Texas Rangers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Picks and Predictions August 19th 2024

Pirates Face Rangers in Rare Interleague Matchup

The Pittsburgh Pirates are set to take on the Texas Rangers in a three-game interleague series starting Monday in Arlington, Texas. This denotes the initial time in more than five years that the Pirates will play at Globe Life Field, with their last visit tracing all the way back to April 30-May 1, 2019. New off a series win against the Seattle Sailors, the Pirates are hoping to proceed with their energy against another American League West rival.

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Pirates Riding High After Series Win

The Pirates come into this series with a renewed sense of confidence after taking two out of three games from the Mariners. Pittsburgh’s starting pitchers, Paul Skenes and Bailey Falter, were instrumental in those victories, combining to allow just four runs over 11 1/3 innings on Friday and Saturday.

However, Sunday’s game was a different story. The Pirates’ pitching staff struggled as starter Jake Woodford allowed seven runs (five earned) over four innings, and reliever Ryder Ryan gave up three more runs in 2 2/3 innings. The Pirates fell 10-3, their most lopsided defeat since an 11-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in June.

Despite the setback, Pirates manager Derek Shelton was pleased with the overall performance of his team during the series.

“We came in and won two of three against the best starting pitching in baseball,” Shelton said. “Today, obviously, wasn’t our day. But to come back from the road trip and win two of three, that was important to us. I was pleased with how we responded coming off the trip.”

The Pirates had endured a 10-game losing streak before the weekend, which included six consecutive road losses against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The series win over Seattle marked a much-needed turnaround for Pittsburgh.

Luis Ortiz to Start for Pirates

Looking to build on the recent success, the Pirates will send right-hander Luis Ortiz to the mound for Monday’s series opener. Ortiz, who holds a 5-3 record with a 3.41 ERA, allowed two runs over five innings in his last start, a 3-0 loss to the Padres on Tuesday. Ortiz has had success against the Rangers in the past; in his lone appearance against them on May 22, 2023, he earned his first major league win by pitching 7 2/3 innings and allowing just two runs on five hits.

Ortiz will aim to replicate that performance as the Pirates look to secure their third win in four games.

Rangers Look to Build on Dramatic Win

The Texas Rangers enter the series against the Pirates with some force of their own after an exhilarating 6-5 stroll off triumph in 10 innings over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. The Rangers were very nearly their fourth consecutive misfortune and their seventeenth loss in 22 games, however they mounted a sensational rebound to get the success.

Subsequent to following by four runs, the Rangers tied the game in the seventh inning because of a two-show homer to Adolis Garcia and a go on hit by Josh Jung. Despite the fact that Minnesota’s Carlos Santana tied the game again with a performance homer in the 10th, Garcia scored the triumphant spat the tenth inning on a tossing blunder, giving the Rangers a genuinely necessary triumph.

“It was something the guys needed,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “To have some tough losses before today. Good for those guys. … You’re looking at getting swept, you’re down four runs. Then they broke loose. This was a big one.”

The Rangers, who are attempting to make up ground in the AL West race against the primary spot Houston Astros and second-place Sailors, presently can’t seem to name a starter for Monday’s down against the Pirates.

High Stakes as Pirates and Rangers Clash

As the Pirates and Rangers go head to head, the two groups are hoping to expand on late triumphs. The Pirates are anxious to proceed with their bounce back from a long series of failures, while the Rangers desire to involve their sensational success as a springboard to move once more into dispute in the AL West. With the two groups battling to remain important in their particular season finisher races, this interleague series vows to be a cutthroat and vital confrontation.