Pirates and Tigers Look for Turnaround Games
The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Motor City to take on the Detroit Tigers in the first of a two-game series. Both are coming off losses on Sunday, May 1, and look to turn things around by getting back in the win column.
The Pirates are fourth in the NL Central with a 9-13 record and are 4-6 in their last ten games. The Tigers are fifth in the AL Central with a 7-14 record and have a 3-7 record in their last ten games.
Let’s check the latest MLB picks, stats, injury reports, and MLB odds for Pirates vs Tigers. We’ve plenty of MLB predictions.
Pirates Struggling all Over
The Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled this season as they are third in the National League with just nine wins this year. They are struggling to get things going on offense as they are 17th in batting average and 21st in OBP this year.
In team totals, they are tied for 26th in Home Runs hit with 12 and 24th in the MLB in RBIs with just 73 on the season. The Pirates have the seventh most strikeouts.
The offense isn’t the only area this team has struggled with this season as they are not getting much done on the mound either. The Pirates are the fifth-worst team in opponent batting average with .250 and third-worst in WHIP with 1.41. On top of that, they can’t seem to get many strikeouts as they are ranked 25th with a total of 168 strikeouts and have allowed the third-most runs with 121 total. In the last five games, the Pirates have allowed 24 runs for an average of 4.8 per game which is slightly down from their season average of 5.5.
Tigers Look for More Runs
The Detroit Tigers, like their opponent, have also struggled this season as they have a 7-14 record and a 4-8 record at home. They are coming off a six-game losing streak and have won just one game in the last five they have played.
On the mound, the Tigers have allowed the 11th least amount of runs in the entire MLB with just 87 and have given up the sixth least amount of home runs with just 17 allowed. On top of that, they are ranked 12th in the opposing team’s batting average with just .229 and 8th in WHIP with 1.17.
When hitting, this Tigers team is having a difficult time scoring as they are 29th in total runs with just 67 for an average of 3.19 per game and 24th in total hits with 159. The team’s batting average is middle of the league as they are tied for 17th with .232 and 16th in OBP with .309.
Pirates vs Tigers Head-to-Head
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers have not played against each other this year as this is the first series of two series meetings this year. In 2021, these two teams played six total times and the Pirates finished 4-2.
The last game between the Pirates and Tigers was on 9/8/2021 in Detroit which resulted in a 5-1 Tigers win.
Pirates vs Tigers Game Information
- Game: Pirates (9-13) vs Tigers (7-14)
- Location: Comerica Park
- Day/Time: Tuesday, May 3rd, 7:10 p.m. ET
- Pirates vs Tigers Live stream: MLB.tv
Pirates vs Tigers Betting Lines
| Team | Run line | Moneyline | Total | Team Total |
| Pittsburgh Pirates / B. Wilson -R | +1½ -155 | +127 | 8½-105o | 3½-130o/ 3½Evu |
| Detroit Tigers / M. Pineda -R | -1½ +135 | -142 | 8½-115u | 4½+105o/ 4½-135u |
Pirates vs Tigers Prediction
The current Las Vegas odds for this game have the Detroit Tigers as moneyline favorites at -130 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. With both teams struggling this year, it makes sense why the line is so close and with Pineda on the mound, the Tigers have the slight edge in pitching. On offense, both teams are struggling this season as they both are in the bottom half of the league in most hitting categories.
This game will most likely come down to pitching as both offenses have been struggling. With Pineda on the mound, look for him to take advantage of the team with the seventh most strikeouts this season. With just 15 runs in the last five games, look for the Pirates to continue struggling, back the Tigers at home at -159.
Head to BetUS Sportsbook and take the Tigers ML (-159) as the Pirates continue to struggle on all sides of the field.
