Pirates vs. Angels prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
The Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Los Angeles Angels. Our MLB odds series has our Pirates Angels prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Pirates Angels.
The Los Angeles Angels are staying in the American League wild card race. They had a very bumpy ride before the All-Star break, but their sweep of the New York Yankees earlier this week kept them in the hunt. The Angels got a huge two-run home run from Shohei Ohtani on Monday night against the Yanks. The big bomb wiped out a 3-1 deficit in the seventh inning and tied the game at 3-3. The Angels eventually won the game and were able to hold out hope that they could make a run at the postseason. Los Angeles retained the good vibes from its Monday win and brought them into Tuesday and Wednesday, in which it handled the Yankees two more times to complete the sweep. The Angels are five games behind the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays for the last two wild card spots in the A.L. The Astros and Jays occupy the last two spots in the postseason field if the season ended today. The Angels will need to beat out one of the two and also pass the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in order to play in October.
Being five games out is not a huge deficit, but the problem the Angels have is that they need to pass three teams in order to get into the postseason. That will be difficult, especially since the new MLB schedule means American League East teams aren't going to play each other as often as they would have in previous seasons. The Blue Jays, Yankees and Red Sox will all play each other over the next two months, but only six or seven times and not 12 or 13 times. The Angels' margin for error is therefore smaller than it would have been a year ago. The Halos need to sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend to feel they have a realistic chance of making the playoffs.
Here are the Pirates-Angels MLB odds,
MLB Odds: Pirates-Angels Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-128)
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (+106)
Over: 8 (-120)
Under: 8 (-102)
How To Watch Pirates vs. Angels
TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh (Pirates) / Bally Sports West (Angels) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 9:38 p.m. ET/6:38 p.m. PT
*Watch Pirates-Angels LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates have been the worst team in baseball — worse than the Oakland Athletics, worse than the Kansas City Royals — over the past 32 games. It's close, but the Pirates' record of 8-24 since June 13 is worse than the A's and Royals. Pittsburgh, which was 20-8 after the first 28 games of the season, reminds us how long an MLB season truly is, and how little April usually means in terms of knowing whether a team is truly ready to contend for a postseason berth.
Why can the Pirates cover the spread? Simple: They simply can't play any worse than they have over the past month. They are bound to play better. Even the A's and Royals have had good moments this season. The A's memorably won seven games in a row at one point. The Royals went 4-1 in a five-game stretch and 3-1 in a separate four-game run. Pittsburgh is bound to be better. It doesn't mean it's the superior team, only that the laws of averages are bound to even out.
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates, having been flattened over the past month, are not the team which will hammer Shohei Ohtani. While Ohtani has had some rocky outings this season, he remains a top-30 starting pitcher in the sport. Even if he doesn't have his very best stuff, he should be able to work his way around the Pirates' batting order and limit what Pittsburgh can do. The Angels, coming off their sweep of the Yankees, are playing well and should be able to score several runs against a Pittsburgh pitching staff which has been very frail and shaky over the past month.
Final Pirates-Angels Prediction & Pick
The Angels are the better team, playing at home, and with Shohei Ohtani pitching against an opponent which has lost 24 of its last 32 games. You don't need to overthink this one.
Final Pirates-Angels Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5
