Pittsburgh Pirates at Texas Rangers Free Preview

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The Texas Rangers will do battle against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Globe Life Park. The game will begin at 2:05 p.m. ET and this interleague matchup will be televised on either ATPT or FSSW.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Texas Rangers Odds

Texas (+110) is stepping into this one as an underdog to Pittsburgh (-120) and Vegas has the Over/Under for this afternoon game at 10.5 runs. Odds for wagering on the game’s total now sit at +105 for the under and -125 for the over. Gamblers can also wager on the game’s spread with the runline odds coming in at Pirates -1.5 runs (+125) and Rangers +1.5 runs (-145).

The Pirates are 13-14 SU and have gone 14-12 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 0.9 units for moneyline bettors through the early portions of the year and 0.2 units ATS. The Rangers, on the other hand, are 14-14 SU and 17-10 ATS. The team’s gained 6.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 3.8 units ATS.

Texas games have an over/under record of 16-10-1 so far in 2019. Pittsburgh has an over/under record of 11-15.

Jameson Taillon will get the nod for Pittsburgh. The right-handed Taillon is 1-3 with a 4.06 ERA and 25 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Rangers this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.

The Rangers are sending righty Shelby Miller (1-1, 7.52 ERA) to the mound. Miller has 10 punchouts and 18 walks to his credit, along with a 2.07 WHIP. Miller did not register a start against the Pirates in 2018.

Texas’ pitching staff has given up 5.6 runs per game overall this season as a unit. Its starting pitching staff has a 5.71 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.19 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 7.7 K/9.

The Texas offense is putting up 5.9 runs per contest, including 7.0 per game over its last 10 games and 7.8 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .286/.366/.481 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.

The Rangers’ hitters have been led by Elvis Andrus, who is hitting .361/.425/.583 with five home runs, 20 RBIs, 19 runs and six stolen bases.

In the other dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.27 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 7.99 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.05, along with a K/9 of 11.22.

The Pirates offense has slashed .231/.297/.368 on its way to 3.3 runs scored per game this season, including 2.7 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 3.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).

Josh Bell has led Pittsburgh’s hitters and is slashing .286/.363/.592 with six home runs, 21 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

The Pirates just took the previous game in this series by a final score of six runs to four.

Pirates vs. Rangers Free MLB Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Rangers, ATS Winner – Rangers, O/U – OVER

Betting Notes

  • The under has cashed in just one of Texas’ last seven games.
  • The Pirates have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games. The Rangers have hit 17 over their last 10.
  • The Pirates have a team OPS of .665 this season and an OPS of .687 against right-handed pitchers. The Rangers’ OPS sits at .805 overall and .847 against righties.
  • Pittsburgh has posted 17.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 19.8 over its last five.