Toronto Blue Jays vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 8/18/2025 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Toronto Blue Jays vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Monday, August 18, 2025

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Toronto (-160) Pittsburgh (+132)

The Toronto Blue Jays (71-51) are traveling to PNC Park on Monday where they will attempt to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates (51-71). The odds on this game have Toronto at -160 while Pittsburgh opens at +132. The total comes in at 9. The starting pitchers are Kevin Gausman and Paul Skenes.

As a unit, the Toronto Blue Jays are putting up 4.8 runs per game, which has them at 7th in baseball. They have racked up 591 runs scored while having a team on-base percentage of .337. The Blue Jays have accumulated 221 two-baggers as a unit and have knocked 140 balls out of the park. They have accrued 567 runs batted in and 1,116 hits so far this season, and their batting average comes in at .268. Toronto is slugging .426 and have struck out 816 times, while taking a walk on 403 occasions.

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They have a K/BB ratio of 2.82 and the pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.26. Blue Jays pitchers have given up 164 long balls and also 545 total runs (21st in the league). Toronto has relinquished 975 base hits (8.1 per 9 innings) and 506 earned runs. The Blue Jays have a team earned run average of 4.21 on the year (21st in MLB), and the staff has struck out 1,081 batters. Their pitching staff has walked 384 hitters and their FIP comes in at 4.31 as a team on the season.

Blue Jays relief pitchers have come into the game with runners on base 125 times and also have had 122 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have recorded 75 holds over the course of the season (10th in baseball). The Blue Jays bullpen have a save percentage of 64.8% and have come into the game in 131 save situations. They have recorded 35 saves for the year and have missed out on 19 of 54 chances to get a save. The relief pitchers have inherited 183 base runners over the course of the season and 29.5% of those players ended up scoring. The Blue Jays have sent 418 relief pitchers to the hill on the season.

The Blue Jays have converted 70.4% of baseballs in play into outs out of their 9,735 innings, which has them sitting 12th in MLB. The Toronto Blue Jays have accounted for 3,245 putouts at this point in the season, in addition to 893 assists and 66 errors. Their fielding rate is at .984 which puts them in 24th in baseball, and have earned 85 double plays.

Gausman has taken the ball for 1,860 frames and has tallied 1,903 strikeouts during his career. His ERA is 3.84 (793 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.244. He has surrendered 1,790 base knocks (8.7 hits per 9 innings) and has 525 walks. Gausman (110-111 mark in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 3.78 while he has gone up against 7,785 batters during his time in the major leagues.

The Pirates hold a slugging % of .346 and they score 3.54 runs per outing (30th in the league). They have put up 168 doubles, while taking a walk 388 times and scoring 432 runs. Pittsburgh has compiled 86 home runs on the campaign as well as 418 RBIs. They have been called out on strikes on 1,054 instances (6th in the league) and have earned a total of 942 base hits. The Pittsburgh Pirates are sitting with an on-base percentage of .304 as well as a team batting average of .232 on the campaign.

The Pittsburgh pitching staff have allowed 517 runs for the year while holding a team ERA of 4.06 (486 earned runs allowed). They have yielded 122 homers and they allow 4.32 runs per 9 innings (16th in the league). The Pirates hold a team WHIP of 1.242 in addition to having a FIP of 3.97 as a staff over the course of the season. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 7.90 (947 strikeouts against 359 bases on balls). They are currently ranked 13th in baseball as a staff in total hits relinquished with 979.

Sitting with 100 save situations, the Pirates have tallied 54 holds in addition to 19 blown saves. Pittsburgh has had relievers step onto the hill in 44 save opportunities and they have walked away with 25 saves. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 118 times in high leverage situations in addition to 112 occasions with runners on. Pittsburgh relievers have an inherited score percentage of 36.7% out of their 177 inherited runners. They are ranked 24th in MLB holding a save percentage of 56.8%, and they have dispatched 379 relief pitchers to the hill for the season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten 87 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .987 (11th in MLB). The Pirates have recorded 1,009 assists, 56 errors and have earned a total of 3,231 putouts this season. Out of their 9,693 innings played, the Pirates are sitting with a efficiency on defense of 70.8% (10th in baseball).

During his MLB career, Skenes has surrendered 200 hits while he has accumulated 336 punch outs in 281 innings pitched. He has given up a total of 64 ER's while earning a WHIP of 0.954 and a FIP of 2.0. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 4.94 and he has gone up against 1,095 opposing batters during his pro baseball career. Skenes (18-12 career win-loss mark) is the owner of a 2.05 ERA while allowing 6.4 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (+132)

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