The Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Seattle Mariners. Our MLB odds series has our Pirates Mariners prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Pirates Mariners.
The Pittsburgh Pirates roared at the start of the 2023 MLB season. Few if any experts gave this team a chance to do anything substantial, and with good reason. The Pirates have been in the bottom tier of the sport in terms of payroll for some time. They did not make especially splashy investments the way the richer teams in baseball can and have done. They didn't engineer a makeover of the roster the way the San Diego Padres did in making a win-now push by acquiring stars in exchange for giving up elite future prospects. The Pirates were supposed to finish below the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals, as is normally the case. Going 20-10 through 30 games is not what anyone expected. The Pirates led the National League Central and began to create at least some stirrings that they could be a factor in the postseason chase the whole season.
However, the past few weeks have offered a big reality check. The Pirates are 5-14 in their last 19 games. They are barely over .500. Their hitting has fallen off a cliff over the past three weeks, the central reason they have come back down to earth. They haven't just regressed; what matters even more is that they have regressed relatively quickly. They have immediately ceded the advantage they built, which will make it harder for them to grow back the lead they once had. The good news for the Pirates is that other than the Arizona Diamondbacks, other wild card contenders aren't making any moves. The other N.L. teams are stuck at or near .500. The Pirates therefore know that whereas the American League will probably require wild card teams to win at least 92 or 93 games, an N.L. wild card team might be able to get in with 85 or 86 wins. That still seems within the Pirates' grasp, though it will still be a challenge for this struggling team to hold up over the course of the full 162-game schedule.
Here are the Pirates-Mariners MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Mariners Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-166)
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (+138)
Over: 7 (-114)
Under: 7 (-106)
How To Watch Pirates vs Mariners
TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh (Pirates) / Root Sports (Mariners) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET/7:10 p.m. PT
*Watch Pirates-Mariners LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates send Mitch Keller to the mound for this game. Keller has pitched like a genuine ace in 2023. He has been elite in the first two months of this season. Keller isn't merely solid; he has often dominated in his starts and has clearly set the bar a lot higher. The Pirates have fed off him and realized how good he is. Pittsburgh knows that every fifth day, its bullpen is likely to get a rest and the offense doesn't have to be spectacular in order to win. Seattle has struggled at the plate this season; the Mariners' hitting woes are well documented. Keller should be able to contain the Mariners, who have won four straight largely because those four games were against the Oakland A's, the worst team in baseball. Now that Seattle isn't playing the A's anymore, it's going to get a lot tougher for the M's.
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
The Mariners send George Kirby to the mound. Seattle has great pitching, and Kirby is part of the parade of quality arms on the Mariner staff. Kirby gets great movement on his fastball. He is electric with that pitch. He moves it around the zone and is able to run it in and out and move the hitter's eyes. Kirby should be able to dominate the Pirates' batting order.
Final Pirates-Mariners Prediction & Pick
In a game where runs figure to be at a premium, take the team getting 1.5 runs on the run line. That is Pittsburgh.
Final Pirates-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Pirates +1.5
Follow Us
Subscribe