Minnesota Twins vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction 8-19-23 MLB Picks

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins clash Saturday in game 2 of an MLB series at Target Field. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview

The Pirates need a win after losing 7 of their last 10 games. The Pirates are now 9.5 games out of the NL wild card race. The Pirates pitching staff is 23rd in ERA (4.61), 25th in WHIP (1.40) and 15th in quality starts (43). The Pirates' offense is 24th in runs per game (4.15), 26th in batting average (.235) and 26th in homers (121). Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 111 hits and 59 RBI, while Ke'Bryan Hayes and Andrew McCutchen have combined for 174 hits and 75 RBI. Mitch Keller gets the ball, and he is 9-8 with a 4.27 ERA and 161 strikeouts this season. This will be Keller’s first career game against the Twins.

Pittsburgh Pirates Team Facts

The Pirates have won seven of their last eight games as underdogs following a road loss.
The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in 10 of their last 11 night games against AL Central opponents.
The Pirates have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last four games against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Pirates' last four night games against American League opponents.

Minnesota Twins Betting Preview

The Twins look for another win after winning 4 of their last 5 games. The Twins have a 5-game lead in the AL Central. The Twins pitching staff is 8th in ERA (3.90), 3rd in WHIP (1.20) and 1st in quality starts (62). The Twins offense is 18th in runs per game (4.43), 21st in batting average (.239) and 7th in homers (168). Carlos Correa leads the Twins with 96 hits and 54 RBI, while Donovan Solano and Max Kepler have combined for 155 hits and 73 RBI. Sonny Gray gets the ball, and he is 6-5 with a 3.04 ERA and 140 strikeouts this season. Gray is 4-3 with a 4.20 ERA and 46 strikeouts in his career against the Pirates.

Minnesota Twins Team Facts

The Twins have won each of their last 10 Saturday night games against National League opponents.
The Twins have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games as home favorites after playing the previous day.
The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Twins' last six games as favorites against NL Central opponents.
The Twins have led after 7 innings in each of their last eight home night games.

Matchup/League Facts

The Minnesota Twins ranks 30th in the league for strikeouts against this season (1258).
The Minnesota Twins ranks 1st in the league for strikeouts this season (1177).
The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks 27th in the league for hits this season (949).
The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks T5th in the league for triples this season (22).

Randy’s Pick

The Pirates continue to go nowhere fast with the losses piling up and Mitch Keller doesn't appear to be the guy who can save the day with his 4.27 ERA overall and 5.00 ERA on the road. The Twins have put together a solid week and Sonny Gray has been fabulous this season with a 3.04 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Gray has a 3.00 ERA and .239 allowed batting average at home this season. These are games the Twins need to take advantage of to keep padding their division lead. I'll side with the home team.