Pirates vs Phillies Odds, Betting Lines, and Picks (Sep. 24)

• The Philadelphia Phillies are -220 home favorites over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday (September 24th, 7:05 pm ET)
• Philadelphia will give the ball to Kyle Gibson (10-8, 3.51 ERA), while Pittsburgh will counter with Sam Howard (3-4, 5.80 ERA)
• Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction

The Philadelphia Phillies are peaking at the right time. Philly has won three straight, and seven of its past nine, as they try to catch the Atlanta Braves for the NL East lead with just over a week remaining on the schedule. The Phillies enter play on Friday two games back of the Braves, looking to extend their winning streak to four against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pirates vs Phillies Odds

Odds as of September 23rd at DraftKings.

Philadelphia opened as -220 moneyline favorites, in a game that features a total of 8.5. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET at Citizens Bank Park in the city of Brotherly Love, with clear skies and 54 degree night time temperatures in the forecast.

Probable Pitchers

Kyle Gibson will toe the rubber for the Phillies, looking to put together his first quality start in nearly a month. The 33-year-old has been hit hard in four straight outings, surrendering 18 runs in his past 21.2 innings. Not surprisingly, Philly has dropped all four of those games, getting outscored 23-11 along the way.

.@PatrickWisdom5 ties a #Cubs rookie record with home run No. 26!#DailyWisdom pic.twitter.com/6EI5hb2EqN

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 15, 2021

Gibson started off his Philadelphia tenure by allowing two or fewer runs in four of his first six starts since being acquired from Texas, but lately it’s been all downhill. He owns a 7.48 ERA in September and an opponent batting average of .307.

Howard vs Gibson

He was excellent in his lone start against the Pirates however, scattering five hits and two runs over 6.2 innings, in a 15-4 victory. Pittsburgh’s lineup has shown life this week, despite ranking at or near the bottom in every major statistical category. The Pirates have scored at least five times in five straight outings, and seven of their past nine. They sprinted out to a 6-0 lead over Philly on Thursday, but allowed the Phillies to score 12 unanswered runs on their way to victory.

Pittsburgh will counter with reliever Sam Howard, in an opener role, as the lefty will make the first official start of his four-year career.

https://twitter.com/RobBiertempfel/status/1441236837746544640

Howard hasn’t pitched more than 2 innings in any of his 2021 appearances, while the longest outing of his MLB career is 2.2 innings back in his rookie campaign. The 28-year-old has coughed up 27 runs in 40 innings of work this season, and owns just a 67.7% strand rate.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

Philadelphia has scored 27 times in their past two meetings with the Pirates, but have yet to face Howard this year.

Pirates vs Phillies Pick

This will actually be the second straight outing that Pittsburgh has been forced to throw a bullpen game. On Thursday, their relievers surrendered 11 hits, 12 runs and three homers to the Phillies and Friday’s outlook for them doesn’t look much better. Pittsburgh’s bullpen ranks 21st in ERA and has allowed 23 runs to Philly over their past 12 innings of work.

Mood. pic.twitter.com/2GeE5ZY49G

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 24, 2021

The Phillies meanwhile, are in the thick of a playoff race and even though Gibson has struggled recently, his early season body of work, plus his success versus this Pirates lineup should give bettors confidence. Yes, he’s allowed three or more runs in four straight starts, but he carried a shutout into the 5th inning in back-to-back outings before a few untimely mistakes burned him.

Pick: Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (+100)