Phillies vs Pirates: Game 2 prediction, odds, injuries and picks

The battle for Pennsylvanian supremacy continues as the Phillies seek to turn around their fortunes after losing to the Pirates in the opening matchup of their three-game series.

In the absence of Philly superstar Bryce Harper, Pittsburgh pulled off a 5-4 upset in Game 1, their first win against the Phils in their last five meetings, after a Nick Gonzales walk-off sacrifice fly.

The two squads were neck-and-neck as they scored identical numbers of runs in the same innings of the contest, apart from the last one.

With the suspension of Jose Alvarado, skipper Rob Thomson was forced to deploy Jordan Romano as the team's closer once again. Romano was the one who gave up the sac fly to Gonzales as the former incurred his third loss of the season after a blown save.

Phillies vs. Pirates recent form and records

With their loss to Pittsburgh, the Phillies are steadily slipping away from the NL East lead as they're now 2.5 games behind the Mets. They hold a 37-26 record but have won just three of their last 10 games. On the brighter side, the team has posted an impressive 18-14 record on the road this year.

Even though they pulled off an upset in Game 1, there is nothing to write home about the Pirates this season. The squad sits dead last in the NL Central with a 24-40 record.

Phillies vs. Pirates odds

Money Line: PHI (-147), PIT (+134)

Run Spread: PHI -1.5 (+107), PIT +1.5 (-130)

Total Runs: O 8.5 (-110), U 8.5 (-110)

Phillies vs. Pirates injuries

PHI injury report

Zack Wheeler (SP): Paternity (personal)
Aaron Nola (SP): 15-day IL (ankle)

PIT injury report

Johan Oviedo (SP): 60-day IL (lat)
Tim Mayza (RP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Joey Bart (C): 7-day IL (concussion)
Justin Lawrence (RP): 60-day IL (elbow)
Jared Jones (SP): 60-day IL (elbow)
Emmanuel Valdez (1B): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Colin Holderman (RP): 15-day IL (thumb)

Phillies vs. Pirates projected lineup

PHI projected lineup

Trea Turner (SS)
Bryce Harper (1B)
Kyle Schwarber (DH)
Nick Castellanos (RF)
J.T. Realmuto (C)
Alec Bohm (3B)
Edmundo Sosa (2B)
Weston Wilson (LF)
Johan Rojas (CF)
Ranger Suarez (SP, 4-0 | 2.72 ERA | 33 K)

PIT projected lineup

Oneil Cruz (CF)
Andrew McCutchen (DH)
Bryan Reynolds (RF)
Ke'Bryan Hayes (3B)
Nick Gonzales (2B)
Alexander Canario (LF)
Endy Rodriguez (1B)
Henry Davis (C)
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (SS)
Andrew Heaney (SP, 3-4 | 3.39 ERA | 47 K)

Phillies vs. Pirates picks and game prediction

Ranger Suarez will put his 4-0 unblemished record on the line against a Pirates offense that is 27th in the league in OPS. The biggest thing to look out for, however, is Bryce Harper's wrist issue. The former MVP was out in Game 1 due to wrist pain. Still, Philadelphia should comfortably win the game given the pedigree of the squad.

Run Line: PHI -1.5 (+107)

Total Runs: O 8.5 (-110)

Prediction: PHI wins, 6-2

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago

Phillies vs Pirates: Game 2 prediction, odds, injuries and picks - June 7, 2025