The Pittsburgh Pirates (25-29) travel to face off against the Detroit Tigers (26-27) on Wednesday, May 29th. This game will be played at Comerica Park in Detroit and televised on BSDET. The Tigers are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pirates are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Braves. First pitch is set for 12:40 ET.
Pirates vs Tigers
The Pirates will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Braves with an 8-1 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 2nd inning before the Braves scored eight runs in the 3rd to put things out of reach. Pittsburgh was the +201 underdog at home going into the game.
Martin Perez was only able to go three innings, and the Pirates took the loss. He gave up eight earned runs on jsonly four hits and issued three walks. The Pirates also wasted a big game from Connor Joe, who went 2/3 with a run scored.
Pittsburgh is 25-29 overall and trail the Brewers by six games in the NL Central. So far, they are 7-7 in divisional games. The Pirates will be on the road today, and they are 13-14 on the road compared to 12-15 at home.
As the favorite, the Pirates are just 7-14 this year, and they are 18-15 when listed as the underdog. Their overall series record is 6-8-3, and they took two of three from the Braves in their most recent series.
When the Pirates are on the road, they have a run line record of 17-10. They have covered the run line in four straight road games. As the underdog, they have a run line record of 24-9. Their average run differential in losing games is -3.3.
The Pirates have played 53 games this season, and 48 of them have had over/under lines set at more than 7 runs. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game, and their over/under record is 27-26. Today’s line is set at 7 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 7 runs is 3-2.
Jared Jones Gets The Start For The Pirates
Jared Jones will be looking to bounce back from his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision. Against the Giants on May 22nd, he gave up three earned runs in six innings of work. Looking back further, Jones has made 10 starts and has a record of 3-4. His ERA for the season is 3.05, along with a WHIP of .97. Opposing batters have a batting average of .215 this season. Jones has turned in seven quality starts this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 10.37 strikeouts and just 1.53 walks.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Pirates offense is averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 24th in the league. They have been slightly better on the road (4.1 RPG) than at home (3.8 RPG). As a team, the Pirates are batting just .228, which is 20th in the league, and are also near the bottom of the league in terms of slugging percentage and OPS.
Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds, and Oneil Cruz are all tied for the team lead with seven home runs. Reynolds comes into the game on a five-game hitting streak and is 9/28 in his last six games with two homers and eight RBIs. McCutchen has also gone deep in two straight games and is hitting .280 over his last six contests.
The Tigers’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Blue Jays, closing out their series with a 14-11 win. After allowing three runs in the top of the 4th, the Tigers responded with four runs of their own. Detroit went on to add another four runs in the 2nd inning.
Casey Mize got the start for the Tigers, going 4 1/3 innings, and picked up the win. He did struggle on the mound, giving up three earned runs on eight hits and issuing two walks. Matt Vierling was hot at the plate, going 4/6 with two homers and four RBIs.
Detroit is 26-27 overall and is 4th in the AL Central, trailing the Guardians by 10 games. The Tigers head into today’s game having won three straight, and they took the final three games of their series vs. the Blue Jays. So far, they are 10-9 in AL Central play.
At home, the Tigers are 13-14 this season and have gone 13-13 on the road. As the home favorite, Detroit is 9-10 this season and 13-15 as the underdog. So far, they have an overall series record of 8-7-2.
When betting on the Tigers this season, it’s been a better idea to take them on the run line on the road. Detroit is 15-11 against the run line on the road, compared to just 8-19 at home. The Tigers have been a better bet against the run line as an underdog, going 18-10 compared to 5-20 as the favorite. Their average run differential in winning games is +3.3, while it’s -3.2 in losing games.
The Detroit Tigers are at home today, and their games have gone over the over/under line 28 times and under 23 times this season. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 7 runs, the over has hit in 4 of their 5 games. The combined run average in their games this season is 8.5 runs per game. Their games have had over/under lines set at 7 runs 47 times this season, which is 88.7% of their games.
Tarik Skubal Gets The Start For The Tigers
Tarik Skubal gets the start for the Tigers today and is coming off a rough outing vs. the Royals, where he took the loss. In that start, he gave up four earned runs in five innings of work. Before that outing, he had picked up the win in two straight starts. Skubal has been pitching well this season, as he has a record of 6-1 and an ERA of 2.25. Opposing batters are hitting .186 off the left-hander this season. Skubal has made seven quality starts this year and is averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Tigers Offense Breakdown
Over the past nine games, Colt Keith has been on fire for the Tigers, hitting .407 with one home run and four RBIs. Kerry Carpenter has also been swinging a hot bat, going 7/22 with three homers and seven RBIs in that stretch. Carpenter’s 29 RBIs this season are the best mark on the team, and his eight homers are 2nd on the team and 10th in the league.
As a team, the Tigers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 18th in the league. Their team batting average of .236 is 14th in the league, and they are also 14th in the league in on-base percentage. Detroit’s offense has been better on the road this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game.
Pirates vs Tigers Prediction
Our pick for this Pirates vs. Tigers matchup is to take the Pirates on the money line, with the payout sitting at +126. We have the Pirates winning this one by a final score of 5-4. In terms of the starting pitchers, we do have Tarik Skubal finishing with more strikeouts than Jared Jones.
If you’re looking at this game from a starting pitcher perspective, Skubal is projected to go the longest out of any starter today, and his projections have him finishing with nine strikeouts. As for Jones, he is projected to finish with six K’s.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 29, 2024 Pirates, Tigers