The Texas Rangers host the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 23, 2026. First pitch from Globe Life Field is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on RSN.
The Rangers are favored by -160 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Pirates are +135 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 7.5 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Pirates vs Rangers prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Pirates vs Rangers Prediction
- Pirates vs Rangers Pick: Bubba Chandler Under 15.5 Outs (-114)
My Pirates vs Rangers best bet is Bubba Chandler Under 15.5 Outs. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Pirates vs Rangers Odds
| Pirates Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -163 | 7.5 -110o / -110u | +135 |
| Rangers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +135 | 7.5 -110o / -110u | -163 |
- Pirates vs Rangers moneyline: Pirates +1.5 (-163), Rangers -1.5 (+135)
- Pirates vs Rangers over/under: 7.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Pirates vs Rangers spread: Pirates +135, Rangers -163
Pirates vs Rangers Probable Pitchers
| RHP Bubba Chandler (PIT) | Stat | RHP Jacob deGrom (TEX) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | W-L | 1-0 |
| 0.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.5 |
| 3.15 4.56 | ERA / xERA | 2.29/2.68 |
| 4.69 4.91 | FIP / xFIP | 3.50/3.48 |
| 1.30 | WHIP | 1.07 |
| 4.7% | K-BB% | 24.4% |
| 40.7% | GB% | 25.5% |
| 105 | Stuff+ | 112 |
| 102 | Location+ | 112 |
Pirates vs Rangers MLB Betting Preview
Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview: The Nightmare Is Over
The Pirates' long, national nightmare is over. They are good again! After a tumultuous run through most of this decade, Pirates fans finally have a quality product to cheer on.
Oneil Cruz is breaking out as a true star. Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn are savvy offseason additions. Carmen Mlodzinski and Braxton Ashcraft are budding into trusted mid-rotation SPs.
All the while, the Pirates are finding this success despite star prospect Konnor Griffin scuttling. Griffin has produced a putrid 46 wRC+ and negative 0.3 fWAR through 18 games. If this poor start continues, he may be at risk of being sent back down to the minor leagues.
Nevertheless, swapping Griffin for a potentially league-average player would improve the 14-10 Pirates. He could even return in a month or so and raise their ceiling even further.
The only real flaws for the Pirates at the moment are their right-handed relievers and the bottom of the order. Most teams have mediocre hitters in the eight and nine holes, making this a less pressing concern.
The bullpen is extremely odd. They have two dominant lefties between Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto, yet they have arguably the worst high-leverage righty duo in baseball between Dennis Santana and Isaac Mattson.
Santana's ERA is a pristine 0.75, but his 4.64 xFIP and 4.33 SIERA suggest otherwise on his skill level.
Regardless, this is nitpicking. The Pirates are flawed, yet still good. This start to the season is no fugazi.
Texas Rangers Betting Preview: This Team Is Fragile
The Rangers are average once again. Since winning the World Series in 2023, the Rangers' record is 171-177. They are 93-93 since 2025. The team is just smack-dab in the middle of the league.
To add injury to insult, they just lost star OF Wyatt Langford to the Injured list once again. Langford was reported to have suffered three separate oblique strains last year. It was an unfortunate series of injuries, but unsurprising given the nature of soft tissue problems.
This year, Langford has already suffered a mild quad strain that kept him out of multiple games, and now, an elbow strain. Reports suggest that Langford will miss only a minimal number of games while on IL, indicating the strain is not severe.
However, elbow strains are precarious and must be treated with care. Langford was already underperforming with a 78 wRC+ and .284 wOBA to start the season. A little extra time off to fully heal his injury and get his head right might be best.
The Rangers need Langford to get on track because this team is fragile. They have talent between Corey Seager, Brandon Nimmo, Evan Carter, Jake Burger, and Josh Jung, but injuries have nagged all five in recent years.
Luckily, the Rangers are steady in their rotation. They are strong developments from former top prospects MacKenzie Gore, Jack Leiter, and Kumar Rocker, while Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi still have the stuff to get the job done.
If Langford gets back to form when healthy and the bullpen figures itself out (via trade, most likely), the Rangers could go on a proper midseason run.
Pirates vs Rangers Pick, Betting Analysis
Bubba Chandler's start to the season is suspect. He has a 3.15 ERA backed by a 4.56 xERA, 4.91 xFIP, and 5.24 SIERA. While talented, this is not the makings of a good MLB SP.
What is really killing Chandler is his walk rate. His 15.3% BB is significantly higher than his 3.2% BB last season. This 2026 rate is the fifth-highest among starters with at least 20 innings pitched.
Chandler could get away with it if he generated strikeouts at a high level, but his 20% K is around league average. He has earned more than 15 outs in each of his past two starts, but one of them was against a putrid Rays' offense.
The Rangers' team offense is ranked sixth in wRC+, sixth in wOBA, and fifth in OPS against right-handed pitching.
Even without Wyatt Langford (who has not been himself this season), the Rangers will present a brutal matchup for Chandler, who is due for significant regression.
Pick: Bubba Chandler Under 15.5 Outs (-114)
