Detroit Tigers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
The over/under line for Wednesday’s Pirates vs Tigers interleague matchup is at 7 runs, with the under paying out at -120 compared to -102 for the over. Detroit is the favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -152, while the Pirates are +126. This game is being played at Comerica Park in Detroit, and the forecast calls for cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 50s.
First pitch for this one is set for 12:40 PM ET, and the game can be seen on BSDET. Jared Jones is starting for the Pirates, and the Tigers are going with Tarik Skubal. Pittsburgh is 4th in the NL Central, while the Tigers are 4th in the AL Central.
Check out BetCoco for Detroit Tigers – Pittsburgh Pirates odds
Detroit Tigers Trends and Key Stats
- The Pirates are 3-2 across their last five road games. They have gone 4-1 vs. the runline.
- In the Tigers’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 1-4 (SU) with 1-4 against the spread.
- As the favorite, the Tigers are 4-6 over their last ten games, including going 3-7 vs. the runline.
- Over their previous ten games as the underdog, the Pirates have a straight-up record of 6-4 and a 8-2 record vs. the runline.
Detroit Tigers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction
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 last three innings, taking 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 on the road today to take on the Tigers, and they are 25-29 overall, putting them 4th in the NL Central. The Pirates trail the Brewers by six games in the division and are 7-7 against other NL Central teams this year. They have been slightly better than .500 on the road, going 13-14.
At home, the Pirates are 12-15 and have an overall series record of 6-8-3. As the favorite, Pittsburgh is just 7-14 this year, but they are 18-15 as the underdog. Looking at their overall record, the Pirates have gone 6-4 over their last 10 games, and they won their most recent series vs. the Braves.
When betting the run line on the Pirates, it’s been a good idea to take them as the underdog, as they are 24-9 against the run line in those games. They are also 17-10 against the run line on the road, and they have covered the run line in four straight road games.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Detroit Tigers. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 7 runs. The combined run average for Pirates games this season is 8.5 runs, and their over/under record is 27-26. The average over/under line for Pittsburgh games is 8 runs, but when the line is set at 7 runs, the over/under record is 3-2. The vast majority of Pirates games this season have had over/under lines set higher than 7 runs, with 48 of their games having higher lines compared to just one game with a lower line.
Jared Jones gets the start for the Pirates today as he faces the Tigers on the road. So far this season, he has made 10 starts and has a record of 3-4 with an ERA of 3.05. Looking back at his last outing, Jones finished with a no-decision after giving up three earned runs in six innings of work. In that outing, he gave up one homer. Before that, he had given up at least two homers in three straight starts. Jones has turned in seven quality starts this year and is averaging 10.37 strikeouts per nine innings.
One thing that has been a bit of a surprise for the Pirates offense is that they have three players tied for the team lead in home runs, and one of them is Andrew McCutchen, who is batting just .226 for the season. McCutchen has been better of late, however, going 7/25 in his last six games with a home run. Bryan Reynolds has also been swinging a hot bat, going 9/28 in his last six games with two homers.
As a team, the Pirates are 24th in scoring at 4 runs per game. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting just .228, which is 20th in the league, and their team slugging percentage of .357 is also near the bottom of the league.
Matt Vierling had a huge game for the Tigers in their 14-11 win over the Blue Jays to close out their series. The Tigers scored four runs in the 2nd inning and added another four runs in the 4th to really break things open. Detroit was the +112 underdog at home going into the game.
Casey Mize got the start for the Tigers but only lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on eight hits. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out zero in the outing. Matt Vierling came on in relief and picked up the win. He went 3 2/3 innings, giving up just one earned run, and struck out four Blue Jays.
Detroit is 26-27 overall and 4th in the AL Central, trailing the Guardians by 10 games. The Tigers head into today’s game having won three straight games, and they closed out their series vs. the Blue Jays with a win. So far, they are 10-9 in AL Central matchups.
At home, the Tigers are 13-14 this season, and they are just above .500 at 13-13 on the road. As the favorite, Detroit has gone 13-12 and 13-15 as the underdog. The Tigers have been good at home of late, winning three straight, and their overall record is 8-7-2 in series this year.
When the Tigers win, they win by an average of 3.3 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.2 runs per game. They are 23-30 against the run line this season, with an 8-19 record at home and a 15-11 record on the road. As the favorite, they are just 5-20 against the run line, but as the underdog, they are 18-10.
When the Detroit Tigers host the Pittsburgh Pirates today, the over/under line is set at 7 runs. The Tigers have played in 47 games this season with over/under lines set higher than 7, and their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 28-23, and when the line has been set at 7 runs, they have gone over the total four times and under just once.
Tarik Skubal gets the start for the Tigers today and will be looking to bounce back from his last outing, where he took the loss. Against the Royals on May 22nd, he gave up four earned runs in five innings of work. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts and had allowed a total of two earned runs in those outings. Skubal’s ERA for the season is 2.25, along with a record of 6-1. Opponents are batting .186 off the left-hander this season. Skubal has made seven quality starts this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 10.8 strikeouts compared to just 1.5 walks.
Over his last nine games, Colt Keith has been swinging a hot bat for the Tigers, going 11/27 (.407) with one home run and four RBIs. For the season, Riley Greene is batting just .230, but he does have a team-high nine homers. Kerry Carpenter is also having a good season at the plate, as he is batting .283 and has gone deep eight times.
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 near the middle of the pack in terms of slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Detroit’s offense has been pretty average in terms of home runs and isolated power.
Our pick for this Pirates vs. Tigers matchup is to take the Pirates on the money line, with the payout sitting at +126. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Pirates, giving us some room to take them on the money line or even on the run line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Tarik Skubal finishing with more strikeouts than Jared Jones. Skubal is projected to finish with nine K’s, while Jones is predicted to finish with six. However, Skubal is also projected to go deeper into the game, with Jones going six innings.
Detroit Tigers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Tips
- We like the Pirates on the moneyline (+126)
- The Pirates are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Detroit Tigers Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby Miller | Out | Forearm |
| Sawyer Gipson-Long | Out | Elbow |
Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Martín Pérez | Out | Groin |
| Johan Oviedo | Out | Elbow |
| Marco Gonzales | Out | Forearm |
| Ryan Borucki | Out | Tricep |
| Jason Delay | Out | Knee |
| Joey Bart | Out | Thumb |
| Dauri Moreta | Out | Elbow |
| Endy Rodríguez | Out | Elbow |
