MLB

Houston Astros vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction 7-29-24 Picks

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3m ago

Jul 29, 2024 / 5375 Views

Evan Walker

Pittsburgh Pirates (53-52) vs. Houston Astros (55-50)
July 29, 2024 8:10 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Astros +134 / Pittsburgh Pirates -159; Over/Under: +7.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros meet Monday in MLB Game 1 action at Minute Maid Park. Here’s a Houston Astros vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction. This article will include a Houston Astros vs Pittsburgh Pirates Pick.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 53-52 on the year after playing the Cardinals and Diamondbacks. The Pittsburgh Pirates have scored 14 runs in their last 3 Games and 4 or more runs in 5 of their last 9 Games. The Pittsburgh Pirates have won 4 of their last 5 Games when scoring 4 or more runs. Bryan Reynolds leads the Pittsburgh Pirates with 117 hits and 61 RBI, while Oneil Cruz and Andrew McCutchen have combined for 165 hits and 81 RBI.

Houston Astros Betting Preview

The Houston Astros are 55-50 on the year after playing the Athletics and Dodgers. The Houston Astros have scored 14 runs in their last 3 Games and 4 or more runs in 5 of their last 8 Games. The Houston Astros have won 4 of their last 5 Games when scoring 4 or more runs. Jose Altuve leads the Houston Astros with 130 hits and 46 RBI, while Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena have combined for 222 hits and 101 RBI.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Houston Astros Pitching Pick Matchup

Paul Skenes gets the ball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he is 6-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 97 strikeouts this season. Skenes has allowed 8 hits and 4 runs in his last 22.1 innings. Skenes has a 0.86 ERA and .135 allowed batting average in 31.1 road innings. This will be Skenes’ first career game against the Houston Astros.

Jake Bloss gets the ball for the Houston Astros, and he is 0-1 with a 6.94 ERA and 11 strikeouts this season. Bloss has allowed 16 hits and 9 runs in 11.2 innings this season. This will be Bloss’ fourth career MLB start. This will be Bloss’ first career Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Why the Houston Astros will Beat the Pirates

The Pirates have lost six of their last seven games as favorites against AL West opponents.
The Astros have won five of their last six games as underdogs against the Pirates following a loss.
The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in 13 of their last 14 games as favorites against AL West opponents.
The Astros have covered the run line in 14 of their last 16 games as underdogs following a home loss.
The Pirates have trailed after 3 innings in 11 of their last 16 games as favorites against AL West opponents.
The Astros have led after 5 innings in four of their last five games as home underdogs.
The Astros have won the first inning in each of their last three Monday games as home underdogs.

Houston Astros Player Prop Facts

Jake Meyers has recorded at least one RBI in five of the Astros’ last six games against NL Central opponents.
Alex Bregman has scored at least one run in each of the Astros’ last seven night games against opponents that held a winning record.
Yainer Diaz has hit a home run in each of the Astros’ last three games against NL Central opponents.
Jose Altuve has recorded at least one Single in each of the Astros’ last nine night games against opponents that held a winning record.
Jose Altuve has recorded at least one hit in each of the Astros’ last 15 night games against opponents that held a winning record.
Jose Altuve has recorded at least one total base in each of the Astros’ last 15 night games against opponents that held a winning record.

Pittsburgh Pirates Player Prop Facts

Andrew McCutchen has recorded at least one hit in each of his last nine appearances with the Pirates as road favorites.
Andrew McCutchen has recorded at least one total base in each of his last nine appearances with the Pirates as road favorites.
Bryan Reynolds has recorded at least one RBI in each of the Pirates’ last six games as favorites against AL opponents.
Andrew McCutchen has recorded a Double in each of the Pirates’ last three games against AL opponents.
Ji-Hwan Bae has scored a run in each of his last six road appearances after playing the previous day.
Oneil Cruz has hit a home run in three of his last four road appearances after playing the previous day.
Ke’Bryan Hayes has recorded at least one Single in each of the Pirates’ last seven road games.

Matchup/League Facts

The Houston Astros rank 2nd in the league for hits this season (943).
The Houston Astros rank 2nd in the league for batting average this season (.262).
The Pittsburgh Pirates rank 27th in the league for doubles this season (149).
The Pittsburgh Pirates rank 27th in the league for slugging percentage this season (.369).

Houston Astros vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction

The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting the benefit of the doubt because they’re throwing out Paul Skenes, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. Jake Bloss hasn’t been great through three career MLB starts. With that said, we’re getting the Astros at home and big plus money. You don’t get these spots often, and the Astros have played their best ball over the last month and are back in the thick of the AL West race. I’ll take a stab with the home dog.