Texas Rangers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
Wednesday’s interleague matchup between the Pirates and Rangers is set to get started at 2:35 PM ET from Globe Life Field in Arlington. The Pirates are 5th in the NL Central with a record of 59-66, while the Rangers are 3rd in the AL West at 58-69.
Andrew Heaney will start for the Rangers, while the Pirates are sending Domingo German to the mound. Texas is the heavy favorite at -165, while the money line odds have the Pirates at +139. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.
Check out BetCoco for Texas Rangers – Pittsburgh Pirates odds
Texas Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Trends and Key Stats
- Over the course of their previous five away games, the Pirates have recorded a 1-4 record, with a 3-2 performance on the runline.
- Conversely, the Rangers have achieved a 2-3 (SU) record and 4-1 record in their last five home games.
- In their last ten games as the favorite, the Rangers have a record of 3-7 straight-up, and have gone 1-9 against the runline.
- Looking at the Pirates’ previous ten games as the underdog they are 2-8 straight-up and 6-4 vs. the runline.
Pittsburgh cruised to a 4-0 win over the Rangers in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a three-run 4th inning and added their final run in the 9th. As for the Rangers, they only had three hits and didn’t score a run until the 9th.
Mitch Keller started for the Pirates and picked up the win, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with nine strikeouts but issued five walks. Cody Bradford got the start for the Rangers and took the loss, giving up three earned runs in seven innings of work.
Oneil Cruz was the only player in the game to have more than one hit. He went 2/3 with an RBI and a run scored. Bryan De La Cruz also had a two RBI game at the plate.
Texas Rangers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction
Pittsburgh is 5th in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 14 games. Overall, the Pirates are 59-66 as they play on the road today vs. the Rangers. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 17-18-5, and they are 20-28 as road underdogs this year.
The Pirates have gone 3-7 across their last ten games and are 17-15 in divisional games. So far, they have gone 29-32 at home compared to 30-34 on the road. As the underdog, the Pirates are 34-45 this year, and they are 25-21 when favored.
The Pirates have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 71-54 overall. They have been even better on the road, going 39-25 on the run line. They have covered the run line in two straight games and have covered in two straight games as the underdog.
The Pirates are on the road against the Rangers in a game with an over/under line of 8.5 runs. This season, the Pirates have played 84 games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs or more, and their over/under record in those games is 26-18. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Domingo Germán will be making his first start of the season for the Pirates, as he has been used out of the bullpen so far. In his last outing, he went 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 1 hit, but did give up a home run. He also struck out 3 batters.
Andrew McCutchen has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Pirates, going 5/15 in his last four games, including two homers and six RBIs. He also comes into the game on a six-game hitting streak. Over his last six games, Jared Triolo is 4/14 with two homers and five RBIs. Joey Bart has also been hitting the ball well, going 11/35 in his last nine games.
As a team, the Pirates are 22nd in scoring at 4.1 runs per game and are also near the bottom of the league in home runs, batting average, and on-base percentage. So far, Bryan Reynolds and Bryan De La Cruz have been the Pirates’ top power threats, with Reynolds leading the team with 19 homers and De La Cruz right behind him at 18. Reynolds also has 69 RBIs, which is the best mark on the team.
Texas is 58-69 overall and trails the Astros by 11 games in the AL West. So far, they are 14-18 in divisional games. The Rangers have lost seven straight series and are 15-24-1 in series this year. At home, they are 33-31 compared to 25-38 on the road.
As the favorite, the Rangers are 38-31 this year and 28-20 as the home favorite. Texas’ overall record as the underdog is 20-38. They will be looking to get back to .500 at home with an overall mark of 33-31. The Rangers are just 3-7 over their last 10 games and are currently tied with the Pirates in their series.
When the Rangers win, they do so by an average of 3.7 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.7 runs per game. They have a run line record of 53-74 this season, and they are 25-39 against the run line at home. They are 28-35 against the run line on the road, and they are 22-47 against the run line as the favorite.
When the Texas Rangers are at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Rangers have gone over that number in 19 of 43 games at home this season, and their combined run average is 8.7 runs per game. The over/under record for Texas this season is 56-66, and the average over/under line for their games is 9 runs. The under has hit in two straight Rangers games.
Andrew Heaney gets the start for the Rangers today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Twins. In that start, which came on August 16th, he took the loss and gave up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Looking at his overall numbers, Heaney has made 24 starts and has a record of 4-13. His ERA for the season is 4.20, along with a WHIP of 1.24. Opposing batters are hitting .241 off Heaney this season. The left-hander has made six quality starts this year and is averaging 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
Corey Seager has been the most consistent hitter for the Rangers this season, batting .271 with a team-high 28 home runs and 68 RBIs. Adolis García is 2nd on the team in RBIs (62) and home runs (21), but he is batting just .224 for the season. However, García has been swinging a better bat of late, going 9/31 (.290) over his last eight games.
As a team, the Rangers are 19th in the league in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.4 runs per contest. Overall, the Rangers are batting just .238, which is 15th in the MLB.
Our predicted final score for this Rangers vs. Pirates matchup is 5-4 in favor of the Rangers. However, with the Rangers being -165 on the money line, we recommend taking the over at 8.5 runs, as we see this one having a combined nine runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Andrew Heaney is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the fourth-best among all starters today. Heaney is also predicted to go five innings, and his chances of picking up a win are the fifth best.
Offensively, the Rangers are projected to finish with nine hits, while the Pirates are predicted to finish with nine as well. However, the Rangers are projected to finish with five runs compared to the Pirates at four.
Texas Rangers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Tips
- Take the Rangers on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Pirates (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Texas Rangers Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Max Scherzer | Out | Shoulder |
| Jacob deGrom | Out | Elbow |
| Tyler Mahle | Out | Shoulder |
| Josh Sborz | Out | Shoulder |
| Cole Winn | Out | Shoulder |
| Evan Carter | Out | Back |
| Carson Coleman | Out | Elbow |
| Jacob Latz | Out | Forearm |
Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew McCutchen | Out | Knee |
| Johan Oviedo | Out | Elbow |
| Marco Gonzales | Out | Forearm |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | Out | Back |
| Daulton Jefferies | Out | Elbow |
| Ryan Borucki | Out | Triceps |
| Dauri Moreta | Out | Elbow |
| Nick Gonzales | Out | Groin |
| Carmen Mlodzinski | Out | Shoulder |
| Jared Jones | Out | Lat |
| Colin Holderman | Out | Wrist |
| Endy Rodríguez | Out | Elbow |
