The Pirates will be trying to slam their rivals from the other league on Sunday, as the Boston Red Sox visit in inter-league play at PNC Park.

Andrew Miller, with a record of 0-0 on the season, gets the ball for the Red Sox, while the Pirates trot James McDonald to the mound in this one. He is 5-4 so far in 2011.



View Boston vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Pirates as +115 moneyline underdogs in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 9.5.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 16 (Pirates) and the No. 1 (Red Sox) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 13 ranked National League offense (3.8 runs per game) against a Red Sox defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 8 in the American League at 4.2 runs allowed per game. The Pirates have been averaging 8 hits per game, less than the Red Sox have managed so far this season (9.8 hits on average).

Boston brings the American League's No. 8-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Pirates' league No. 6-ranked defense.

The Red Sox were a 6-4 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Pirates. That made winners of bettors who got Pittsburgh at +123 on the moneyline, while the total score (10) was good news for OVER bettors. The Red Sox endured a 6-4 loss at the hands of the Pirates on Saturday, with Tim Wakefield throwing 6 innings of 7-hit ball at PNC Park.




Boston Red Sox Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 6-4
Before playing Philadelphia are 8-2
After playing Pittsburgh are 2-5
After a loss are 4-6

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 2-8
Before playing Toronto are 2-4
After playing Boston are 4-3
After a win are 7-3

A few Red Sox at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games on the road
Boston is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Boston is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games at home


Next up:
Boston at Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 28
Pittsburgh at Toronto, Tuesday, June 28