Pirates vs. Rays: Picks, predictions, how to watch Friday’s game

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays square off on Friday with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Mitch Keller (2-5, 4.72 ERA) takes the mound for Pittsburgh while Tampa Bay counters with Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 2.00 ERA).

The Pirates (29-40) are coming off a huge divisional series win against the Chicago Cubs. They took three out of four games and find themselves 4-1 over their last five games. They’re still giving up a lot of runs on the mound, but they are getting more production at the plate. Ke’Bryan Hayes led the way with a big two-run home run but did suffer a sore shoulder after a collision at the plate. Keller will be making his 14th start of the season and pitched six innings giving up three hits and one earned run on the way to a no-decision in his last start.

The Rays (37-32) are coming out of a tough three-game divisional series against the New York Yankees. They lost two of those games and are 3-7 over their last 10 games. They need to build some momentum at home against the Pirates. Springs is typically a reliever but has started nine games this year. In his most recent, he only lasted 4.1 innings and gave up seven hits and four earned runs while striking out six against the Baltimore Orioles.

Pirates vs. Rays

Pitchers: Mitch Keller vs. Jeffrey Springs
First pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
Pirates local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
Rays local broadcast: Bally Sports Sun
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Tampa Bay -1.5
Run total: 7.5
Moneyline odds: Pittsburgh +170, Tampa Bay -200

Moneyline pick: Pittsburgh +170

The Pirates don’t usually inspire fear against opponents, but momentum plays a role in the game. Tampa Bay has been on a brutal stretch and you have to give credit where credit is due for Pittsburgh. They have been swinging the bats and have scored at least four runs in each of their last six games and are 4-2 in that span.

Player prop pick: Ke’Bryan Hayes over 0.5 hits (-225)

Hayes is day-to-day but is expected to still play in Friday’s game. He leads the Pirates in batting average knocking .264 through 63 games. Hayes is on a two-game hit streak but has never faced off against Springs in his career.

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