Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Picks, Odds, Predictions 9/24/21

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies meet Friday in MLB action at Citizens Bank Park. The Pirates look for a win after splitting their last 10 games. The Phillies look for a win after winning seven of their last nine games. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates have scored 17 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in five straight games. The Pirates have won seven of their last 10 games when scoring four or more runs. Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 155 hits and 88 RBI while Kevin Newman and Ke’Bryan Hayes have combined for 198 hits and 70 RBI. Sam Howard gets the ball, and he is 3-4 with a 5.80 ERA and 51 strikeouts this season. This will be Howard’s first career game against the Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies have scored 19 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in six of their last nine games. The Phillies have won six straight games when scoring four or more runs. Jean Segura leads the Phillies with 146 hits and 57 RBI while Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto have combined for 264 hits and 152 RBI. Kyle Gibson gets the ball, and he is 10-8 with a 3.51 ERA and 141 strikeouts this season. This will be Gibson’s second career game against the Pirates.

The Pirates are 5-0 in their last 5 during game 2 of a series and 13-39 in their last 52 road games. The Phillies are 4-1 in their last 5 home games and 6-2 in their last 8 overall. The over is 8-2 in Pirates last 10 road games. The under is 5-0-1 in Phillies last 6 overall. The Pirates are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings in Philadelphia.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have played well enough lately to deserve a look in the big underdog role, but I want no parts of an opener, as you have to rely on so many arms to get the job done. The Philadelphia Phillies need to keep winning to improve their playoff odds, and Gibson has a solid 2.56 ERA and .211 allowed batting average at home. Give me the Phillies and the RL for max betting value.