Pittsburgh Pirates (+530) to Qualify for the National League Postseason
The Pittsburgh Pirates currently hold a 50-49 record after their first series in the second half of the season. With upcoming games against the St. Louis Cardinals (52-47) and Arizona Diamondbacks (51-49), the Pirates have a significant chance to make headway in the Wild Card race.
Pittsburgh has 39 games left against teams contending for NL playoff spots, including the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Padres, Reds, Cubs, Nationals, and Brewers. With nine teams within 5.5 games of the final two Wild Card spots (Cardinals, Pirates, Padres, Mets, Diamondbacks, Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals), the race is highly competitive.
The Pirates, currently just 0.5 games behind, boast a strong pitching staff capable of driving a playoff run. The rotation features standout rookies Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, preseason ace Mitch Keller, and free-agent signings Martin Perez, Bailey Falter, and Marco Gonzales. Despite some injuries (Jones and Falter on IL-15), pitchers like Luis Ortiz, Josh Fleming, and Quinn Priester have performed well to keep the team in contention.
Offensively, Bryan Reynolds leads the team with a .288 batting average, 18 home runs, and 61 RBIs, supplemented by occasional strong performances from Oneil Cruz and Andrew McCutchen. However, the Pirates’ path to the playoffs will rely heavily on their pitching and defense. They rank 6th in the NL for ERA (3.85), have allowed the 3rd-fewest home runs (97), and are 6th in strikeouts (848) and 7th in walks (299).
Considering the Pirates’ pitching strength, I see them having an advantage over NL Central rivals like the Reds, Cubs, and Cardinals in the final stretch. I bet on the Pirates to make the postseason at +530 odds and would still take them down to +300.
Pick: Pirates to Make the Postseason (Risk 1u)
MLB Futures
3u: Aaron Judge to win AL MVP (+110)
2u: Aaron Judge to win AL MVP (-200)
2u: Luis Gil to win AL ROY (+140)
2u: Hunter Greene Over 183.5 Strikeouts (-106)
2u: Jesus Luzardo Over 189.5 Strikeouts (-110)
2u: Shohei Ohtani to lead MLB in homer runs (+325)
2u: Shohei Ohtani to win NL MVP (-140)
1u: Shohei Ohtani to win NL MVP (+360)
1u: Pirates to make the NL Postseason (+530)
1u: Rangers to make the AL Postseason (+550)
1u: Paul Skenes to win NL CY Young (+1100)
1u: Shohei Ohtani to win NL MVP (+370)
1u: Tyler Glasnow to win NL CY Young (+600)
1u: Tyler Glasnow to win NL CY Young (+350)
1u: Corbin Burnes to win AL CY Young (+400)
1u: Corbin Burnes to win AL CY Young (+350)
1u: Elly De La Cruz to win NL MVP (+1500)
1u: Elly De La Cruz to lead MLB in triples (+750)
1u: Elly De La Cruz to lead MLB in stolen bases (+700)
1u: Elly De La Cruz to lead MLB in stolen bases (+200)
1u: Ronald Acuna Jr. to win NL MVP (+500)
1u: Julio Rodriguez to win AL MVP (+1000)
1u: Jesus Luzardo to lead MLB in strikeouts (+3000)
1u: Hunter Greene to lead MLB in Strikeouts (+1700)
1u: Rockies to have the worst record in MLB (+220)
0.5u: Paul Skenes to win NL ROY (+2300)
0.5u: Paul Skenes to win NL ROY (+1700)
0.25u: Elly De La Cruz to lead MLB in HRs (+6500)
0.25u: Skenes/Judge/Ohtani/Burnes Parlay (+1350)
0.25u: Skenes/Judge/Glasnow/Burnes Parlay (+3708)