Brewers vs. Pirates Wednesday MLB odds, trends: Pittsburgh lone team without victory from starting pitcher; not favored to change with Bryse Wilson

The Pittsburgh Pirates weren't expected to be very good this season and actually have overachieved a bit with an 8-9 record. However, here's an unusual statistic: The Bucs don't have a single win yet from a starting pitcher. That has to be some sort of record 17 games into a season. Bryse Wilson gets a chance to end that streak this evening at home vs. Milwaukee, but the Pirates are +155 underdogs at Caesars Sportsbook.

There's no question that Pittsburgh has an incredibly weak rotation. That group collectively is 0-8 with a 6.59 ERA – only Washington (6.70 ERA) and Cincinnati (7.71 ERA) are worse, and the Nationals have had five wins from starting pitchers and the Reds one. Tampa Bay and Texas each have just one win from a starter, but with the Rays that's not a surprise because their starters rarely go five innings – remember, a starter must go five for a victory. My guess is that rule changes eventually with the proliferation of openers being used.

Dillon Peters leads the Bucs with three wins, while Roansy Contreras, Heath Hembree, Chase De Jong, Miguel Yajure and Will Crowe each have one. The Pittsburgh bullpen had been the only one in the majors without a loss until Aaron Fletcher took one Tuesday. The group is one of three without a blown save, having converted each of its first five save opportunities.

Understandable why the Bucs are big underdogs this evening behind Wilson, who has 5.63 ERA in 128 career big-league innings and is 0-0 with a 6.35 ERA in three starts this year, allowing 12 hits and walking eight compared to only six strikeouts in 11.1 innings. Wilson is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in three career starts vs. Milwaukee. Keston Hiura is 2-for-2 with a homer off him.

Andy Ashby (0-2, 3.18) gets the call for Milwaukee. He's a converted reliever and yet go to more than four innings this season. He has thrown four career scoreless innings vs. the Bucs.

Pittsburgh could be quite thin in the lineup as outfielder Bryan Reynolds (probably the club's best hitter) and infielder Cole Tucker were placed on the COVID list Tuesday and shortstop Kevin Newman was pulled from Tuesday's game due to left groin tightness.

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