Pittsburgh Pirates vs Minnesota Twins Preview
From PNC Park in Pittsburgh, we have the Twins and Pirates facing off in an interleague matchup. First pitch for Saturday’s matchup is set for 4:05 PM ET. BSN is carrying the game on TV.
The money line odds have the Twins at -119 compared to the Pirates at -101, and the over/under line is at 9 runs. Carmen Mlodzinski is starting for the Pirates, and the Twins are starting Simeon Woods Richardson. Minnesota is on a four-game losing streak and is 3rd in the AL Central, while the Pirates are 5th in the NL Central with a record of 30-33.
Check out BetCoco for Pittsburgh Pirates – Minnesota Twins odds
Pittsburgh Pirates Trends and Key Stats
- 1-4 is the record of Twins in their last five road games. They have also gone 1-4 vs. the runline.
- In the Pirates’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 2-3 (SU) with 3-2 against the spread.
- The Twins are 7-3 in their last ten games as the favorite and 2-8 as the underdog.
- The Pirates hold a 5-5 record as the favorite and a 5-5 record as the underdog.
Pittsburgh picked up a 3-0 win over the Twins in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates offense only had two more hits than the Twins and struck out nine times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were at +107 on the money line.
This game featured a starting pitching matchup between Mitch Keller for the Pirates and Joe Ryan for the Twins. Keller only went six innings but didn’t give up a run and finished with eight strikeouts. On the other side, Ryan gave up two earned runs in seven innings of work.
Minnesota had its best chance to score in the 8th inning when they put together a rally against David Bednar. He gave up one run on two hits but still closed out the game for the Pirates. Offensively, the Twins actually outhit the Pirates in the game 8 to 4.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Minnesota Twins Prediction
Minnesota is on the road today, looking to pick up a win vs. the Pirates and snap their four-game losing streak. The Twins are 33-30 overall and trail the Guardians by 7.5 games in the AL Central. So far, they have gone 15-11 against other teams in the AL Central.
The Twins have dropped four straight on the road, and they are an even 17-17 on the road this year. As the favorite, Minnesota has gone 25-14 and 8-16 as the underdog. So far, the Twins are 13-4 as the favorite on the road, and their overall series record is 11-7-2.
When the Twins win, they win big, averaging a 3.4-run margin of victory. However, when they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -4.0. Their overall run line record is 28-35, and they are 17-17 against the run line on the road. They are 11-18 against the run line at home and have failed to cover the run line in their last four road games.
The Minnesota Twins are on the road today against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The over/under line for the game is set at 9 runs, which is slightly higher than their season average of 8.7 runs per game. The Twins have gone over the total in 27 of their 61 games this season, and they are a perfect 4-0 in games with an over/under line of 9 runs. Only 3.2% of their games this season have had an over/under line of 9 runs or higher.
Simeon Woods Richardson is hoping to bounce back from his last outing, where he gave up three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. In that outing vs. the Astros, he gave up two homers. Against the Pirates today, he will be looking to pitch more like he did on May 28th vs. the Royals, where he picked up the win, going five innings and giving up just two earned runs. Woods Richardson has made two quality starts this year and has a record of 2-0 with a 3.04 ERA. His WHIP for the season is currently 1.10.
Carlos Santana has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Twins, going 9/29 in his last nine games with two home runs. For the season, he is batting just .217, but his nine homers are 2nd on the team and 12th in the league. Ryan Jeffers leads the team with 36 RBIs but has really struggled of late, going just 3/29 in his last nine games.
Minnesota’s offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 18th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. Overall, the Twins are 7th in the league in home runs and have the 4th best ISO in the league. As a team, they are batting just .229 and have a collective OBP of .301.
Pittsburgh is 30-33 overall and is 5th in the NL Central, seven games behind the Brewers. The Pirates are 7-7 in divisional games this year. So far, they have been just below .500 both at home (15-16) and on the road (15-17).
As the home underdog this year, the Pirates have gone 9-6, which is part of their 21-19 mark as the underdog overall. As for their record as the favorite, the Pirates are just 9-14 this year. They have been playing well as of late, going 5-5 over their last ten games.
Despite a losing record overall, the Pirates have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 36-27. They have been especially good on the run line on the road, going 20-12. They have been a better bet on the run line as an underdog, going 28-12, compared to as a favorite, where they are just 8-15. They have been outscored by an average of 0.3 runs per game this season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have an over/under record of 33-29 this season, and the average over/under line in their games is 8 runs. Their combined run average for the season is 8.6 runs per game, and when the line is set at 9 runs, their record is 2-2-1. So far this season, they have played 58 games with over/under lines set below 9 runs, which accounts for 92.1% of their games.
Pittsburgh is turning to right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski for today’s game vs. the Twins. He has made eight appearances this season and has a record of 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA. Mlodzinski has yet to pick up a win this year and has finished with a no-decision in each of his last four outings. Most recently, he pitched out of the bullpen vs. the Dodgers on June 6th, going one inning and giving up one hit and one earned run. Opponents are batting .289 off Mlodzinski this year, and his ERA at home is 8.1 compared to 3.6 on the road.
Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds have been the Pirates’ top power threats this season, as Cruz’s nine home runs are 12th in the league, while Reynolds is right behind him with eight homers. Cruz has gone deep twice in his last five games, hitting .250 over that stretch, while Reynolds is on a six-game hitting streak and is batting .259 for the season. Reynolds also leads the Pirates with 34 RBIs.
As a team, the Pirates are 19th in scoring at 4.1 runs per game, and they have been even worse in terms of slugging percentage and OPS. Overall, they are batting just .230 and have the league’s 26th ranked on-base percentage. Pittsburgh is also one of the worst teams in the league in terms of strikeouts, averaging nine per game.
At home, we have the Pirates taking down the Twins by a final score of 6-5. With the money line sitting at -101, we see this as a great value pick, especially with the payout being nearly even.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Simeon Woods Richardson’s chances of picking up a win as the third worst among starters today. His projections are also not great, with him finishing with five strikeouts and allowing five hits.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Minnesota Twins Betting Tips
- Take the Pirates on the moneyline
- The Pirates should also cover at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Martín Pérez | Out | Groin |
| Johan Oviedo | Out | Elbow |
| Marco Gonzales | Out | Forearm |
| Ryan Borucki | Out | Triceps |
| Ji Hwan Bae | Out | Wrist |
| Joey Bart | Out | Thumb |
| Dauri Moreta | Out | Elbow |
| Quinn Priester | Out | Lat |
| Alika Williams | Out | Wrist |
| Endy Rodríguez | Out | Elbow |
Minnesota Twins Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony DeSclafani | Out | Elbow |
| Zack Weiss | Out | Shoulder |
| Brock Stewart | Out | Shoulder |
| Justin Topa | Out | Knee |
| Daniel Duarte | Out | Elbow |
