The Surprising Statistic That Predicts This Contest’s True Winner—And It’s Not What You Expect

The Pirates were a team that I had no expectation of success for this year. I have been saying for over a year now that they need to figure something out fast or they will not have Paul Skenes after his rookie contract. The reality is that they probably won’t have him for the entirety of his rookie deal because he is going to request a trade. They are just 15-32 this season, a big step back from the success they had last year of at least being around .500 for the first half of the season. The team isn’t hitting very well, with just a .217 batting average, and they aren’t pitching much better with a 4.08 ERA combined. Tonight’s pitcher, Mitch Keller, has taken a step back this year from his success last season. Keller is 1-5 for the season with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Keller has similar splits to Lodolo – the home ERA is at 5.33 and his road ERA is at 2.88. This isn’t the optimal spot for Keller. He has faced the Reds multiple times and held them to a .206 batting average. 

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