Minnesota Twins vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 5/31/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Twins vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Sunday, May 31, 2026

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (+126) Pittsburgh (-152)

The Minnesota Twins (27-30) are hitting the road to PNC Park on Sunday where they will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (29-28). The line on this contest has Minnesota at +126 while Pittsburgh is opening at -152. The over/under has been set at 8.5. The expected starting pitchers will be Zebby Matthews and Braxton Ashcraft.

As a squad, the Minnesota Twins are scoring 4.5 runs per outing, which puts them at 11th in the league. They have 258 runs while having a team on-base percentage of .317. The Twins have accrued 88 doubles as a team and have hit 60 balls out of the stadium. They have recorded 243 RBI's in addition to 446 hits this year, while their team batting average comes in at .234. Minnesota has a slugging % of .382 and have struck out 495 times, while being walked on 201 occasions.

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Their K/BB ratio is 2.20 and their pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.33. Twins pitchers have conceded 51 home runs and 271 runs in total (25th in the league). Minnesota has relinquished 467 base knocks (8.4 per 9 innings) and also 243 earned runs. The Twins have an ERA of 4.35 on the campaign (21st in the league), and they have struck out 444 batters. They have walked 202 players from the other team and their FIP is 4.03 as a team this year.

Twins relief pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on base 63 times in addition to having 58 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers are sitting with 41 holds this season (3rd in baseball). The Twins relief pitchers have earned a save rate of 71.4% and have entered the game in 63 save situations. They have 15 saves so far this year and have blown 6 out of their 21 save opportunities. The relievers have inherited 92 base runners so far this year with 31.5% of them ended up crossing the plate. The Twins have dispatched 190 relievers to the hill so far this year.

The Minnesota Twins are sitting with 1,509 putouts this year, as well as 434 assists and 29 errors. Their fielding rate is at .985 which has them ranked 20th in the majors, and they have turned 44 double plays. The Twins have turned 69.8% of balls in play into outs out of 4,527 innings on the field, ranking them 21st in pro baseball.

Matthews (7-12 career win-loss record) is the owner of a FIP of 5.35 and he has faced 604 batters in the majors. He has given up 159 hits (10.5 hits per nine innings) and has 37 free passes. His earned run average is 5.43 (82 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.441. Matthews has taken the hill for 136 innings and has accumulated 148 strikeouts during his pro baseball career.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have accumulated a team OBP of .332 in addition to a batting average of .251 this year. They have struck out on 528 occasions (2nd in baseball) and have a total of 495 base hits. Pittsburgh has a total of 61 long balls for the year as well as 264 RBIs. The Pirates have a team SLG% of .391 and they score 4.84 runs per outing (6th in the league). They have recorded 82 two-baggers, while walking 218 times as well as recording 276 runs.

The Pirates are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.251 and have a FIP of 3.76 as a pitching staff so far this season. Their K/BB ratio sits at 8.90 (512 strikeouts vs 207 bases on balls). They sit at 11th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits surrendered with 439. They have yielded 50 home runs and they concede 4.41 runs per 9 innings (14th in baseball). The Pittsburgh pitching staff have given up 253 runs on the campaign while holding a team ERA of 3.82 (219 earned runs relinquished).

They rank 28th in MLB holding a save rate of 45.5%, and they have sent 189 bullpen pitchers onto the diamond on the campaign. Their relievers have come in 57 times in high leverage situations in addition to 57 occasions with runners on base. Sitting with 54 save situations, the Pirates have tallied 31 holds in addition to 12 blown saves. Pittsburgh has had bullpen pitchers step onto the hill in 22 save opportunities and they have walked away with 10 saves. Pittsburgh relievers have an inherited score percentage of 33.3% out of their 72 inherited runners.

In their 4,650 innings on the field, the Pirates have a defensive efficiency of 70.3% (15th in MLB). The Pittsburgh Pirates have turned 43 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .983 (26th in pro baseball). The Pirates have accrued 471 assists, 35 errors and are sitting with 1,550 putouts over the course of the season.

Ashcraft (8-6 career record) has a 2.75 ERA while giving up 7.7 hits per nine innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.44 and he has gone up against 567 batters during his career. He has given up a total of 42 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.157 and having a FIP of 2.7. So far in his MLB career, Ashcraft has allowed 118 hits while tallying 141 punch outs in 137 innings.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Minnesota (+126)

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