Rangers vs Pirates: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries, and picks

The Rangers travel to Steel City to kick-off a three-game set against the Pirates that is scheduled to begin on Friday night. Texas are coming off a shocking sweep at the hands of the Royals at home while Pittsburgh claimed one game from their series against the Tigers.

Jacob deGrom will start the proceedings in Game 1 for the visitors opposite Mike Burrows. DeGrom has quietly built up an All-Star-caliber season for Texas with a 6-2 record, 2.19 ERA, 0.91 ERA, and 80 strikeouts across 82 1/3 innings this year.

Rangers vs. Pirates recent form and records

With their three-straight losses to the Royals, Texas now finds itself in fourth-place in the AL West. They hold a 36-39 record and have now been overtaken by the vastly inferior Angels squad in the standings.

The Pirates, meanwhile, are still rock bottom in the NL Central with a 30-46 record. The silver lining for the squad is the even 19-19 record they've established at home in what is shaping up to be another forgettable campaign.

Rangers vs. Pirates odds

Money Line: TEX (-169), PIT (+156)

Run Spread: TEX -1.5 (-105), PIT +1.5 (-112)

Total Runs: O 7.5 (-112), U 7.5 (-106)

Rangers vs. Pirates injuries

TEX injury report

Cody Bradford (SP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Josh Sborz (RP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Nathan Eovaldi (SP): 15-day IL (triceps)
Joc Pederson (1B): 10-day IL (hand)
Jon Gray (SP): 60-day IL (wrist)
Tyler Mahle (SP): 15-day IL (shoulder)

PIT injury report

Johan Oviedo (SP): 60-day IL (lat)
Bryan Reynolds (OF): paternity
Tim Mayza (RP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
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)
Endy Rodriguez (1B): 10-day IL (shoulder)

Rangers vs. Pirates projected lineup

TEX projected lineup

Josh Smith (1B)
Wyatt Langford (LF)
Corey Seager (SS)
Marcus Semien (2B)
Evan Carter (CF)
Jake Burger (DH)
Josh Jung (3B)
Adolis Garcia (RF)
Jacob deGrom (SP, 6-2 | 2.19 ERA | 80 K)

PIT projected lineup

Oneil Cruz (CF)
Andrew McCutchen (DH)
Spencer Horwitz (1B)
Nick Gonzales (2B)
Joey Bart (C)
Alexander Canario (RF)
Adam Frazier (LF)
Ke'Bryan Hayes (3B)
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (SS)
Mike Burrows (SP, 1-1 | 4.24 ERA | 25 K)

Rangers vs. Pirates picks and game prediction

With ace Jacob deGrom in fine form, the already troubled Pirates offense will find it even harder to produce runs against the two-time Cy Young winner. Expect a comfortable victory for the visitors in Game 1.

Run Line: TEX -1.5 (-105)

Total Runs: U 7.5 (-106)

Prediction: TEX wins, 5-1

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

Rangers vs Pirates: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries, and picks - June 20, 2025