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The Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Milwaukee Brewers. Our MLB odds series has our Pirates Brewers prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Pirates Brewers.
The Milwaukee Brewers are playing bad baseball right now. They have lost six of their last eight games. They recently lost a three-game series to the Washington Nationals. They beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night in the first game of this four-game weekend series, but on Friday, their pitching got pounded in an 8-4 loss to the Buccos. Milwaukee is living very dangerously, with the Chicago Cubs making a big push for the National League Central title and joining the Cincinnati Reds as a foremost competitor for the Brew Crew. However, the Brewers have been lucky over this past week. Despite losing six of eight, they are still somehow in first place in their division because the Cincinnati Reds have lost five of their last seven games, including a Friday home loss to the Nationals. Milwaukee is just seven games over .500 right now. A good team should be at least 12 to 16 games over .500 at this point in the season, more or less. The Brewers are extremely fortunate that the N.L. Central is mediocre and stuffed with inconsistent teams.
The Brewers can't keep giving away games to lesser oppnents if they expect to make the playoffs. They lost a lot of bad games in the stretch run in 2022. That cost them a playoff spot. They know they have to win this weekend series versus the Pirates.
Here are the Pirates-Brewers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Brewers Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (+104)
Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (-125)
Over: 8 (-122)
Under: 8 (+100)
How To Watch Pirates vs. Brewers
TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh (Pirates) / Bally Sports Wisconsin (Brewers) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET/4:10 p.m. PT
*Watch Pirates-Brewers LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates crushed the Brewers for eight runs on Friday. They might not be a good team, but they have absolutely nothing to lose. Whereas the Brewers are playing with postseason pressure on their shoulders, the Pirates can go out to the diamond and play loosely and freely. It showed on Friday night in Milwaukee. This is not a complete team, and there are obviously multiple holes in the roster, especially with Ji-Man Choi having been dealt to the San Diego Padres in a recent transaction before the trade deadline. However, with Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds, and Jack Suwinski in the lineup, the Pirates still have plenty of offense and can make life miserable for the Brew Crew.
Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread
The Brewers stumbled on Friday, but they have generally been very good against the Pirates this year. Milwaukee is 6-2 in eight games versus Pittsburgh in 2023. The Brewers are going to bounce back from Friday. It's very unlikely they will lose consecutive games at home to the Pirates. This would be true regardless of the starting pitcher they send to the mound. However, in this game, they are sending their very best to the bump. Corbin Burnes gets the call for Milwaukee. He certainly knows these Pittsburgh hitters well and should be able to shut them down. If Pittsburgh scores no more than three runs, Milwaukee should definitely be able to come up with at least five runs and cover the 1.5-run spread on the run line.
Final Pirates-Brewers Prediction & Pick
The Brewers are a far better team than the Pirates. They are coming off a loss which will make them mad and motivated. They have Corbin Burnes on the hill. Seems pretty straightforward, yes?
Final Pirates-Brewers Prediction & Pick: Brewers -1.5
