Tampa Bay Rays vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 4/18/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Rays vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

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

The Pittsburgh Pirates (11-8) host the Tampa Bay Rays (11-7) at PNC Park on Saturday. The odds on this game have Tampa Bay at -152 while Pittsburgh is at +126. The betting total comes in at 8. The starting pitchers are Drew Rasmussen and Paul Skenes.

Tampa Bay has a slugging rate of .394 and have been called out on strikes 130 times, while drawing a walk on 64 occasions. They have earned 86 runs batted in as well as 165 hits so far this year, while their batting average is at .264. The Rays have accounted for 25 doubles as a unit and have knocked 16 baseballs out of the stadium. They have accumulated 91 runs and hold an on-base percentage of .341. As a unit, the Tampa Bay Rays are scoring 5.1 runs per contest, which has them at 9th in the league.

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The Rays have compiled a team earned run average of 4.38 for the year (22nd in the league), and the staff has rung up 139 batters. Rays pitchers have given up 22 long balls and also 91 runs (23rd in MLB). Their pitching staff has walked 65 hitters and their FIP comes in at 4.51 as a squad so far this year. Tampa Bay has surrendered 134 base hits (7.5 per 9 innings) as well as 78 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.14 and the pitching staff sits with a WHIP of 1.24.

Rays bullpen pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 16 times and also have had 23 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have accumulated 13 holds on the year (12th in the league). The Rays relievers have a save percentage of 70.0% and have come into the game in 23 save situations. They have accumulated 7 saves so far this season and have blown 3 of their 10 chances to get a save. The relievers have inherited 23 runners this year with 47.8% of those players crossing the plate. The Rays have sent 58 relief pitchers to the mound so far this season.

The Rays have turned 72.3% of balls hit into play into outs out of 1,443 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting at 5th in MLB. The Tampa Bay Rays have amassed 481 putouts on the year, in addition to 134 assists and 19 errors. Their fielding rate is at .970 which is 30th in MLB, and have a total of 9 double plays.

Rasmussen has taken the ball for 476 innings and has earned 445 K's so far in his career. His earned run average is 2.83 (150 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.050. He has given up 380 hits (7.2 hits per 9 innings) and has had 120 walks. Rasmussen (31-17 career record) holds a FIP of 2.79 and he has gone up against 1,899 opposing hitters during his time in the majors.

Pittsburgh has hit 21 HRs over the course of the season as well as 92 runs batted in. They have hit 25 doubles, while taking a walk 80 times and putting up 95 runs. The Pittsburgh Pirates hold an on-base percentage of .342 as well as a team batting average of .252 on the campaign. The Pirates hold a slugging % of .393 and they tally 5.00 runs per contest (10th in baseball). They have been rung up on 173 occasions (9th in MLB) and have accounted for 164 base hits.

The Pirates have a team WHIP of 1.317 and have a FIP of 3.78 as a squad on the year. They rank 9th in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 143. The Pittsburgh pitching staff have relinquished 76 runs on the season while having a team ERA of 3.28 (63 earned runs relinquished). Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 9.50 (182 strikeouts vs 85 bases on balls). They have yielded 14 long balls and they allow 3.95 runs per 9 innings (7th in baseball).

Sitting with 25 save situations, the Pirates have tallied 17 holds in addition to 4 blown saves. Pittsburgh has had relievers enter the contest in 8 save chances and they have come away with 4 saves. Pittsburgh bullpen pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 20.0% out of their 20 inherited base runners. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 30 times in high leverage situations and also on 17 occasions with runners on. They are ranked 24th in MLB with a save rate of 50.0%, and they have sent 69 relievers to the mound on the season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten 14 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .982 (21st in MLB). The Pirates have accrued 150 assists, 12 errors and have amassed 520 putouts on the campaign. In their 1,560 innings played, the Pirates are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 69.9% (16th in the majors).

In his pro baseball career, Skenes has allowed 240 hits and he has 404 strikeouts in 338 innings pitched. Skenes (24-14 career mark) has a 2.08 ERA while conceding 6.4 hits per nine innings. He has given up a total of 78 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 0.949 and a FIP of 2.0. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 4.99 and he has faced 1,319 opposing hitters during his MLB career.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (-152)

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