PNC Park hosts an MLB battle between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the visiting Miami Marlins on Sunday.

Anibal Sanchez gets the ball in front of a hostile crowd for the Marlins on this day; he's 5-6 on the season. The Pirates, meanwhile, will counter with Jeff Karstens, who will be looking to improve on his 2-2 mark.



View Miami vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Pirates as -120 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 8.

Power Rankings:
The Pirates sit at No. 13 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Marlins sit at a National League No. 15 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 10 ranked National League offense (4.2 runs per game) against a Marlins defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 13 in the National League at 4.5 runs allowed per game. The Pirates have been averaging 8.2 hits per game, more than the Marlins have managed so far this season (8.1 hits on average).

Pittsburgh owns the National League's No. 3 defense, allowing 3.7 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Miami's National League No. 13-rated defense.

Last time out for Miami, they were a 5-1 loser as they battled the Pirates on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Pirates at -155 were rewarded, while the 6 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Marlins endured a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Pirates on Saturday, with Carlos Zambrano throwing 3 1/3 innings of 3-hit ball at PNC Park.




Miami Marlins Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 5-5
Before playing Atlanta are 5-5
After playing Pittsburgh are 9-1
After a loss are 4-6

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 5-5
Before playing Chi Cubs are 4-6
After playing Miami are 3-7
After a win are 7-3

A few Marlins at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Miami's last 9 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games when playing at home against Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Miami


Next up:
Miami home to Atlanta, Monday, July 23
Pittsburgh home to Chi Cubs, Monday, July 23