Subscribe
Follow Us
The Houston Astros travel to the Pittsburgh Pirates in an interleague matchup Tuesday night! Check out our MLB odds series as we hand out an Astros-Pirates prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Astros are missing Jose Altuve and Justin Verlander early on as they have started slow. At 5-6, Houston sits behind the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers to begin the season. Houston opened up against three American League Central teams and did not win a single series. A win Tuesday night would give the Astros their first series win of the year.
The Pirates are off to a better start than people expected. They have won six of their first 10 games and sit in second place in the National League Central early on in the season. This is thanks to a series win against the Chicago White Sox and a sweep of the Boston Red Sox.
This will be the game two of a three game set between the teams. Game one was dominated by the Astros. Framber Valdez threw seven strong innings for Houston while Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez drove in five of the Astros' eight runs.
Here are the Astros-Pirates MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Astros-Pirates Odds
Houston Astros: -1.5 (-105)
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-114)
Over: 8 (-122)
Under: 8 (+100)
How To Watch Astros vs. Pirates
TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Stream: MLB TV Subscription
Time: 6:35 PM ET/3:35 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Astros have the ninth best pitching staff in the MLB with a 3.77 ERA. They have the third most strikeouts in the league as well. The Pirates offense is not strong and that was proven in game one. Houston allowed just three hits on the game and did not give up a hit after the fourth inning. The Astros have a solid bullpen, so if the Cristian Javier can give the bullpen a lead, Houston will come out of this game on top.
Offensively, the Astros are still dangerous. Kyler Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Jose Abreu and Jeremy Pena are four really good top of the order bats for Houston. The Astros need a little more production from the bottom half of the order, but as long as those four players produce, Houston will be just fine.
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
Pittsburgh needs to be aggressive at the plate. Javier will attack the zone and go right at hitters. In 11 innings pitched, Javier has allowed 13 hits. The Pirates are not the best hitting team, but if they can get aggressive at the plate and attack the fastball early, they will be successful in this game. Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen and Connor Joe will lead the way for the Pirates offense. If the rest of the lineup can get on base for these three hitters, the Pirates will keep the game within reach.
Final Astros-Pirates Prediction & Pick
The Astros are clearly the better team. Cristian Javier is a solid starter and will have success as long as he lives on the corners. With the Astros bullpen as well, the Pirates need to get to Javier to have a chance. Expect the Astros to win the game and win their first series of the year in this game.
Final Astros-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (-105), Over 8 (-122)
