The Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates kicked off a three-game series on Friday after both teams won their first two series of the season. The Orioles took two of three off the Angels and Royals, while the Pirates swept the Marlins and then took two of three from the Nationals. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with an Orioles-Pirates prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Tyler Wells is the projected pitcher for the Orioles in this matchup. He started his season by taking the loss on the road against the Angels. He gave up five hits and three earned runs, with seven strikeouts in six innings. The Orioles head to Fenway Park to take on the Red Sox for three games on Tuesday, before returning home to take on the Brewers from April 12th to 14th.

Bailey Falter is the projected starter for the Pirates. Falter didn't get the win in his first start of the season, but the Pirates managed to steal a 9-7 win at home against the Marlins. Falter didn't have his best outing, pitching only four innings, and allowing five hits and six earned runs. It was a bad start to the season for Falter, who also ended 2023 on a sour note by allowing nine hits and eight earned runs in just two innings. The Pirates stay home for a two-game set with the Tigers on Monday and Tuesday and then head to the unfriendly confines of Philadelphia to take on the Phillies for four games from April 11th to 14th.

The Orioles and Pirates get their series kicked off on Friday with a matchup between Grayson Rodriguez and Jared Jones. The series ends on Sunday with Dean Kremer taking on Marco Gonzales.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Orioles-Pirates Odds

Baltimore Orioles: -1.5 (+122)

Moneyline: -132

Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-146)

Moneyline: +112

Over: 8.5 (-115)

Under: 8.5 (-105)

How to Watch Orioles vs. Pirates

Time: 4:05 PM ET/1:05 PM PT

TV: MASN2, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Orioles Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Pirates have won Falter's last two starts, the first coming in 2023's final start. Despite the victories, the Pirates can't be happy with how Falter is trending. He has allowed 14 earned runs over those two starts, and it took the Pirates scoring 13 and nine runs to win the games. In a small sample size that can work, but it isn't a trend that is sustainable over time.

Tyler Wells is allowing 3.2 earned runs per game over his last five starts, and the Orioles bullpen has a 2.70 ERA and a .200 opponent batting average so far this season. The Pirates need a good outing out of Falter and he hasn't shown he can do that. The Orioles are averaging 6.4 runs per game this season.

Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Orioles' young offense has been doing enough to win games, helping them obtain a 4-2 record. However, their statistics are much worse than the Pirates. Baltimore is averaging 6.4 runs per game, but they have just a .226 average and 7.5 hits per game. The Pirates are averaging 6.6 runs, a .274 average, and 10.9 hits per game.

If the Pirates can get a good outing from Falter, their bullpen will carry the weight the rest of the way. They collectively have a 2.15 ERA and a .163 opponent batting average.

Final Orioles-Pirates Prediction & Pick

The Pirates are managing to defy the odds of poor starting pitching to start the season with a 6-1 record heading into this series. The Orioles ran into some good starting pitching performances and still managed to enter this series with a 4-2 record. You can assume the Pirates' luck with Falter on the mound to regress in this game, and the Orioles will jump on the struggling pitcher.

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Final Orioles-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Orioles ML (-132)