New York Yankees vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 7/20/26, 3:57 PM  by Bill Christy in MLB Picks

The Pittsburgh Pirates head east to begin a 3-game series in New York with the Yankees. The series will mark the 1st time these teams have met this season.

The Pirates are coming into this series on a hot streak. They have won 5 of their last 6 games. Over that stretch, they have scored 41 runs for an average of almost 7 runs per game. The offense has been the strength for this Pirates team all season. They are currently 1st in all of baseball in combined batting average, and 2nd in both on-base percentage and total runs scored. Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn have continued to power that offense with a combined 129 RBIs. They will look to do more damage tonight against the Yanks.

New York has been playing pretty strong as well. They have won 5 of their last 7 games and have not been as productive on offense as the Pirates but still have been managing without Aaron Judge. Their average has not been great, but they continue to find ways to score runs and make the most of their opportunities, slugging an impressive .422, which ranks 4th in baseball. They will look to keep those numbers up against Braxton Ashcraft, who will start for the Pirates.