D-backs and Pirates Home and Road Matchup Info Reveals Team Styles

We take a deeper dive into how the two NL Wild Card contenders match up home and away, at the plate, on defense, and running the bases.

Nov 1, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; General view of the stadium in the first inning of the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers in game five of the 2023 World Series at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates (52-50) are in town for a three game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks (53-50) starting Friday night. NL Wild Card positioning is on the line. If the D-backs take the series, they'll widen their slim 0.5 game lead over the Pirates. If the Pirates win the series, they'll leapfrog the D-backs in the standings.

Earlier today we dove into the series pitching matchups. The D-backs will run out Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt, and Yilber Diaz while the Pirates counter with Jose L. Ortiz, Marco Gonzales, and Mitch Keller. You can read more about those matchups at this link.

Team Comparison Overview

The below table is broken out by the Pirates' road record and road statistics, compared to the Diamondbacks' home record and statistics.

Pirates and D-backs Comparison Team Stats / Jack Sommers

The Pirates have been a solid road team, playing above .500. The styles of the two teams are very different. The D-backs are a good hitting team and have relied on that offense to overcome their sub-par pitching. The D-backs' rotation has struggled at home, but the bullpen has been better at Chase Field.

The Pirates meanwhile are not a good hitting team. Exacerbating that issue is the fact that their best hitter, Bryan Reynolds, is day to day with back spasms. He's not expected to go on the IL as of this writing however. With or without Reynolds, the Pirates will depend on their superior pitching if they are to win the series.

Reynolds is batting .288 with a .839 OPS, or 137 OPS+. That includes 18 homers and 61 RBI. The only other everyday players for the Pirates with above average OPS are Oneil Cruz, .754 OPS 15 homers, and Andrew McCutchen, .716 OPS and 13 homers.

The D-backs' offense is of course led by NL MVP candidate Ketel Marte. He's coming off a big series in Kansas City, homering in three straight games. He's batting .296 with 22 homers and 64 RBI while sporting an .896 OPS. Christian Walker leads the team with 23 homers and 70 RBI. DH Joc Pederson is hitting .273 with 13 homers and has a .876 OPS in a platoon role.

The mystery of the year is 2023 Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll's dismal season. He's batting just .210/.299/.333, .632 OPS with six homers and 35 RBI.

Defense

The Diamondbacks are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They are credited with +16 defensive runs saved, or DRS (Fielding Bible) and +16 Fielding Run Value, or FRV (Statcast). Ketel Marte and Christian Walker are both having Gold Glove caliber seasons. Gold Glove catcher Gabriel Moreno continues to be a standout behind the plate. And they are solid up the middle with Geraldo Perdomo (SS) and Alek Thomas (CF).

Furthermore their weakest defenders with the largest negative numbers, Blaze Alexander (optioned), Tucker Barnhart, and Jace Peterson (DFA'd) are no longer on the roster. Those three accounted for -13 DRS. The worst rated defender still on the team is surprisingly Carroll, who has -8 DRS and -2 FRV.

The Pirates on the other hand have -7 DRS and -16 FRV, ranking 23rd and 26th respectively. That's not to say they don't have good defenders. Kebryan Hayes (3B), Michael A. Taylor (CF), Jared Triolo (2B/SS/3B), and Connor Joe (1B) all rate positively.

But corner outfielders Jack Suwinski and Bryan Reynolds, and shortstop Oneil Cruz drag down the team's defensive metrics with negative numbers.

Base Running

Both teams rate as above average base running teams. Baseball Reference rates Arizona +7 runs, (1st in MLB) and the Pirates +4 (T-4th). Fangraphs has Arizona +8 (3rd in MLB) and Pittsburgh +1.6 (11th).

Neither team is stealing a lot of bases, the D-backs have 65 and Pirates have 55. But both teams are aggressive in taking the extra base.

SUMMARY and PREDICTION

Both teams have played to a fairly even level this year, albeit in a different manner. The D-backs are the better offensive team and hold the edge in fielding. The Pirates have had better pitching throughout the year, but Arizona will miss Paul Skenes this series while running out Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt.

Arizona takes the series two games to one.