Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 8/17/26, 11:03 AM  by Travis Pulver in MLB Picks

The Pittsburgh Pirates (61-65, 32-31 Home) are scheduled to play the Detroit Tigers (60-64, 28-33 Away) in a three-game series this week, with the first game on Monday, August 17, at 7 p.m. EST in PNC Park.

Pittsburgh will come into the series with a little momentum after beating the Boston Red Sox twice over the weekend. Detroit, on the other hand, will be looking to get things turned around after getting swept by the Chicago White Sox at home.

The Pirates appear to be going with a bullpen day with reliever Carmen Mlodzinski. He has 11 starts to his name in 27 appearances but hasn’t gone over three innings since early June. Mlodzinski has a 3.79 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP. At home, he went 4-1 in 13 appearances (four starts) at home with a 3.94 ERA and a .254 OBA.

Detroit is scheduled to go with Framber Valdez to start the day. He has had a rough year, going 7-8 in 24 starts with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Valdez has gone 3-4 in 13 starts on the road with a 4.23 ERA and a .270 OBA. In 80 at-bats vs. Valdez, the Pittsburgh lineup has hit .263 with 17 strikeouts and no home runs.