Pittsburgh Pirates vs Texas Rangers MLB Betting Prediction

MLB Pittsburgh Pirates vs Texas Rangers Prediction 8/20/2024

The Pittsburgh Pirates (58-66) travel to face off against the Texas Rangers (58-68) on Tuesday, August 20th. This game will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington and televised on SN PT. The Rangers are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pirates are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rangers. First pitch is set for 7:05 CT.

Pirates vs. Rangers Betting Prediction

  • Money Line Prediction: Rangers (-150)
  • Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
  • The Rangers have won 4 of their last 6 home games.
  • The Rangers have scored an average of 5.5 runs per game in their last 4 home wins.
  • The Pirates have lost 8 of their last 10 games.
  • The Rangers have a recent win against the Pirates, scoring 4 runs to 3 on August 19th.
  • The Pirates have a losing record on the road with 29 wins and 34 losses.

Pirates vs Rangers

pittsburgh pirates nba

It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Rangers vs Pirates series. Texas went into the matchup as -158 favorites and squeaked out a 4-3 win. The Rangers had a huge 3rd inning, scoring all three of their runs. As for the Pirates, they scored their first run in the 4th and added two more in the 5th.

Pittsburgh had a chance to tie or take the lead in the 9th, scoring one run off Kirby Yates. However, he closed things out for the Rangers’ win. Dane Dunning only went four innings for Texas but gave up just three earned runs on five hits.

Corey Seager hit the game’s only two home runs while going 2/3 with four RBIs. Marcus Semien also had a two-hit game for Texas. Jared Triolo was the Pirates’ top hitter, going 1/3 with a homer.

When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, Pittsburgh’s O/U record is 12-14. For the season, their over/under record is 60-63. The Pirates are 58-66 overall and have lost two straight games, including the first game of this series vs. the Rangers.

On the run line, the Pirates are 70-54 and have been profitable as underdogs, going 52-26. Their average run differential in wins is +3.2, while in losses it’s -3.3. Pittsburgh’s overall series record this season is 17-18-5.

Mitch Keller Gets The Start For The Pirates

Mitch Keller will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing as he gets the start for the Pirates today. The right-hander is coming off a start in which he gave up 8 earned runs in 5 innings of work. In that outing, he gave up 2 homers. Keller has a record of 10-7 this season and an ERA of 3.95. Looking at his home/road splits, he is 5-5 on the road with a 5.77 ERA compared to 5-2 at home with a 2.83 ERA. Keller has made 24 starts, and opponents are batting .245 this season.

Pirates Offense Breakdown

For the season, the Pirates are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 21st in the MLB. This is also their home and road splits. As a team, they are batting just .234, which is 18th in the league. Their team on-base percentage of .301 is 20th in the league.

Bryan Reynolds is leading the Pirates in home runs this season, and he is also batting .281. Oneil Cruz and Bryan De La Cruz are right behind him in homers, with 18 apiece. Joey Bart and Jared Triolo have both been swinging the bat well of late, with Bart hitting .438 over his last four games and Triolo going 3/10 in his last five games.

As the underdog, the Rangers have a 31-27 record against the run line, but as favorites, they are just 22-46. Texas is 38-30 straight up when favored and 20-38 as underdogs. The Rangers are 33-30 at home and 25-38 on the road this season.

Currently, the Rangers are on the verge of snapping a seven-series losing streak, holding a 2-0 series lead over the Pirates. Overall, Texas is 58-68 and 11 games behind the Astros in the AL West. This season, 66.7% of their games have had higher total lines than today’s 8-run line.

Cody Bradford Gets The Start For The Rangers

Texas is sending left-hander Cody Bradford to the mound today vs. the Pirates. He has made six starts this year and has a record of 4-0 with a 3.50 ERA. Opponents are batting .213 this year vs. Bradford, and he has a WHIP of 1.00. In his last outing, Bradford finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up two earned runs vs. the Twins. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Bradford has pitched much better at home, coming in with a 3.03 ERA compared to 12.15 on the road.

Rangers Offense Breakdown

texas rangers

Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien have been swinging the bat well for the Rangers of late, with Garcia going 9/28 in his last seven games with three homers, and Semien also has three homers in this stretch while going 11/33. Semien is also on an eight-game hitting streak. For the season, Garcia is 2nd on the team with 21 homers, while Semien is 3rd with 18 homers.

As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 18th in the MLB. Their team batting average of .239 is 16th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of on-base percentage and OPS. However, they do strike out less than any other team in the league.

Pirates vs Rangers Prediction

Looking at today’s Pirates vs. Rangers matchup, we see the Rangers coming out on top by a score of 6-5. With the Rangers picking up the win, we would recommend taking them on the money line, where the payout is -150.

Starting with the starters, we have Cody Bradford going five innings for the Rangers, but his strikeout numbers are not great, as he is projected to finish with just four K’s. As for Mitch Keller, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and his chances of picking up a win are better than Bradford’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.