Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 6/7/2022

Time: 7:05 p.m. ET

Venue: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Where to watch: Bally Sports Detroit, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh

DraftKings: Tigers -125, Pirates +105

BetMGM: Tigers -125, Pirates +105

Caesars: Tigers -125, Pirates +105

Tigers: 21-33

Pirates: 24-28

We spent a lot of time this season talking about teams far exceeding expectations. There were the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks, now both have appeared to have fallen off at this point and have gone back to struggling as expected.

But the Pittsburgh Pirates? That's a team I didn't expect to be any better at any point. Sitting just four games below .500 is actually promising. The fact they are the best team in Pennsylvania is also quite the ridiculous standpoint.

Now, the Pirates will have a great opportunity to start this week with a chance to get even closer to .500 when they host the Detroit Tigers in a very winnable series for the home team.

The Pirates are coming off a 3-0 win Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, completing the series victory by taking two of three in a battle of greatly-improved teams. Jack Suwinski, who hit a walk-off home run against Arizona on Saturday, had three hits on Sunday and went 7 for 12 in the series.

“Any time we get our kids in the lineup and they start to play, you start to see the glimpses of putting the whole thing together,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “There has been a process to it. I understand that maybe at times that process is frustrating to people, but (general manager Ben Cherington) has had a plan all along.”

The offense may not be where it is in Pittsburgh outside of Ke'Bryan Hayes, but they're getting good pitching at an ideal time. Zach Thompson, who got the start, gave up just four hits and struck out four against the power-hungry Arizona squad.

“It’s kind of all mechanical," Thompson said. "Direction stuff is making my pitches play out a lot better. Before, I didn’t have very much consistency. Now I’m fixing direction and I’m able to stay a lot more consistent.”

The Tigers, meanwhile, are coming off a sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees in a ridiculously one-sided three-game series  that included back-to-back shutouts.

“They outplayed us at the game, they outexecuted us and they are a winning team,” Detroit manager AJ Hinch said. “At the end of the game, its gets more magnified when you missed some opportunities.”

I think it's safe to take the Pirates in games like these. We're looking at a large discrepancy in teams and I think Pittsburgh has a chance to get the crowd behind them as they push for one of the better starts they've had. Pirates win 6-3

Tigers are 6-7 as a favorite this season.

Tigers are 4-1 the past three seasons as a road favorite.

Pirates are 34-40 the past three seasons when the line is between +125 and -125.

Tigers:
Willi Castro (S) LF
Spencer Torkelson (R) 1B
Jonathan Schoop (R) 2B
Miguel Cabrera (R) DH
Javier Baez (R) SS
Jeimer Candelario (S) 3B
Daz Cameron (R) RF
Eric Haase (R) C
Derek Hill (R) CF

Pirates:
Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B
Bryan Reynolds (S) CF
Jack Suwinski (L) LF
Michael Chavis (R) DH
Rodolfo Castro (S) SS
Cal Mitchell (L) RF
Tucupita Marcano (L) 2B
Yu Chang (R) 1B
Michael Perez (L) C

Batting average: Miguel Cabrera -- .301

Home runs: Jonathan Schoop -- 5

RBI: Miguel Cabrera -- 19

Wins: Tarik Skubal -- 4

ERA: Tarik Skubal -- 2.15

Batting average: Ke'Bryan Hayes -- .289

Home runs: Bryan Reynolds -- 8

RBI: Ke'Bryan Hayes -- 20

Wins: Dillon Peters -- 4

ERA: N/A