Some high-flying interleave action will be in store on this Saturday as the Pittsburgh Pirates travel to Baltimore to take on the red-hot Orioles. Let's check out our MLB odds series where our Pirates-Orioles prediction and pick will be revealed.
After dropping the opening game of this series on Friday by a score of 6-3, the Pirates will look to get back on track by calling upon righty Roansy Contreras who is a dead-even 3-3 in addition to logging in a 4.74 ERA in his seven starts on the season. Ever since starting the season 20-8, the Pirates have been freefalling in the loss department with defeats in ten of their previous eleven games played.
On the other side of things, it has been the Baltimore Orioles that continue to show off that they can be legitimate playoff contenders night in and night out. With three straight victories next to their names, the Orioles trail the Tampa Bay Rays by four games in the AL East and will look to inch closer to the top of the pack with another win over the Pirates. On the mound for the O's this evening will be RHP Tyler Wells with his 2-1 record and 3.15 ERA.
Here are the Pirates-Orioles MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Orioles Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-134)
Baltimore Orioles: -1.5 (+112)
Over: 8.5 (-110)
Under: 8.5 (-110)
How To Watch Pirates vs. Orioles
TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh/MASN
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:05 ET/4:05 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The first order of business for the Pirates to accomplish so that they can shake the losing bug is to pit together a balanced attack that leaves the Orioles to stunned to overcome. Lately, the Pirates have been anything but balanced, as they have scuffled mightily trying to find a way in scoring runs at a consistent rate. Believe it or not, Pittsburgh has scored three runs or less in their last eleven games and are more than due for a breakout performance at the plate. In order to pull this off, the Pirates must remain patient and give it their all to stay ahead in counts. Far too often, Pittsburgh has let perfect pitches go right by them without even making an attempt at swinging at them, so being aggressive but smart will need to be a main focus for this Pirates' offensive attack.
After going 3-13 with runners in scoring position on Friday, the amount of pressure that has been put on this pitching staff over their losing stretch has been far too great. Nevertheless, the Pirates as a whole are tied for the third-most quality starts in the league while posting a solid 3.89 ERA to boot. If Pittsburgh can avoid giving up some crooked numbers in the early frames of this one, then they should be in pretty good shape as this matchup wears on.
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
One of the many pleasant surprises around Major League Baseball, the Baltimore Orioles seem to have turned a corner after six consecutive seasons without sniffing postseason play. Although there is still 124 games to be played for the O's, they are certainly on the right track to be one of the top teams in baseball this season.
When it comes to finding a way in covering the spread at home versus the Pirates, another standout and historic performance like the one that Cedric Mullins recorded on Friday would certainly do more good than bad. In their 6-3 comeback win not even 24 hours ago, Mullins not only stringed together four hits on the night, but he also hit for the cycle for the first time in his career en route to the impressive victory.
While it will prove to be difficult for someone in this clubhouse to hit for the cycle again, this Baltimore offense has posted the sixth-best on-base percentage at 3.36 in all of baseball and have even scored the eight-most runs in the entire league up to this point. Simply put, this is an offense that knows how to score in a hurry and can certainly inflict some damage upon Pittsburgh when given the right opportunity.
However, the biggest difference-maker in this Saturday evening matchup will happen to be whether or not the bullpen can hold the lead if Baltimore ends up having the lead in the latter innings of this one. Above all else, a strong starting performance by Tyler Wells and then eventually the bullpen may be too much to overcome if you're a Pittsburgh Pirate. Remember, the Pirates are struggling more than anyone at the plate, so keeping them off-balanced at the dish may be a realistic option for the Orioles later tonight.
Final Pirates-Orioles Prediction & Pick
On paper, these are two teams that seem to heading in two opposite directions, and it feels like the O's are just playing fundamentally sound baseball at the moment. With that being said, it would be wise to side with Baltimore and their ability to jump out on Pittsburgh at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Final Pirates-Orioles Prediction & Pick: Orioles -1.5 (+112)
Follow Us
Subscribe