The Pittsburgh Pirates visit the Detroit Tigers in interleague play. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Pirates-Tigers prediction, pick, and how-to watch.
For the Pirates, they are currently 22-19 on the season and sit just a game back of the Brewers for first place in the NL Central. They have lost four of their last five games though, and have struggled to score in the process. They have scored just 22 runs in their last ten games, and only come away with two wins. Both of them have been shutout victories, both with Mitch Keller on the mound.
The Tigers are sitting at 18-21 on the season and are in third in the AL Central. They are coming off a victory against the Mariners to avoid the sweep. They have won six of their last ten games though, and are looking to keep the quality play going as the Pirates come to town.
Here are the Pirates-Tigers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Tigers Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: -1.5 (+150)
Detroit Tigers: +1.5 (-182)
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How To Watch Pirates vs. Tigers
TV: ATTP/BSDET
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
Starting pitchers not named Mitch Keller have struggled as of late for the Pirates. The Pirates will send Luis Ortiz to the mound for his second start of the season in this game. He was not awful in his start against the Rockies. He gave up two earned runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. Ortiz also gave up one home run in that game. The major issue was that Ortiz gave up five runs overall, due to three unearned runs crossing the plate. The defense has been an issue for the Pirates this year. They rank 25th in the majors in fielding percentage and have 25 errors this year.
Rodolfo Castro has been the biggest culprit in committing errors. He has committed seven errors this year which could be forgivable if he was swinging the bat well. He is hitting .250 on the season but is hitting just .130 on the month. Castro only has two RBIs in May, and both came off a single homerun in a 2-0 victory over the Rockies. Also having some struggle in May has been Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds is hitting just .234 in May, with no home runs or RBIs. Still, Reynolds has been great against right-handed pitching, which he will see today. He is hitting .330 against righties this year, with five home runs and 20 RBIs.
Also hitting well against right-handed pitching is Jack Suwinski. He is hitting .269 against righties, with seven home runs and 18 RBIs. His May has been bad as well though. He has just two RBIs and a single homerun while hitting .147. Seemingly the entire Pirates offense is in a slump currently, plus the added woes of defensive errors, it has been hard for them to win games. An entire lineup does not all stay in a slump for long though. Some may still stay in it, but others will break out. With who the Tigers are sending to the mound, this may be the game where some slumps are busted.
Why The Tigers Could Cover The Spread
The Tigers are not hitting particularly well this year. They are hitting just .231 on the season, which is 24th in the majors. The result is the Tigers are last in the majors in runs scored this year, and average just 3.56 runs per game. Leading the team in RBIs is Javier Baez. Baez has 18 RBIs this year and has driven in seven of those in May. He drove in two in their win over the Mariners and is hitting .292 on the month. Baez will be facing right-handed pitching today though, which has not been good for him this year. He is hitting just .234 against right-handed pitching on the year while driving in 14 runs.
Riley Greene has been one of the best for the Tigers against righties this year. On the season he is hitting .287 against righties. He has been hitting the ball well as of late too. He has hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games. In May, he is hitting .383, with eight RBIs and a home run. He has struggled with strikeouts something months. He has struck out 12 times but has more than made up for it with his five doubles and 18 hits this month.
Michael Lorenzen takes the mound for the Tigers today. His last two starts have been great, even though he took the loss in one of them. In his last two starts, Lorenzen has given up just two earned runs, two walks, and nine hits in 14 innings pitched. He is not striking out a ton of batters, with just four strikeouts in the two games, but he is also not allowing guys to score. If he can just get a few runs of support today, he should get the win.
Final Pirates-Tigers Prediction & Pick
The Tigers and Pirates have both struggled on offense recently. They both have major aspects of their batting order in slumps, and neither team is scoring a lot of runs. Combined the two teams have scored just 59 runs in their last ten games. Both of them have seen the under hit in six of their last ten, with each team pushing once. With Lorenzen on the mound, expect a lower-scoring game once again. He has been pitching wonderfully, and the Pirates will struggle to get hits. He goes seven full innings as the Tigers get the win as well.
Final Pirates-Tigers Prediction & Pick: Tigers (+1.5) and Under 8.5 (+100)
Follow Us
Subscribe