The Pittsburgh Pirates (53-52) and'Houston Astros'(55-50) open a 3-game set at Minute Maid Park Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.'Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s'lines around the Pirates vs. Astros odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting; Astros won 2-1 last year
The Pirates avoided a 3-game sweep at the Arizona Diamondbacks, winning 6-5 in 10 innings as +104 underdogs in the Sunday finale as the Over (8.5) hit. Pittsburgh had just a 9.5% win probability with 2 outs in the 9th inning, according to ESPN Analytics, before C Joey Bart doubled in the tying run.
The Astros won 2 of 3 games against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. They wrapped up the series with a 6-2 setback as -130 home favorites Sunday with the Under (8.5) hitting. The loss ended a 3-game win streak for the Astros, their longest since winning 4 in a row July 9-12.