The Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins play game two of their four-game opening series. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Pirates-Marlins prediction, pick, and how to watch.
It is a battle of two of the younger teams in the National League. The Pirates had signs of being solid last year. The Pirates showed many of those sparks in their first game of the year. The Marlins did take the 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second against Mitch Keller. It was first off a fielder's choice and then a Tim Anderson double to make it 2-0. Bryan Reynolds would add a two-run home run in the top of the third though, to tie the game up.
Jake Burger would give the Marlins back the lead in the bottom of the third on a single to left. Then, Burger would extend the lead. in the fifth to make it 5-2. The Pirates struck back though. Edward Olivares hit a solo homerun, and then Andrew McCutchen drove in a run to make it 5-4 in the seventh. In the eighth, Oneil Cruz tied the game on a home run. This would lead to an extra inning game, in which the Pirates would win in 12 innings.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Marlins Odds
Pittsburg Pirates: +1.5 (-184)
Moneyline: +116
Miami Marlins: -1.5 (+152)
Moneyline: -136
Over: 8 (-105)
Under: 8 (-115)
How to Watch Pirates vs. Marlins
Time: 7:10 PMET/ 4:10 PM PT
TV: SNP/BSFL/MLB.TV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pirates will be sending Martin Perez to the mound today for the start. He spent last year with the Texas Rangers, going 10-4 with a 4.45 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has started 243 games in his career and moves to the National League for the first time. Last year, he was used in both starting and relieving roles. He made 20 starts with 25 total appearances. He also had three relief appearances in the postseason.
The Pirates have a solid lineup starting with Oneil Cruz. Cruz played in just nine games last year, due to injury, but showed a solid 2022. He hit .233 in 2022 with a .294 OBP and a .744 OPBS. He also hit 17 home runs and 54 RBIs. With Cruz back in the lineup, he is a solid lead-off man for the Pirates. Cruz did have a solid game in game one. He had just one hit in five at-bats with a walk, but the hit was a home run.
The middle of the lineup features two solid outfielders, Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski. Reynolds hit .263 last year with 24 home runs and 84 RBIs. reynolds had two hits, with a double and a home run last time out. Suwinski is also coming in off a solid year. He hit .224 with 26 home runs and 74 RBIs in 2023. Further, Ke'Bryan Hayes had two hits in the game with the Marlins in game one. Also, DH Andrew McCutchen came up with an RBI. He did not have a hit in five plate appearances, but he did drive in a run and walk once.
Why The Marlins Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Marlins are going to be sending A.J. Puk to the mound in this game. Puk will be making the first starting performance of his career in this one. Last year, he had 58 appearances, all in relief. He went 7-5 in those games with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.18 ERA. He also had 15 saves. Puk began the transition to the starting rotation this spring, and it has been going well. Still, he is not going to pitch deep into this game, as his arm is not fully ready for a complete start yet. Expect a short outing for Puk in this one.
For the Marlins, Jake Burger started strong. He went 304 in the game with a run scored and driving in three RBIs. Further, Josh Bell went 2-4 with a run scored as well as a walk. Bell and Burger were both mid-season additions in 20-23 and showed up strong to start the year. Luis Arraez, who spent much of the year chasing the illusive .400 batting average, did not have the same level of the game to start the season. Arraez went 0-6 with a strikeout in the first game of the year. Meanwhile, the new Marlin Tim Anderson was solid. He went 1-5 with a double and drove in a run. He did strike out once though.
Further, Both Bryan De La Cruz and Jazz Chisholm Jr. had hits in their first game of the year. De La Cruz has a single and scores a run. Chisholm scored twice while hitting a double in the game.
Final Pirates-Marlins Prediction & Pick
There is one major factor going into this game. That is pitching. First, Can A.J. Puk pitch well enough in his first start? HE looked solid in the spring and showed he may be able to be a quality starting pitcher. Second, the Pirates did their damage against the Marlins bullpen. So, there is a question to as if the Marlins can have a better bullpen performance in this one. Finally, Martin Perez is the much more established pitcher in this duel. With all of those factors, the Pirates looked poised to start their year 2-0. Take them as the underdog in this one.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Pirates-Marlins Prediction & Pick: Pirates ML (+116)
Follow Us
Subscribe