Arizona Diamondbacks Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: Lineups, preview, and prediction (June 22, 2018)

(Photo credit: Keith Allison)

The resurgent Diamondbacks added to their 8-4 recent record with a solid 9-3 win in the first of a four-game series in Pittsburgh. Zack Godley took the ball to start last night and went six solid innings, allowing just seven hitters to first base and striking out five, while the Arizona bats jumped all over Chad Kuhl, with two homers and eight earned runs before he was chased without registering an out in the third inning. From then on it was plain sailing for them.

Patrick Corbin (LHP) Vs. Ivan Nova (RHP)

The Diamondbacks lefty is having a nice season so far. In 15 starts he has a 3.48 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and an impressive 11.3 K/9. One of the most impressive things about Corbin's 2018 campaign is that his uptick in strikeouts has not come with an increase in walks. In fact, for the second straight year his walk rate is down.

However, Corbin comes into today on shaky form. His last two starts, including one against the Pirates, have not been good. He has given up five runs in both, while allowing 10 hitters to reach first. In fact, over his last four games Corbin has an ERA of 6.46, that's not good.

If Corbin has been good but slipping, then Nova has been poor but improving. His season-long numbers aren't overly pretty, with a 4.42 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and a worrying 10.4 hits per nine innings. And yet, his last two starts have been good. He picked up wins against the Cubs and Reds, allowing just one run in each game and controlling the opposition.

Projected lineups

Who's hot, and who's not

After a slow start to the year Paul Goldschmidt has been a monster of late. In the last two weeks he has hit eight homers, scored 16 runs, knocked in 18, and hit for a .404 average. backing him up has been David Peralta, who has four homers and a .367 average in the same time span, and Jon Jay who has a .340 average and a homer.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing for the Diamondbacks lineup though. Jake Lamb has really struggled at the plate of late, he has an average of .174, and  even though he has three homers the lack of consistency has been a nightmare in the heart of the lineup.

The Pirates lineup is far from electric right now. The regulars like Josh Harrison and Austin Meadows are playing well but not exceptionally so, but then they are having to carry very poor form from Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson as well. The silver lining is that role players like David Freese and Elias Diaz are doing well with their limited at-bats.

Prediction

This is a tough one. The Diamondbacks are in good form, while the Pirates are 5-5 in their last 10. The issue is that the form of their lineups is flipped on the mound. Can the D-Backs hot bats smash Nova's form? Will Corbin's slump bring the best out of the Pirates hitters? I'll take the Diamondbacks by two, but this could be a wild one.