Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros Prediction: Should You Fade Paul Skenes, Pirates Against Astros?
The Pittsburgh Pirates will visit the Houston Astros on Monday night for a midweek series. Can Paul Skenes dominate this star-studded Astros' lineup, or will he struggle tonight? Krabs is going with the latter, and explains why in his Pirates vs. Astros prediction.
Krabs - July 29, 2024, 4:44 PM EDT
5 minPittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros Prediction: Should You Fade Paul Skenes, Pirates Against Astros?
Paul Skenes has been one of, if not the best starting pitcher in baseball this season, hence why he started for the National League in the recent All Star Game. Will Skenes deal once again, keeping his ERA below 2.00, or will this veteran Astros lineup get to the young flamethrower on Monday night?
Pirates vs. Astros DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: July 29, 2024
- Start Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: MLB Extra Innings
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros Prediction
Paul Skenes and the Pirates opened up (-150) favorites on the moneyline, but have since moved to (-130). This is an interesting move considering Skenes has been the best starting pitcher in baseball since getting called up from the minors. Less than 30% of the bets (on VSiN) are currently backing the Astros at home against Skenes, meaning there is some serious reverse line movement in this game. This is a great sign for Houston backers…
You’d think the odds would be moving towards Pittsburgh considering who is pitching and the amount of money backing the Pirates. Very rarely do you see this much movement when there’s nearly 75% of the bets backing the favorite, but oddsmakers seem to think the moneyline odds should now be closer to a Pick ‘Em. Considering Jake Bloss and his 6.94 ERA will be starting for Houston, what are the oddsmakers seeing that the public isn’t?
The books aren’t stupid, and they know that this veteran Houston lineup coming off a loss will be eager to hand Paul Skenes a loss in return. Houston has always played better at home, and it’s been no different in 2024. Minute Maid Park is a tough place to play at, especially for younger teams. The Pirates should struggle to get going in the first game of this series…
With the odds slowly creeping towards Houston throughout the day, lock-in the Astros on the moneyline before the odds get any worse. You can still get them at plus-money, and I’m willing to bet they bounce back after last night’s loss to the Dodgers. Houston still won that series, and is currently playing their best baseball of the season. I’ll meet you at the cash counter when they hand Skenes only the second loss of his young career.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros Prediction
Pick: HOU ML (+110) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros System Projections - July 29th
MLB ODDS
