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Game two of a weekend interleague series takes place Saturday afternoon as the Pittsburgh Pirates face the Toronto Blue Jays. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Pirates-Blue Jays prediction and pick.
Game one of the Pirates and Blue Jays series will take place Friday night. The Pirates will come into the series on Friday at 26-30, sitting fourth in the NL Central. The Blue Jays are 26-29 heading into the series, which places them fifth in the AL Central. The Pirates have not officially named a starter, but it is Bailey Falter's spot in the rotation. He is 3-2 on the year with a 3.55 ERA. Jose Berrios will be on the mound on Friday. He is 5-4 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Blue Jays Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-182)
Moneyline: +124
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+150)
Moneyline: -146
Over: 8 (-105)
Under: 8 (-115)
How to Watch Pirates vs. Blue Jays
Time: 3:07 PM ET/ 12:07 PM PT
TV: SNP/SN1
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pirates are 16th in team ERA while sitting 15th in WHIP and 17th in opponent batting average. Mitch Keller will be on the mound for the Pirates. He is 6-3 on the year with a 3.59 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Keller has been amazing in May. In four starts, Keller has gone 27.2 innings, giving up just four runs. That is good for a 1.30 ERA and a 4-0 record. Current members of the Toronto Blue Jays have 14 career at-bats against Keller. They have hit just .214 against him with one RBI.
The Pirates are 22nd in the majors in runs scored while sitting 25th in batting average, 25th in on-base percentage, and 26th in slugging percentage. Bryan Reynolds has led the way. He is hitting .254 on the year with a .328 on-base percentage. He has 12 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs. This has led to 29 RBIs and 20 runs scored. Further, he has stolen four bases. Connor Joe has also been solid. He is hitting .286 on the year with a .357 on-base percentage. Joe has 13 doubles and six home runs leading to 23 RBIs. He also leads the team with 30 runs scored.
Oneil Cruz leads the team in homeruns. He has hit .246 on the year with a .300 on-base percentage. Cruz also has seven home runs and 20 RBIs, while scoring 22 times. Meanwhile, Andrew McCutchen continues to produce. McCutchen is hitting just .234 but has a .337 on-base percentage. He has eight home runs and 18 RBIs while scoring 26 runs this year.
Why The Blue Jays Will Cover The Spread/Win
Blue Jays pitching is 21st in the majors in team ERA while sitting 22nd in WHIP and 27th in opponent batting average. Yusei Kikuchi is expected to be on the mound for the Blue Jays in this one. He is 2-4 with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Kikuchi has struggled in the last month. Last time out, he gave up five runs in three innings. In his five starts in May, he has a 3.62 ERA, but an 0-2 record as the Blue Jays have lost all five games. Current members of the Pirates have 26 career at-bats against Kikuchi. They are hitting .231 against Kikuchi with three home runs and seven RBIs.
The Blue Jays are 25th in runs scored this year, while sitting 18th in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage, and 20th in slugging. Daulton Varsho has been driving in a ton of runs. He leads the team with 30 RBIs this year but is struggling to hit. He is hitting just .205 with a .293 on-base percentage. Varsho has nine doubles and ten home runs though plus he has scored 31 times. Meanwhile, Vladimir Guerrero is also driving in runs and hitting well. He is hitting .294 on the year with a .389 on-base percentage. Guerrero has ten doubles and five home runs leading to 25 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
Also scoring well is Justin Turner. Turner has scored 89 times this year and is hitting .217 on the season. Turner has nine doubles and four home runs on the year. This has led to 20 RBIs. Bo Bichette is right ahead of him with 25 RBIs. Bichette is hitting .251 on the year but with a .298 on-base percentage. He has nine doubles and four home runs, leading to his 25 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
Final Pirates-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
Neither team has been great this year, and have similar records. The big difference between these two in this one will be the pitching. Mitch Keller has been a stud this year, and the Pirates are giving him plenty of run support. That is the opposite of what the Blue Jays are giving Yusei Kikuchi. Kikuchi has had some solid performances, but the Blue Jays are not giving him run support. Take the Pirates in this one.
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Final Pirates-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick: Pirates ML (+124)
