Boston Red Sox vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/15/2026

Game Time: 7:15 pm ET, Saturday, August 15, 2026

Venue:  PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV, FOX

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox -126, Pirates +104; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox -125, Pirates +105; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox -125, Pirates +105; Over/Under:  8 runs

Boston Red Sox:  65-56 (3rd place, AL East)

Pittsburgh Pirates:  59-64 (5th place, NL Central)

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Boston Red Sox:  5-5 last 10

Pittsburgh Pirates:  3-7 last 10

The Red Sox are entering this series off a win and lost their 4-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 65-56 record overall and have a road record of 36-25. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 14th in the MLB with a .722 OPS. Rookie pitcher Jake Bennett is their starting pitcher on Friday while Sonny Gray is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 14-3 with a 2.79 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 4 SO on 6 hits through 6 IP against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Pirates are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Miami Marlins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 59-64 record overall and have a home record of 30-30. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Red Sox on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .746 OPS. Bubba Chandler is their starting pitcher on Friday while Jared Jones is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 2-4 with a 5.03 ERA this season. His team lost their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 8 earned runs, 1 homer, and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts on 6 hits through 3 innings pitched against the New York Mets.

The current betting odds have the Red Sox listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Red Sox have looked really good in their games this season with their 65-56 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL East. They have been a great road team too with their 36-25 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Pirates haven't looked great in their games this season with their 59-64 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark either with their 30-30 home record this season. The Red Sox haven't been at their best lately, going 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last 2 months and they are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Pirates have been in a bad slump lately, now 3-7 in their last 10 games, and they have had trouble with their pitching staff all year. The Pirates are going with Jones in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 2-4 with a 5.03 ERA and he has been giving up a ton of runs lately. He is coming off a terrible start in which he gave up 8 earned runs and the team has had a lot of trouble with him too, losing 4 games in a row now with him starting. The Red Sox are going with Gray in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 14-3 with a 2.79 ERA and he has been their ace this year, leading the team in wins. He is coming off another great start giving up 2 earned runs which has been a common theme for him and the team has won 2 of their last 3 games with him starting too. The Red Sox are going to take advantage of this pitching matchup and they have looked a lot better in road games all season too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Red Sox to win this game. 

Red Sox Pirates Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 15, 2026 (7:15 pm ET start time) is Red Sox 9 Pirates 3.

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Boston Red Sox: 122-105 (+21.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 177-152 (+5.8 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 29-19 (+5 units) on the moneyline vs. NL teams allowing 4.5 or more runs/game on the season. 34-20 UNDER when playing against a team with a losing record.

Pittsburgh Pirates: 207-240 (-26.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 114-109 (-5.2 units) on the moneyline in home games. 105-113 (-9.1 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 22-16 UNDER against AL East opponents.

Boston Red Sox:  G. Whitlock (RP) Fifteen Day - Elbow. I. Kiner-Falefa (2B) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. C. Mead (3B) Ten Day IL - Hand. Z. Kelly (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Anthony (LF) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. G. Crochet (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. T. Story (SS) Sixty Day IL - Abdomen. K. Crawford (SP) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. T. Casas (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Oviedo (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Houck (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  E. Rodriguez (C) Ten Day - Hip. M. Keller (SP) Sixty Day IL - Arm. R. O'Hearn (RF) Ten Day IL - Quad. O. Cruz (CF) Sixty Day IL - Hand. K. Griffin (SS) Sixty Day IL - Finger.

“We needed a deep start. We needed a win, he gave us a win. He was awesome.” - Chad Tracy on Payton Tolle after his team’s win against the Blue Jays in their game on Thursday. 

"Just proud of them. We’ve fought all year. I think the thing that stands out is we just have to keep going. Can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We just have to keep competing like we have all year." - Don Kelly after his team’s win against the Marlins in their game on Thursday.

Nick Sogard (S) 2B

Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF

Wilyer Abreu (L) RF

Willson Contreras (R) 1B

Masataka Yoshida (L) DH

Caleb Durbin (R) 3B

Jarren Duran (L) LF

Andruw Monasterio (R) SS

Connor Wong (R) C

Spencer Horwitz (L) 1B

Brandon Lowe (L) DH

Bryan Reynolds (S) LF

Nick Gonzales (R) 2B

Esmerlyn Valdez (R) RF

Jacob Gonzalez (L) SS

Jake Mangum (S) CF

Jared Triolo (R) 3B

Rafael Flores Jr. (R) C

Batting Average:  Jake Rogers (.500)

Hits:  Ceddanne Rafaela (132)

Home Runs:  Willson Contreras (24)

RBI:  Willson Contreras (72)

Stolen Bases:  Jarren Duran (17)

Wins:  Sonny Gray (14)

Saves:  Aroldis Chapman (27)

ERA:  Erik Miller (0.00)

Batting Average:  Ronny Simon (.333)

Hits:  Nick Gonzales (137)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (25)

RBI:  Brandon Lowe (74)

Stolen Bases:  Oneil Cruz (21)

Wins:  Braxton Ashcraft (12)

Saves:  Gregory Soto (14)

ERA:  Khristian Curtis (0.00)

Managers:

Boston Red Sox: Chad Tracy (Interim)

Pittsburgh Pirates: Don Kelly (2nd season)