Pirates vs. Royals Dunkel MLB Picks, Predictions and Prop Bets - Sept. 18

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals clash on Friday at 6:40 p.m. ET, opening a three-game series at PNC Park. Paul Skenes (10-11, 3.78 ERA) will start for the Pirates, who are 76-77 this season and third in the NL Central. Randy Dobnak (3-4, 2.73 ERA) is the expected starter for the Royals, who are 67-86 and fifth in the AL Central.

Oddsmakers have made the Pirates a decent moneyline favorite (-192) at home over the Royals (+156). The over/under for the Pirates-Royals game is set at 8.

Pirates vs. Royals Odds, Game Time

• Game day: Friday, September 18, 2026
• Game time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Stadium: PNC Park
• Favorite: Pirates (-192)
• Underdog: Royals (+156)
• Over/under: 8

How to Watch Pirates vs. Royals

• TV Channel: SportsNet PT and ROYL
• Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)

Bet now on FanDuel Sportsbook!

Pirates vs. Royals: Betting the Moneyline

• The Pirates have a 44-33 record in games they were favored on the moneyline (winning 57.1% of those games).
• Kansas City has been pegged as an underdog in 99 games this year and has walked away with the win 40 times (40.4%) in those games.
• Pittsburgh has entered five games this season favored by -192 or more and is 3-2 in those contests.
• The Royals have a mark of 5-10 in contests where oddsmakers favor them by +156 or worse on the moneyline.
• The Pirates have an implied moneyline win probability of 65.8% in this matchup.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Royals have a 39.1% chance of walking away with the win.

Pirates vs. Royals: Betting the Spread & Total

• The Pirates have played in 153 games with set over/under, and have combined with opponents to go over the total 78 times (78-68-7).
• Kansas City and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 66 of its 153 opportunities.
• The Pirates have a 74-79-0 record against the spread this season (covering 48.4% of the time).
• The Royals are 75-78-0 against the spread in their 153 games with a line set by sportsbooks this season.