The Pittsburgh Pirates are taking on the Houston Astros in game two of their three-game series tonight. Pittsburgh is coming off a 5-3 win in last night’s game, and are winners of two in a row. Meanwhile, the Astros are looking to resume their winning ways. Prior to losing their last two games, they were winners of three in a row. With both teams needing a win, let’s jump straight into the game!
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | MoneyLine |
| Pirates | +1.5 (-128) | Over 8.5 (+100) | +168 |
| Astros | -1.5 (+106) | Under 8.5 (-122) | -200 |
| **Odds Subject to Change** | |||
Pirates vs. Astros Match Details
- Fixture: Pittsburgh Pirates @ Houston Astros
- Date and Time: July 30th, 2024 @ 8:10 PM EST
- Location: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
Apex Tale of the Tape
| Pirates | vs. | Astros |
| 54-52 | Record | 55-51 |
| 4.16 | Runs/G | 4.67 |
| .231 | BA | .262 |
| .300 | OBP | .321 |
| .369 | SLG | .419 |
| .669 | OPS | .740 |
| 106 | HR | 121 |
| 63 | SB | 66 |
| 3.81 | ERA | 4.02 |
| 1.28 | WHIP | 1.30 |
| 27 | Saves | 25 |
| .986 | Fielding % | .989 |
Key Stats
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates have played solid baseball over the last ten games. With a record of 6-4 and 28-26 on the road, they sit in second place in the NL Central division. Bailey Felter, the Pirates’ starting pitcher for this game, has struggled historically against the Astros’ batters. Against Falter, the Astros have a batting average of .417, 10/24 overall. Although it is a small sample size, there is no reason to think anything different will happen. In his last outing, he only pitched two innings and gave up three runs in the third inning and got pulled.
Offensively, the Pirates have been a bottom-seven offense in the MLB. However, they’re led by left fielder Bryan Reynolds who leads the team in batting average (.288), home runs (18), RBIs (61), OBP (.354), and hits (118). The Pirates also have one of the most electric young players in MLB in Oneil Cruz. Cruz has at least one hit in his past four games, including three RBIs and a home run.
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are on a two-game skid, losing the last two games, with a run differential of 11-5. The Astros are sending out Hunter Brown to start in today’s matchup against the Pirates. Brown has a record of 9-6 on the year and 118 Ks, which ranks 28th in the MLB. He has a favorable strikeouts matchup, as the Pittsburgh Pirates are top five in the MLB in hitter strikeouts. This should be a great opportunity for Hunter to stay, he has three straight quality starts, only allowing three earned runs in 18 innings pitched and 18 Ks.
The Astros offense has been exceptional this season. They rank in the top ten in many categories, including OPS (9th), batting average (2nd), and total bases (7th). They are led by Jose Altuve who leads the team in hits (132) and batting average (.311), 5th in the entire MLB. His co-star, Yordan Alverez is coming off a game in which he picked up two singles and an RBI walk. These two dynamic bats are looking to pick up the win and stay first in the AL West.
Prediction
I am predicting that the Houston Astros will fly to a multi-run victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates in tonight’s game. This is a bad matchup for the Pirates with Falter on the mound. As I mentioned earlier, his history against the Astros is subpar and that is the key to what will be the loss for Pittsburgh. Along with Hunter Brown being a good strikeout pitcher for the Astros, the Pirates sit fifth in the MLB in hitter strikeouts which is a recipe for disaster.
Final Pick
Houston Astros -1.5 (+106)
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