Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 5/17/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Philadelphia (-132) Pittsburgh (+110)

The Pittsburgh Pirates (24-20) will take on the Philadelphia Phillies (21-23) at PNC Park on Sunday. The odds on this game have Philadelphia at -132 while Pittsburgh is sitting at +110. The total comes in at 8.5. The pitchers who are expected to start are Zack Wheeler and Paul Skenes.

As a team, the Philadelphia Phillies are compiling 4.0 runs per game, which ranks them 26th in the league. They have a total of 176 runs and hold an on-base percentage of .299. The Phillies have tallied 61 doubles as a unit and have smacked 52 baseballs out of the park. They have accrued 173 RBI's as well as 348 hits this year, and their average at the plate is at .233. Philadelphia has a slugging percentage of .388 and have been rung up 358 times, while taking a walk on 128 occasions.

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The Phillies hold a team ERA of 4.36 on the year (21st in baseball), and the staff has rung up 419 batters. Phillies pitchers have yielded 43 long balls and 207 runs in total (23rd in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 129 opposing players and their FIP is 3.54 as a unit so far this year. Philadelphia has conceded 414 base hits (9.5 per 9 innings) and 190 earned runs. They have a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.25 and the pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.38.

The Phillies relief pitchers have accumulated a save rate of 71.4% and have come into the game in 29 save situations. They have recorded 10 saves on the year and have blown 4 of their 14 save opportunities. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 56 runners on the campaign with 32.1% of those runners ended up scoring. Phillies relief pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 46 times and also have had 39 appearances in high leverage situations. The Phillies have sent 155 relievers to the hill on the year. The relief pitchers have a total of 15 holds on the campaign (27th in baseball).

The Philadelphia Phillies have a total of 1,177 putouts thus far, in addition to 389 assists and 20 errors. Their fielding rate sits at .987 which puts them in 15th in MLB, and have accumulated 26 double plays. The Phillies have converted 65.2% of balls in play into outs in their 3,531 innings on the diamond, which ranks them 30th in professional baseball.

Wheeler has taken the hill for 1,752 innings and has earned 1,842 strikeouts so far in his pro baseball career. His ERA is 3.27 (637 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.135. He has allowed 1,492 hits (7.7 hits per nine innings) and has 496 walks. Wheeler (115-75 win-loss record in his career) has earned a FIP of 3.22 while he has gone up against 7,181 batters during his time in the major leagues.

Pittsburgh has accounted for 46 home runs on the campaign to go along with 212 RBIs. They have recorded 65 doubles, while getting a free base 182 times as well as earning 220 runs. The Pittsburgh Pirates have tallied a team OBP of .337 as well as a batting average of .250 this season. The Pirates have a team slugging % of .391 and they are earning 5.00 runs per game (6th in MLB). They have struck out on 398 occasions (7th in the league) and have notched a total of 382 base hits.

The Pirates have a team WHIP of 1.217 and are the owners of a FIP of 3.62 as a staff this year. They are sitting at 8th in the league as a staff in total hits given up with 330. The Pittsburgh pitching staff have relinquished 188 runs for the year while holding an ERA of 3.71 (165 earned runs conceded). Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.80 (390 strikeouts against 157 bases on balls). They have relinquished 34 homers and they relinquish 4.23 runs per 9 innings (12th in MLB).

Sitting with 46 save situations, the Pirates have compiled 27 holds and also 10 blown saves. Pittsburgh has called on bullpen pitchers to step onto the mound in 18 save opportunities and they have walked away with 8 saves. Pittsburgh relievers hold an inherited score percentage of 34.0% out of their 50 inherited base runners. Their relievers have stepped onto the hill 51 times in high leverage situations and on 41 occasions with runners on. They are currently ranked 29th in the league holding a save percentage of 44.4%, and they have sent 147 relief pitchers onto the field on the campaign.

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

Skenes (27-15 career mark) has earned a 1.97 ERA while allowing 6.2 hits per 9 innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 5.46 and he has gone up against 1,432 batters in his MLB career. He has conceded a total of 81 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 0.908 and being the owner of a FIP of 1.9. In his MLB career, Skenes has surrendered 255 base hits while he has totaled 442 strikeouts in 370 innings.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Philadelphia (-132)

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