Pirates vs. Nationals prediction and odds for Saturday, April 29 (Pirates Vets Continue to Turn Back the Clock)
You couldn’t have dreamt up a better start to the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates than the one they are currently off too.
The Pirates have a chance now, to extend their lead in the NL Central and National League with this series against the Washington Nationals down in DC. The Pirates just took two of three from the Dodgers, so they should be able to take this series from the Nats who are in last place in the NL East.
For Game 2 of the series, an early start on Saturday afternoon, the Pirates send Vince Velasquez to the mound against Patrick Corbin. Velasquez is 3-2 with a 3.76 ERA while Corbin comes in with a 5.88 ERA and a record of 1-3.
Here are the odds for the Bucs and the Nats in DC.
The Pittsburgh Pirates keep winning and a big part of that are their rejuvenated veterans. Carlos Santana and Andrew McCutchen are the heart of their lineup and are both hitting the ball like it’s 2014 again while Rich Hill and today’s starter, Vince Velasquez keep having quality starts in the rotation. Last time out, Velasquez went 7.0 scoreless innings against the Reds at PNC Park and only allowed two hits with 10 strikeouts. The last time he had double-digit strikeouts in an outing was May 10, 2018 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Velasquez never quite reached the highs that Patrick Corbin did as a crucial part of a World Series winning rotation in Washington, but Corbin has not been able to turn back the clock the way that Velasquez has. Corbin has a 5.88 ERA with a 5.32 FIP after finishing last season with an ERA well north of six.
The last left-hander that the Pirates faced was Julio Urias on Thursday. Urias led the NL in ERA last season, but the Pirates put up a six spot on the lefty with back-to-back home runs from Connor Joe and Rodolfo Castro. The Pirates will do even more damage to Corbin and will take the win on the road.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change
