Pirates vs Tigers Odds & Picks (May 17)

• The Pirates vs Tigers odds have Detroit listed as -150 moneyline favorites on Wednesday
• Pittsburgh has lost 12 of 14, while Detroit has won nine of 13
• Check out the Pirates vs Tigers odds, lines, predictions and picks below

Wednesday is Eduardo Rodriguez day, and anyone who loves baseball might want to check him out as he and the Tigers host the Pirates. Rodriguez is in the midst of a phenomenal season, and has looked like the best pitcher in baseball over the last month.

He’s starting to finally make headway in the AL Cy Young odds and online sportsbooks are expecting his dominance to continue versus Pittsburgh. Detroit has been pegged home favorites in the MLB odds for this matinee affair, as they seek their 10th win in 14 games.

Pirates vs Tigers Odds

Detroit is currently a -150 moneyline favorite, in a contest with a total of 7.5. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm ET at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, with sunshine and 59 degree temperatures in the forecast.

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Odds as of May 16th at FanDuel. Claim a FanDuel promo code to bet on MLB on Wednesday. 

Pittsburgh vs Detroit Probable Pitchers

Rodriguez has been virtually unhittable since he took the mound on April 12th. Over his last six starts he’s yielded two total runs, shutting out four of his last five opponents.

Last time out, he scattered four hits over 7 shutout innings versus the Guardians, striking out eight. 67 of the 99 pitches he threw were for strikes, and his last six outings have produced a 44-to-6 strikeout-to-walk rate.

Eduardo Rodriguez has given up no more than one earned run in six consecutive games, which is a career best. 🤩

During this streak, he has a 0.43 ERA. #RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/kfpfHmL7ai

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) May 10, 2023

The southpaw leads the AL in WAR, while ranking second in ERA and WHIP. He’s been especially effective at home in 2023, coughing up only one run over 21.2 innings, while issuing a .141 opponent batting average. That spells trouble for the Pirates regulars in the MLB starting lineups, who as we’ll discuss are already dealing with a dreadful slump.

Hill vs Rodriguez Stats

The Pirates will counter with Rich Hill, who’s been much more kind to opponent batters. Hill has surrendered at least three runs in three consecutive starts, and didn’t make it out of the 4th inning in his last outing versus the Rockies.

The 43-year-old has yielded an opponent slash line of .287/.339/.533 so far this season, coughing up eight home runs already in 41 innings. Having pitched for multiple AL teams he has plenty of experience versus the Tigers lineup, with Detroit holding the advantage.

Current Tiger batters are hitting .278 off him over 72 at bats, with future Hall-of-Famer Miguel Cabrera posting a .421 average in 19 plate appearances.

Pirates vs Tigers Predictions

Back to Rodriguez now, who should have no issues keeping the Pittsburgh bats quiet. The Pirates (22-20, 12-11 away) mustered just five hits in the series opener on Tuesday, losing 4-0. It’s the second time in three games they’ve failed to score a run, and the third time in 10 outings.

Not surprisingly, given the power outage, is the fact that Pittsburgh has been losing games left, right and center lately. After starting the season 20-8, they’ve dropped 12 of 14. Just three times in those 14 games have they exceeded two runs, and 10 of those losses have been by multiple runs. They’re batting .180 over the last 14 days, with an abysmal .277 slugging percentage.

I should’ve gloated when the Pirates had the best record in the NL and the Cardinals the worst.

Instead I restrained myself because I wanted to display good sportsmanship and I didn’t want to jinx things. 🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/X1gXzDV1yB

— 1986-92 Pittsburgh Pirates (@1992Pirates) May 17, 2023

The Tigers meanwhile, are playing their best baseball of the season. They’ve won nine of 13 overall and are currently in second place in the AL Central. They’re not a team loaded with offensive talent, as evident by their .214 batting average over the past seven days, but they have done a fantastic job recently at keeping other teams off the scoreboard.

Detroit (19-21, 10-9 home) has held five of its past seven opponents to three runs or less, while their staff has a 3.53 ERA over the last two weeks. That’s nearly a full run lower than their season average and it has led to a high percentage of their games falling short of the total. The under is 5-1 in their last six outings, and 16-9-1 in their last 26 contests.

Pirates vs Tigers 2023 H2H Results

Not to be outdone, Pittsburgh has seen its games fail to eclipse the number at the league’s sixth highest rate. That includes six of their last seven outings overall, and the way they’re swinging the bat coupled with Rodriguez’s form, another lower scoring game is likely on deck.

Picks: Detroit Tigers Moneyline (-150), Under 7.5 (-105)