The Pittsburgh Pirates (58-65) and Texas Rangers (57-68) begin a 3-Game series Monday. First pitch from Globe Life Field is set for 8:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Pirates vs. Rangers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting; Rangers won 2 of 3 in 2023
The Pirates head to Arlington after taking 2 of 3 at home against the Seattle Mariners. Despite the series victory, Pittsburgh has dropped 13 of their last 16 games. They are last in the NL Central. The Pirates are 29-34 on the road and 67-56 against the spread (ATS).
Texas dropped 3 of 4 against the Minnesota Twins to begin their 7-Game homestand. The Rangers have lost 7 of their last 10 Games at Globe Life Field. The defending world champs are 11 Games back of the Houston Astros in the NL West. Texas is 32-30 at home and 56-69 ATS.
Pirates at Rangers projected starters
RHP Luis Ortiz vs. TBD
Ortiz (5-3, 3.41 ERA) makes his 9th career start and 31st appearance. He has a 1.15 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9 and 6.7 K/9 in 95 IP.
- Last start: Loss, 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K in 3-0 loss at the San Diego Padres Tuesday
- 2024 road splits: 3-2, 2.80 ERA (45 IP, 15 R (14 ER), 1.16 WHIP, 7.8 K/9 in 15 games
- Only start vs. Rangers: Win, 7 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K in 6-4 home victory on May 22, 2023
No starter was listed for the Rangers, but Jose Urena is a strong possibility. Urena (3-8, 4.15 ERA) hqs made 9 starts in his 28 appearances. He has a 1.34 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9 and 5.9 K/9 in 89 IP
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Pirates at Rangers odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:19 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Pirates +106 (bet $100 to win $106) | Rangers -124 (bet $124 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread: Pirates +1.5 (-200) | Rangers -1.5 (+164)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -122 | U: +100)
Pirates at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 5 Pirates 4
Moneyline
BET RANGERS (-124).
Yes, it’s tough to pick a team to win when you don’t know the starting pitcher, but I’m trusting the better team at home. Pittsburgh’s Ortiz has also struggled to stop his opponents from scoring over his last 4 starts.
Run line/Against the spread
PASS.
I’ll keep my bet to the moneyline especially with the Pirates unbettable at -200 and the Rangers not trustworthy with a question mark at starter.
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Over/Under
PASS.
My lean would be the Over with Ortiz on the mound, but I’m not going to recommend a bet on the total without knowing Texas’ starter. And if it is Urena, he hasn’t fared well in his career vs. Pittsburgh (2-4, 5.73 in 9 games, 6 as a starter).
Some numbers to consider as well: The Pirates are 37-35-2 as an underdog, 30-30-2 as a road team and 24-20-1 as a road underdog, The Rangers are 26-36-3 as a favorite, a MLB-worst 21-31-2 at home and a MLB-worst 13-28-2 as a home favorite.
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