Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 5/16/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Philadelphia (-145) Pittsburgh (+125)

The Pittsburgh Pirates (24-20) will compete against the Philadelphia Phillies (21-23) at PNC Park on Saturday. The moneyline on this game has Philadelphia at -145 and Pittsburgh is priced at +125. The total is 9. The pitchers taking the mound are Cristopher Sanchez and Bubba Chandler.

As a unit, the Philadelphia Phillies are putting up 4.0 runs per contest, which has them sitting at 26th in baseball. They have a total of 176 runs and hold an OBP of .299. The Phillies have accrued 61 two-baggers as a team and have knocked 52 baseballs out of the stadium. They have accounted for 173 RBI's and 348 base knocks on the year, and their team batting average is .233. Philadelphia has a slugging % of .388 and have been called out on strikes 358 times, while drawing a walk on 128 occasions.

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The Phillies hold a team ERA of 4.36 this year (21st in baseball), and they have struck out 419 batters. Phillies pitchers have surrendered 43 home runs and also 207 runs (23rd in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 129 players from the other team and their FIP is 3.54 as a unit this year. Philadelphia has yielded 414 base hits (9.5 per 9 innings) and also 190 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 3.25 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.38.

Phillies relief pitchers have entered the contest with runners on 46 times in addition to having 39 appearances in high leverage situations. The bullpen have 15 holds on the campaign (27th in the league). The Phillies relievers have accumulated a save rate of 71.4% and have come into the game in 29 save situations. They have earned 10 saves for the year and have not converted 4 of 14 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 56 base runners for the season with 32.1% of those players ended up scoring. The Phillies have sent 155 relief pitchers to the mound this season.

The Philadelphia Phillies have 1,177 putouts on the campaign, as well as 389 assists and 20 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .987 which ranks 15th in pro baseball, and have a total of 26 double plays. The Phillies have turned 65.2% of balls hit into play into outs in their 3,531 innings, which has them ranked 30th in the majors.

Sanchez has taken the ball for 590 innings and has earned 576 strikeouts during his MLB career. His earned run average is 3.14 (206 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.176. He has given up 552 base hits (8.4 hits per nine innings) and has had 142 free passes. Sanchez (34-23 win-loss mark in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 3.09 and he has faced 2,429 batters during his time in the majors.

The Pirates have a slugging percentage of .391 and they score 5.00 runs per contest (6th in baseball). They have notched 65 doubles, while walking 182 times as well as scoring 220 runs. Pittsburgh is sitting with 46 home runs on the season to go along with 212 RBIs. They have been called out on strikes on 398 instances (7th in MLB) and have earned 382 base knocks. The Pittsburgh Pirates have compiled an OBP of .337 as well as a batting average of .250 this year.

The Pirates have a WHIP of 1.217 in addition to having a FIP of 3.62 as a unit on the season. Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.80 (390 strikeouts against 157 free passes). They have a ranking of 8th in the league as a staff in total hits given up with 330. They have conceded 34 long balls and they surrender 4.23 runs per 9 innings (12th in the league). The Pittsburgh pitching staff have relinquished 188 runs so far this season while holding a team ERA of 3.71 (165 earned runs relinquished).

Pittsburgh relief pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 34.0% out of 50 inherited base runners. Their relievers have come in 51 times in high leverage situations and also on 41 occasions with runners on base. With 46 save situations, the Pirates have amassed 27 holds and 10 blown saves. They are ranked 29th in the league holding a save rate of 44.4%, and they have sent 147 relievers to the mound this year.

Out of their 3,606 innings on the diamond, the Pirates hold a defensive efficiency of 71.1% (8th in the majors). The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten 33 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .986 (19th in professional baseball). The Pirates have 362 assists, 23 errors and have 1,202 putouts on the season.

So far in his MLB career, Chandler has surrendered 55 hits while he has earned 65 strikeouts in 70 frames. Chandler (5-5 career win-loss record) has a 4.37 earned run average while allowing 7.1 hits per 9 innings. He has surrendered 34 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.227 and a FIP of 4.3. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.10 and he has gone up against 297 batters in his career.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Philadelphia (-145)

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