Yu Darvish will take to a major league mound for the first time since August 2014 when the Texas Rangers host the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday. Darvish – who will be on a pitch count –has been decimating competition during his rehab stint with the pitcher posting a 0.90 ERA in five starts between Double-A and Triple-A.
- Juan Nicasio has held right-handed hitters to .198, but lefties are hitting .308 off him.
- The OVER is 5-1 in the past six meetings between the Pirates and Rangers.
- The Pirates have won five straight games entering Saturday.
Juan Nicasio should be fresh when he takes to the mound after his last start went just one inning and was postponed – the Pirates opted to skip his turn in the make-up game Monday. Extra rest has gone a long way for Nicasio, as he is 8-0 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 career starts coming off six-plus days rest.
The Rangers will be hoping that a returning Darvish can slow down the Pirates’ bats, as the Bucs had four home runs in a 9-1 rout Friday night.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Texas was a -150 moneyline favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made odds makers at Sportsbook pick an Sportsbook over under number of 9.
Odds Shark computer score prediction models pick a possible 5.3-4.4 win for the Pirates on Saturday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Texas Rangers Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
27-21 Texas battles the Pirates, currently with a 28-19 mark. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Texas vs Pittsburgh injuries news.
The Texas Rangers vs Pittsburgh Pirates odds would favor the Pirates if the betting lines were set according to our power ranks. Texas is rated No. 16 in the current Odds Shark poll, while Pittsburgh is at No. 11.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up Texas Rangers No. 9 ranked offense (4.56 runs per game) against a Pittsburgh Pirates defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 19 at 4.47 runs allowed per game. The Texas Rangers have been averaging 8.79 hits per game, less than the Pittsburgh Pirates have managed so far this season (10.06 hits on average).
Comparing defensive stats, Pittsburgh owns the No. 26-rated road mark, allowing 4.96 runs per game on the highway. Texas, on the other hand, rates No. 4 in scoring at home.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Pittsburgh got the job done in their last match in a 9-1 victory over Texas on Friday at Globe Life Park behind starter J Niese.
- Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
- Pittsburgh is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 14 of Pittsburgh's last 20 games on the road
- Texas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone OVER in 12 of Texas's last 18 games
- Texas is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Texas's last 11 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Pittsburgh at Texas, Sunday, May 29th
