The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Texas Rangers face off in MLB action on Thursday at Globe Life Park. We’ll look at it from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Texas Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates prediction.

Meeting of the starting pitchers

The Pittsburgh Pirates will start Luis Ortiz here. Ortiz has a 5-3 record, a 3.41 ERA, and 71 strikeouts this season. This will be Ortiz’s second career start against the Rangers. At the time of this article’s publication, the Texas Rangers had not yet announced a starting pitcher.

Pittsburgh Pirates Summary

The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to rebound after failing to beat the Seattle Mariners in a 10-3 loss in their last game on Sunday. The Pirates still won the series, ending their losing streak that also included the Padres and Dodgers over the past two weeks.

Pirates try to break out of the basement of the NL headquarters

Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 134 hits, 23 doubles, 19 home runs and 69 RBIs, while Andrew McCutchen has 16 home runs and Jack Suwinski has 9 stolen bases. Oneil Cruz has 13 stolen bases and 145 strikeouts while also hitting 27 doubles, 18 home runs and 61 RBIs, and Connor Joe has a .233 batting average and also has 19 doubles this season. Ke’Bryan Hayes also has 11 stolen bases this season.

Why the Pittsburgh Pirates will win

• The Rangers have lost each of their last six night games against National League opponents after a home win.
• The Pirates have won their last five away games against teams with a losing record.
• The Pirates have covered the run line in each of their last eight road games against American League opponents.
• The Rangers have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six night games against National League opponents after a home win.

Texas Rangers Summary

The Texas Rangers enter this set having lost in the series to the Minnesota Twins, but the Rangers were able to avoid the sweep after a 6-5 victory in the series finale on Sunday. The four-game set loss joins Texas’ losing streak, which also includes sets against the Red Sox, Yankees and Astros over the past two weeks.

Rangers try to stay alive in AL playoff race

Marcus Semien leads the Rangers with 123 hits along with 23 doubles, 18 home runs and 61 RBIs, while Adolis Garcia has 21 home runs and 62 RBIs along with 19 doubles and 10 stolen bases. Jonah Heim has 11 home runs and 49 RBIs and Josh Smith also has the most on the team with 23 doubles. Corey Seager also has 26 home runs with 64 RBIs this season.

Why the Texas Rangers will win

• The Pirates have lost each of their last seven away games.
• The Rangers have won their last six home games against teams with a losing record.
• The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in nine of their last ten games against AL West opponents with a losing record.
• The Rangers have covered the run line in three of their last four games against National League opponents with a losing record.

Prediction for Texas Rangers vs Pittsburgh Pirates

I’m on the Rangers’ side here. I’m not very happy with the form of either team. The Rangers have had some tough opponents lately though and I think Texas has more pressure now that they’re defending their World Series titles. Pittsburgh also just played the Mariners, who have been sloppy on offense in a lot of games, and then the Pirates allowed 10 runs in Sunday’s finale. All in all, I just trust Texas’ lineup more in terms of batting performance and I think they’ll win in Monday’s opener. I’m giving Texas the edge here.