Marlins vs. Pirates: Picks, predictions, how to watch Sunday’s game

The Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates square off on Sunday with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. ET. The game takes place at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Sandy Alcantara (9-4, 1.76 ERA) will head to the hill for the Marlins and the Pirates will counter with Mitch Keller (3-7 4.55 ERA).

Miami (44-50) is banking on a turnaround performance after laying a goose egg against the Pirates on Saturday. The Marlins were disappointingly shut out in the second game of this series after rattling off eight runs in the opener. The defense shouldn’t be an issue with Alcantara on the hill for the series finale, but the Marlins will have their work cut out for them on offense. Miami ranks in the bottom half of the league in run-scoring this season.

Pittsburgh (40-55) simply never gave the Marlins a chance on Saturday as Jose Quintana pitched a gem. Quintana went seven innings and struck out four batters while allowing just four hits. The defensive clinic was needed for a Pittsburgh team that had lost the previous three games in this head-to-head matchup. With Alcantara on the hill, the Pirates will hope that their bats can find some magic as runs will be tough to come by.

Marlins vs. Pirates

Pitchers: Sandy Alcantara vs. Mitch Keller
First pitch: 1:35 p.m. ET
Marlins local broadcast: Bally Sports Florida
Pirates local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Marlins -1.5 (+105)
Run total: 7
Moneyline odds: Marlins -170, Pirates +145

Moneyline pick: Marlins -170

The Pirates can’t bank on back-to-back shutout performances on Sunday, which is almost a necessity for this roster to get the win. Keller is also better on the road as opposed to home, where he’s 0-4 at PNC Park. Bet on the Marlins bouncing back Sunday.

Player prop pick: Sandy Alcantara over 5.5 strikeouts (-205)

Alcantara brings an excellent 1.76 ERA into this matchup while facing a Pirates team that has the third-highest strikeout rate in baseball (25.1%). Runs should be difficult to come by for Pittsburgh and that means Alcantara should have a successful day on the hill.

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