Tigers vs. Pirates Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers, Prop Bets for Wednesday, Aug. 19

Paul Skenes and the Pirates are home favorites against the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Praise the baseball gods, we have afternoon baseball to watch and bet on!

There are a handful of matinee matchups today, and the first one is a showdown between the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates are largely out of the playoff picture in the National League, but that's not going to stop them from trying to go on one last late-season run. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers are in the midst of the logjam in the American League wild card race. They're currently one game back from the Texas Rangers for the final spot.

Let's dive into the odds and my best bets for this afternoon's game.

Tigers vs. Pirates Odds, Run Line, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Run line

• Tigers +1.5 (-164)
• Pirates -1.5 (+136)

Moneyline

• Tigers +142
• Pirates -154

Total

• OVER 8 (-112)
• UNDER 8 (-108)

Tigers vs. Pirates Probable Pitchers

• Detroit: Jackson Jobe, RHP (1-1, 6.23 ERA)
• Pittsburgh: Paul Skenes, RHP (9-11, 3.88 ERA)

Tigers vs. Pirates How to Watch

• Date: Wednesday, August 19
• Time: 12:35 p.m. ET
• Venue: PNC Park
• How to Watch (TV): SportsNet Pittsburgh, Detroit SportsNet
• Tigers record: 61-65
• Pirates record: 62-66

Tigers vs. Pirates Best MLB Prop Bet

• Paul Skenes OVER 6.5 Strikeouts (+136)

It's no secret that Paul Skenes has been having a down season compared to his Cy Young-winning 2025 campaign, but believe it or not, his strikeout rate has actually increased compared to last season, from 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings to 11.1. I'm surprised to see his total is set at just 6.5, with the OVER juiced to +136. I won't hesitate to jump on that.

Tigers vs. Pirates Prediction and Best Bet

I'm going to back the home favorites in this one. Skenes has pitched better than his ERA indicates this season. He has a 3.88 ERA but a 2.99 FIP and a 3.13 xERA, which tells me we could see some positive regression in terms of his earned runs allowed over his next few starts.

The Tigers are rolling with Jobe on the mound, who has had a rough first two starts of his season, allowing 10 hits, two home runs, two walks, and six earned runs across 8.2 innings pitched.

It's going to be hard for the Tigers to overcome the disadvantage in starting pitching while playing on the road. Give me the Pirates.

Pick: Pirates -154 via FanDuel

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!