Toronto Blue Jays vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 8/20/2025 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Toronto Blue Jays vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

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

The Toronto Blue Jays (73-53) are hitting the road to PNC Park on Wednesday where they will attempt to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates (53-73). The moneyline on this matchup has the Blue Jays at -160 while the Pirates open at +132. The betting total comes in at 8.5. The starting pitchers are Chris Bassitt and Braxton Ashcraft.

As a squad, the Toronto Blue Jays are knocking in 4.9 runs per game, which puts them at 7th in baseball. They have accounted for 617 runs and have an on-base percentage of .338. The Blue Jays have hit 227 doubles as a team and have hit 148 balls out of the park. They have recorded 593 RBI's and 1,155 hits this season, and their batting average is .268. Toronto is slugging .429 and have been called out on strikes 848 times, while taking a walk on 413 occasions.

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The Blue Jays are sitting with a team earned run average of 4.24 on the year (22nd in MLB), and their staff has struck out 1,111 batters. Blue Jays pitchers have yielded 170 long balls and 567 total runs (22nd in MLB). They have walked 404 opposing batters and their FIP comes in at 4.36 as a squad so far this season. Toronto has allowed 1,008 hits (8.1 per 9 innings) as well as 526 earned runs. They have a K/BB ratio of 2.75 and their pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.27.

Blue Jays bullpen pitchers have come into the game with players on base 129 times as well as having 125 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers have racked up 75 holds this year (11th in MLB). The Blue Jays bullpen have a save percentage of 64.8% and stepped onto the hill in 132 save situations. They have accumulated 35 saves over the course of the season and have not converted 19 of their 54 chances to save the game. The relief pitchers have inherited 188 base runners for the season with 29.8% of them ended up scoring. The Blue Jays have dispatched 434 relief pitchers to the hill so far this season.

The Blue Jays have turned 70.4% of balls in play into outs out of 10,050 innings on the field, ranking them 12th in baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays have accumulated 3,350 putouts over the course of the season, in addition to 939 assists and 70 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding steady at .984 which puts them in 24th in professional baseball, and they have turned 88 double plays.

Bassitt (83-62 career record) holds a FIP of 3.61 and he has gone up against 5,274 hitters during his time in the majors. He has given up 1,156 hits (8.3 hits per nine innings) and has 396 walks. His earned run average is 3.66 (507 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.245. Bassitt has taken the hill for 1,246 innings and has tallied 1,157 strikeouts in his MLB career.

Pittsburgh has hit 88 home runs so far this season to go along with 428 RBIs. They have tallied 177 two-baggers, while walking 401 times as well as recording 444 runs. The Pittsburgh Pirates have earned an on-base percentage of .303 in addition to a team batting average of .232 for the season. The Pirates have a team SLG% of .345 and they are scoring 3.52 runs per game (30th in the league). They have struck out on 1,090 occasions (7th in MLB) and have a total of 968 hits.

The Pirates hold a team WHIP of 1.239 in addition to having a FIP of 3.94 as a squad on the campaign. They rank 11th in the league as a staff in total hits conceded with 1,006. The Pittsburgh pitching staff have conceded 528 runs over the course of the season and come in with a team ERA of 4.02 (496 earned runs given up). They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 7.90 (975 strikeouts against 370 walks). They have given up 122 long balls and they concede 4.28 runs per 9 innings (14th in the league).

Pittsburgh has called on relievers to enter the contest in 47 save opportunities and they have earned 26 saves. They rank 27th in MLB with a save percentage of 55.3%, and they have dispatched 392 relievers to the mound on the season. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 125 times in high leverage situations in addition to 117 occasions with base runners. Pittsburgh relievers have an inherited score percentage of 37.2% out of their 183 inherited base runners. Sitting with 104 save situations, the Pirates have accrued 55 holds in addition to 21 blown saves.

In 9,999 innings on the diamond, the Pirates have earned a efficiency on defense of 70.7% (9th in the majors). The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten 90 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .987 (14th in MLB). The Pirates have recorded 1,047 assists, 59 errors and have accounted for 3,333 putouts over the course of the season.

Ashcraft (3-2 career win-loss record) has earned a 3.06 ERA while conceding 8.7 hits per 9 innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.85 and he has gone up against 177 batters so far in his pro baseball career. He has conceded a total of 14 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.286 and a FIP of 3.0. So far in his pro baseball career, Ashcraft has conceded 40 hits while he has earned 37 punch outs in 41 frames.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Toronto (-160)

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