The Pittsburgh Pirates will travel to the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees in a brief two-game series beginning on Tuesday night. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Pirates-Yankees prediction and pick, laid out below.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are simply playing out the string of this season, with their 55-92 record putting them in last place in the NL Central, and in danger of securing the worst record in the league. Young players are now experiencing their first taste of the big leagues for this club.

New York is in a completely different spot, with an 88-58 record, including a 6-4 mark in their last ten, good for first place in the AL East. Thankfully, a better month of September has quieted the cries of the fanbase, who after a terrible end to the summer had been calling for Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman to lose their jobs.

Here are the Pirates-Yankees MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Pirates-Yankees Odds

Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (+128)

New York Yankees: -1.5 (-154)

Over: 8 (-108)

Under: 8 (-112)

Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread

Pittsburgh will send an exciting rookie to the mound in Luis Ortiz. Ortiz made his MLB debut last week, working 5.2 shutout innings, striking out five batters. The young righty routinely reaches triple-digits on his fastball, which at the least should excite the crowd at Yankee Stadium. Pittsburgh's bullpen has been awful. Like, really bad. Still, closer David Bednar, who is completing a rehab assignment, should be coveted by contenders this offseason. Bednar has 17 saves with a 2.70 ERA in 46.2 innings. Journeyman veteran Chase De Jong has turned in a career year at 28, pitching to a 2.40 ERA in 63.2 innings. Batters have hit just .186 against the righty. Wil Crowe has resurrected his career amid a full-time move to the bullpen, with a 3.54 ERA in 73.2 innings.

Bryan Reynolds, who was a popular trade deadline rumor, still is on Pittsburgh. Reynolds leads the team with 23 home runs, 54 RBI, and a .256 batting average. Look for an off-season bidding war for Reynolds. Ke'Bryan Hayes leads the team with 23 doubles, adding seven home runs. Rookie sensation Oneil Cruz is second on the team with 17 home runs in just 74 games.

Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread

Nestor Cortes is tonight's starting pitcher. Cortes has been great this season, with a 10-4 record and 2.70 ERA in 25 starts, striking out 142 batters in 140 innings. Cortes has made two starts since coming off the Injured List, allowing three earned runs in nine innings. Cortes' career year includes a .197 opponent's batting average, the lowest rate of Cortes' career. New York ranks third in the league with a 2.98 bullpen ERA, striking out 514 batters in 508 innings. Clay Holmes has been solid, although his recent struggles have inflated his numbers. Holmes has pitched to a 2.55 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 20 saves in 60 innings. Ron Marinaccio owns a 1.88 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 38.1 innings during his rookie season.

Aaron Judge has run away with the AL MVP in the last month or so, leading all of baseball with 59 home runs and 127 RBI. Judge is second in the AL with a .316 batting average, adding 25 doubles and 16 stolen bases against just three caught stealings. Anthony Rizzo homered in his return on Sunday, the 31st of his season. Gleyber Torres is second on the team with 25 doubles, and fourth with 21 home runs. Giancarlo Stanton is third on the team with 26 home runs. Josh Donaldson leads the team with 26 doubles, adding 15 home runs. Harrison Bader will make his Yankees' debut this Tuesday, bringing a different blend of speed and athleticism to a powerful club. New York leads the league with 231 home runs.

Final Pirates-Yankees Prediction & Pick

Yeah, I feel pretty good about this one.

Final Pirates-Yankees Prediction & Pick: New York -1.5 (-154), over 8 (-108)