We are set to bring you a betting prediction and pick for Tuesday's MLB slate as we turn our attention towards this next series between interleague squads in their only meeting of the season. The Pittsburgh Pirates will take on the Texas Rangers for the second game of this current series. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Pirates-Rangers prediction and pick.
Pirates-Rangers Projected Starters
Mitch Keller (RHP) vs. Cody Bradford (LHP)
Mitch Keller (10-7) with a 3.95 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 125 K, 141.1 IP
Last Start: 8/14 @ SD (L) – 5.0 IP, 8 ER, 2 K
2024 Road Splits: (5-5) with a 5.27 ERA, .272 OBA, 63 K, 71.2 IP
Cody Bradford (4-0) with a 3.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 33 K, 36.0 IP
Last Start: 8/15 vs. MIN (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 K
2024 Home Splits: (3-0) with a 2.48 ERA, 187 OBA, 24 K, 29.0 IP
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Rangers Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-184)
Moneyline: +120
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+152)
Moneyline: -142
Over: 8 (-105)
Under: 8 (-115)
How to Watch Pirates vs. Rangers
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET/ 5:05 p.m. PT
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Bally Sports Southwest, MLB.TV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently last in the National League Central, sitting 13.5 games back of the leading Brewers. They hurt their chances for any sort of end-season rallies as they just recently lost 10 games in a row. They snapped the losing skid with a 2-1 series win over the Mariners and they're hoping to see some better luck throughout this upcoming road stand. Just recently, however, they send Ke'Bryan Hayes to the IL with an injury, making their road back even tougher. Thankfully, they'll only have to see this well-equipped Rangers team once this season.
The Pirates will send their ace righty Mitch Keller to the mound for his twenty-fifth start of the season. He's even at 5-5 in his road starts, but his ERA is on the higher side at 5.27. The Pirates lost in his last two previous starts as he earned 15 total runs in just nine innings of work. He's been reliable for the most part this season and remains as the first pitcher in their rotation, but he'll need to redeem his last few performances if he wants to see himself get back on the winning track.
Why The Rangers Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Texas Rangers are currently third in the American League West and sit 11 games back of the leading Houston Astros. They've gone just 3-7 over their last 10 games and need to turn things around in order to push for the postseason. They're anxiously awaiting the return of two of their premier starters in Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, but they may not need their services if they continue to slide down the AL rankings. Luckily, the Rangers are a winning team at home (32-30) and will look to capitalize on a Pittsburgh team that's 29-33 on the road. Despite this recent stretch, they haven't struggled in finding runs from the plate, so look for them to have the upper-hand in this series.
Cody Bradford comes into this game with a perfect 4-0 record, going 3-0 on the road with a 2.48 ERA. He's been very solid through just six starts this season, but he's managed to find his team the win more often than not. He's also dealing with his strikeout numbers and looks to be filling this role nicely with all the injuries to their rotation, so expect him to keep getting better and building on this hot start as the season rolls on. As it stands, he's the perfect pitcher in the bullpen to help lift them out of this losing streak and get back on track towards pushing for the postseason.
Final Pirates-Rangers Prediction & Pick
Both teams will be meeting for the first time this season and as it stands, the Rangers look like the ones with more to lose during this series. The Pittsburgh Pirates are sending their ace Mitch Keller in hopes of notching his first win in three starts, while the Texas Rangers' pitcher Cody Bradford looks to remain unbeaten on the season.
We have to give the slight pitching edge to the Rangers here with how consistent Bradford has been. He's been flawless at home and has an impressive 24 strikeouts in just 29.0 innings of action. Look for him to be on top of his game as his lineup continues to score runs at a steady, yet effective pace.
For our final prediction, we have to roll with the Texas Rangers to grab this win on the back of their pitching. They've had five difficult series to play consecutively and they may be catching a break here with the Pirates. Let's ride the Rangers to win Game 2 of this series.
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Final Pirates-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Texas Rangers ML (-142)
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