MLB 2-team Multi-Pack - Friday
- Handicapper
- Jim Feist
- League
- MLB
- Competition
- Tampa Bay Rays vs Pittsburgh Pirates
- Release Date
- 04/17/2026 11:10 AM
- Event Date
- 04/17/2026 06:45 PM
- Bet Type
- Moneyline
- Pick
-
Pittsburgh Pirates -120
(BetOnline)
- Outcome
- Win
- Analysis
- The Pirates have several arguments on their side to win Friday. They host this game at PNC Park and roll out one of their better young starters in Bubba Chandler against a Rays team that’s still playing a live home dog despite their hot streak. Pittsburgh at 11-8 and Tampa Bay at 11-7, while Chandler gets set to duel Nick Martinez. Chandler doesn’t have sparkling surface stats at 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA, but he has also punched out 14 in 14 innings. That’s exactly the kind of swing-and-miss stuff you live for if his command improves.
On top of that, there’s a juicy spot angle for Pittsburgh. The Pirates lost 8-7 in extra innings to Washington on Thursday, but they were playing great baseball heading into that game. That included a 16-5 thrashing earlier this week where the Pirates’ lineup attacked behind Brandon Lowe, Bryan Reynolds, and Oneil Cruz. It matters because this offense has already proven it can produce crooked numbers, and often times a one-run extra-inning defeat leads to the Pirates coming home hungry the following night.
Throw in the fact that this isn’t a laughably one-sided matchup on the mound either and you have yourself something interesting. Martinez has pitched well at 2.16 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, but he’s also not the kind of ace that makes the Pirates absolutely helpless. Pittsburgh has bats in the lineup that can change the game with one or two swings, and ESPN’s game page already has Brandon Lowe at 7 home runs and 16 RBI. This gives the Pirates a middle-of-the-order bat that could do serious damage if Martinez leaves something in the seats.
Look, it’s pretty simple for Pittsburgh to win this game: Chandler misses bats early on, the Pirates feed off the home crowd in a series opener, and their lineup does enough against a contact-heavy Tampa Bay starter to take the lead. Tampa Bay’s five-game win streak is impressive, but with the game in Pittsburgh and Chandler on the mound with legitimate strikeout potential, backing the Pirates here is very reasonable Friday.
Jim's Play: 922. Pirates
