Pittsburgh Pirates vs Texas Rangers Betting Pick & Prediction 8/21/24

From Globe Life Field in Arlington, we have an interleague matchup between the Pirates and Rangers. First pitch for this one is set for 2:35 PM ET. BSSW is carrying the game on TV, and the Rangers are the betting favorite, with their money line odds sitting at -165. The money line odds for a Pirates win are at +139, and they are 5th in the NL Central, with an overall record of 59-66. LHP Andrew Heaney will be starting for the Rangers, while the Pirates are going with Domingo German.

The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs, and the forecast for Wednesday’s game in Arlington calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-90s. Pittsburgh will be looking to win their 60th game of the season, while the Rangers are 3rd in the AL West, with an overall record of 58-69.

TEXAS RANGERS VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Texas Rangers Moneyline -165

This game will be played at Globe Life Field at 2:35 ET on Wednesday, August 21st.

HOW TO BET THE PIRATES VS RANGERS:

• We have the Rangers winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Pirates to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

Pittsburgh cruised to a 4-0 win over the Rangers in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a big 4th inning, scoring all four of their runs. As for the Rangers, they had their best scoring chance in the 5th, but could only muster three hits.

Mitch Keller pitched well for the Pirates in this one, going seven innings and striking out nine without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Cody Bradford took the loss for Texas. Bradford went seven innings and gave up three earned runs.

At the plate, Oneil Cruz was the only player for either team to have more than one hit. He went 2/3 with an RBI. Bryan De La Cruz also had a two RBI game for Pittsburgh’s offense.

Pirates Records & Stats

Pittsburgh is 59-66 overall and trails the Brewers by 14 games in the NL Central. Currently, they are 5th in the division, 1.5 games behind the Reds for 4th place. The Pirates are 17-15 against other teams in the NL Central.

At home, the Pirates are 29-32 this season and 30-34 on the road. As the underdog, Pittsburgh is 34-45 this season compared to a mark of 25-21 as the favorite. The Pirates have an overall series record of 17-18-5 and are 3-7 over their last 10 games.

When it comes to the run line, the Pirates have been a solid bet this season, going 71-54. They have been especially good on the road, going 39-25. They have covered the run line in two straight games and have been a good bet as an underdog, going 53-26.

When the Pirates are on the road, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, and their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season. The over/under record for Pittsburgh is 60-64, and their games have gone over the line in 26 of 44 games when the line has been set at 8.5 runs. Overall, 48.8% of their games this season have had lower over/under lines than 8.5 runs, and the under has hit in their last two games.

Domingo Germán and the Pirates are on the road to take on the Rangers in his first start of the season. He has made 3 appearances out of the bullpen so far, and in his most recent outing, he went 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 1 hit and 3 strikeouts.

Andrew McCutchen has been swinging a hot bat for the Pirates of late, going 5/15 in his last four games, including two home runs. This has helped him put together a six-game hitting streak. Over his last nine games, Joey Bart is batting .314 with two homers and four RBIs. Jared Triolo and McCutchen have also both hit two homers in their last six and four games, respectively.

For the season, the Pirates are averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. Their team batting average of .234 is also 17th in the league. Bryan Reynolds and Bryan De La Cruz are the Pirates’ top home run hitters, with 19 and 18 homers, respectively.

Rangers Records & Stats

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 their overall series record is 15-24-1 this year. At home, they are the favorite today, and they are 33-31 at home compared to 25-38 on the road.

As the favorite, the Rangers are 38-31 this year and 20-38 as the underdog. Texas’ overall record has them in 3rd place in the AL West, and they are 11 games behind the Astros. The Rangers are just 3-7 over their last 10 games and dropped the series opener vs. the Pirates.

The Texas Rangers have been a poor bet on the run line this season, going 53-74 overall. They have been slightly better at home, going 25-39, but they have been a better bet on the run line when they are the underdog, going 31-27. The Rangers have an average run margin of -0.3 runs per game this season.

When the Texas Rangers play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Rangers have played 43 games with an over/under line set at 8.5 runs, and the over has hit in 24 of those games. The Rangers have a combined run average of 8.7 runs per game, and their over/under record for the season is 56-66. Their games have averaged a combined 9 runs per game this season.

Andrew Heaney will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Twins, as he gets the start for the Rangers today. Against the Twins, Heaney took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Looking at his overall numbers, Heaney has made 24 starts and six of them have been quality starts. He has a record of 4-13 this season and an ERA of 4.20. Per nine innings, Heaney is averaging 8.9 strikeouts and just 2.53 walks. For the season, he has allowed 18 homers.

Corey Seager has been the Rangers’ best hitter this season, as he is batting .271, and his 28 home runs are the best mark on the team and the 9th best in the league. Seager also leads the team with 68 RBIs. Adolis Garcia is 2nd on the team in homers (21) but is batting just .224 for the season. However, he has been swinging the bat well of late, going 9/31 in his last eight games.

As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.2 runs per game and are batting just .238, which is 15th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.4 runs per game. So far, they are 13th in home runs and have the 8th fewest strikeouts in the league.