Pirates vs. Rays Dunkel MLB Picks, Predictions and Prop Bets - April 17

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays clash in the first of a three-game series on Friday at PNC Park, at 6:45 p.m. ET. Bubba Chandler (0-1, 3.86 ERA) will start for the Pirates, who are 11-8 this season and second in the NL Central. Nick Martinez (0-0, 2.16 ERA) is the expected starter for the Rays, who are 11-7 and first in the AL East.

Bookmakers have made the Pirates a decent moneyline favorite (-136) at home over the Rays (+114). The game's total is set at 8.5.

Pirates vs. Rays Odds, Game Time

• Game day: Friday, April 17, 2026
• Game time: 6:45 p.m. ET
• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Stadium: PNC Park
• Favorite: Pirates (-136)
• Underdog: Rays (+114)
• Over/under: 8.5

How to Watch Pirates vs. Rays

• TV Channel: Apple TV+
• Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)

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Pirates vs. Rays: Betting the Moneyline

• The Pirates have won 70% of the games this season when they were favored on the moneyline (7-3).
• Tampa Bay has been underdogs in eight games this season and has come away with the win five times (62.5%) in those contests.
• Pittsburgh is 4-3 this season when entering a game favored by -136 or more on the moneyline.
• This season, the Rays have come away with a win three times in four chances when named as an underdog of at least +114 or worse on the moneyline.
• The implied moneyline probablility in this matchup gives the Pirates a 57.6% chance to win.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Rays have a 46.7% chance of walking away with the win.

Pirates vs. Rays: Betting the Spread & Total

• The Pirates have played in 19 games with over/under set, and have combined with opponents to go over the total 11 times (11-8-0).
• Games involving Tampa Bay have gone over the total set by bookmakers in 12 of 18 chances this season.
• The Pirates have put together a 12-7-0 record ATS this season (covering 63.2% of the time).
• The Rays have posted a record of 11-7-0 against the spread this season.