The Detroit Tigers hit the road tonight to visit the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Paul Skenes is on the hill for the Bucs, and my Tigers vs. Pirates predictions are eyeing him to rack up the strikeouts tonight.
Read more in my MLB picks for Monday, July 21.
Tigers vs Pirates prediction
My Tigers vs Pirates best bet: Paul Skenes Over 6.5 strikeouts (-120 at Caesars)
The Pittsburgh Pirates may be a terrible ball club, but they surely have a superstar in Paul Skenes. In just his second year in the majors, the right-hander started the All-Star Game in back-to-back seasons, and his statistics speak for themselves. Skenes has a 2.01 ERA in 2025 across 20 starts, striking out 131 in 121 innings of work.
The former first overall pick has his work cut out for him tonight against a strong Detroit Tigers lineup. However, despite their brilliance, Detroit has the fifth-most team strikeouts this season. That certainly plays in Skenes’ favor.
Although he’s only cashed the Over in punchouts in two of his last five appearances, Skenes has 15 strikeouts in just 32 at-bats against this Tigers lineup. He was dominant in the ASG last week, and this is his first start in the second half. Skenes will come in fresh, and he also struck out nine Tigers in June.
Perhaps the trends in terms of recent outings aren’t playing in his favor, but Skenes has a proven track record of missing Detroit bats.
Caesars QuickPick: Our Tigers vs Pirates same-game parlay (SGP)
Paul Skenes Over 6.5 strikeouts
Isiah Kiner-Falefa Over 0.5 hits
Tigers moneyline
Jack Flaherty takes the hill for the Tigers tonight, and he’s pitched quite well lately. The righty has given up just two earned runs in each of his last two starts and owns a 4.65 ERA on the year. There's one hitter in the Pirates lineup who's enjoyed boatloads of success against him, though — Isaiah Kiner-Falefa.
The infielder is 4-for-7 lifetime against Flaherty with a single, double, triple, and home run. Kiner-Falefa has cashed the Over in hits in three of his last four contests and is hitting .276 overall. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had one hit, at the very least, against Flaherty.
Now I know that Skenes is on the mound for the Bucs, which makes this a difficult matchup for Detroit. Still, we have to keep in mind that he rarely gets run support. Skenes has a 4-8 record this season. He’s thrown gems, yet still ends up losing.
The Tigers have won four of the last six against Pittsburgh and just took two out of three from them last month. They'll be hungry to bounce back as well after just dropping a series to the Rangers. The only 60-win team in the majors will find a way to win, even if it means getting to Pittsburgh's bullpen.
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Tigers vs Pirates odds
Tigers vs Pirates live odds
Tigers vs Pirates opening odds
- Moneyline: Detroit +105 | Pittsburgh -125
- Run line: Detroit +1.5 (-210) | Pittsburgh -1.5 (+175)
- Over/Under: Over 7 | Under 7
Odds courtesy of Caesars.
Tigers vs Pirates trend
The Tigers have cashed the moneyline in 60 of their last 97 games (+12.20 units / 8% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Pirates.
How to watch Tigers vs Pirates and game info
| Location | PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA |
| Date | Monday, 7-21-2025 |
| First pitch | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| TV | FDSNDET, SportsNet - Pittsburgh |
| Tigers starting pitcher | Jack Flaherty (5-9, 4.65 ERA) |
| Pirates starting pitcher | Paul Skenes (4-8, 2.01 ERA) |
Tigers vs Pirates latest injuries
Tigers vs Pirates weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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