn't been consistently effective over his last six outings.
Fortunately for Houser and the Brewers, the Pirates are one of the weakest hitting teams in the league. They rank in the bottom five in most key offensive categories. Houser did dominate Pittsburgh last year, posting a 2.25 ERA in 28 innings against his division foes. Let's see if the Brewers' hurler can pick up where he left off in 2021 in this one.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Match Details
Fixture: Milwaukee Brewers @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Date & Time: Thursday, June 30, 7:05 p.m. EDT
Venue: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Odds
The over has now hit for the Brewers in six of their previous seven, with the one being a push. They've also won five straight in Pittsburgh and have a solid away record of 25-18 on the year.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Best Picks
J.T. Brubaker struck out six back in April when he faced the Brewers. This was the fifth start of his career against Milwaukee, and in all five, he's recorded six or more punchouts. He has exactly 76 Ks in 76 frames this season.
JT was dealing. https://t.co/L5WNDo8a3N
"JT was dealing." - Pirates
With the Brewers' high strikeout rate, look for Brubaker to notch six Ks again.
Pick: JT Brubaker 6+ Strikeouts (+150)
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Prediction
Even though Houser has been shaky this year, he held the Pirates to two or fewer runs in all four outings last season. Look for the Brewers to extend their winning streak to five as they have the clear talent advantage in this matchup.
Prediction: Milwaukee Brewers ML (-120)