The Pittsburgh Pirates will travel to the Big Apple to take on the New York Mets in the opening showdown of a four-game series. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Pirates-Mets prediction and pick.

The Pirates have dropped seven of their last ten games heading into this matchup. They've been one of the MLB's worst teams so far, just as many people expected. Pittsburgh isn't playing for much besides pride and the thrill of playing spoiler to a division leader. The Mets hold a slim lead in the NL East, so these games are a huge opportunity to extend that lead over the rival Atlanta Braves heading into the All-Star break.

Here's how the bookmakers have set the lines for Thursday night's game.

MLB Odds: Pirates-Mets Odds

Pittsburgh Pirates +1 1/2 runs (-125)

New York Mets -1 1/2 runs (+105)

Over 7 1/2 runs (-119)

Under 7 1/2 runs (-101)

Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread

When looking at Thursday's matchup for Pittsburgh, it's easy to lose hope. But the Pirates do have some factors going their way in this one. Those factors start with starting pitcher JT Brubaker.

Brubaker is one of the best pitchers on the Pirates. He owns an ERA of 4.09 on the season to go along with a WHIP of 1.14. In his last seven starts his WHIP has gone down to a fantastic 1.04 while his ERA has risen. This implies that Brubaker may have gotten unlucky in a couple of spots or given up a couple of big hits, but his last seven starts have still been overall improvements.

Helping Brubaker will be the fact that the Mets are a worse offensive team at home. New York experiences a drop in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS when playing at Citi Field. The Mets also hit right-handed pitching far worse than left-handed pitching, as all their major batting statistics nosedive against righties.

Why The Mets Could Cover The Spread

New York has leaned on their pitching staff all season, and Thursday's game will be no different. The Mets will be starting Taijuan Walker in this contest, a fact that should be reassuring to all Mets fans.

Walker has been surprisingly fantastic all season long. His ERA currently sits at 2.44, while his WHIP is a fantastic 1.04. No one expected Walker to pitch like this at the start of the season, but he's been absolutely lights-out. Those numbers should hold up against a Pittsburgh team that ranks bottom-ten in the MLB in every single major batting stat.

The Pirates, much like the Mets, are also worse against right-handed pitching, experiencing the same statistical dip against righties as New York does. Pittsburgh is also significantly weaker when playing on the road, having their batting average, OBP, slugging percentage, and OPS all fall when playing away from the Steel City. The Pirates have scored more than four runs only once in their last ten games, and there's no reason to believe that Pittsburgh will come anywhere near four runs on Thursday night.

Final Pirates-Mets Prediction & Pick

I think this game will end up being a close one. Both teams have been awful on offense lately, and there are two solid starting pitchers taking the mound today. I don't have enough confidence in the Mets' offense to take them to win by two or more, so I'll stick with the under in what should be a surprisingly close matchup.

FINAL PICK: Under 7 1/2 runs (-101)