Pirates vs. Yankees: Game 2 predictions, odds and picks — Sept 28, MLB 2024

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees will meet for the second game of the series. Also set to be the penultimate game of the regular season for both clubs, both sides will look to close things out on a positive note, despite their divergent records.

In the series opener on Friday at Yankee Stadium, a pair of late home runs by Pittsburgh outfielder Bryan Reynolds helped the club to a 4-2 win. Saturday's game is slated to get underway from the Bronx at 1:05 pm ET.

"Bryan Reynolds homers twice in the @Pirates win over the Yankees" - MLB

Pirates vs Yankees recent form and records

Pittsburgh's 75-85 record places them last in the NL Central, some 17 games behind the leading Milwaukee Brewers. 4-6 over the course of their last ten games, the Pirates will miss the postseason for the tenth consecutive season in 2024.

For the Yankees, the mood is more jubilant. Having secured the AL East title, manager Aaron Boone's team is fresh off of a series loss to the O's that was preceeded by a clean sweep over the Oakland Athletics. New York is 93-67 on the season and also 4-6 in their last ten.

Players to Watch

Starting Pitchers

PIT: Paul Skenes (11-3, 1.99 ERA) vs NYY: Luis Gil (15-6, 3.27 ERA)

Skenes has a 0.962 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 167 K in 131 IP.

Last Start: Win, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K vs CIN

Career vs NYY: N/A

Gil has a 1.192 WHIP, 4.7 BB/9 and 166 K in 146 IP.

Last Start: Win, 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K vs OAK

Career vs PIT: N/A

Must-Watch Hitters

Pittsburgh

The hero of Friday night's game, Bryan Reynolds' pair of homers represented only his third in the last 26 games. However, the 29 year-old is only a pair of RBIs short of matching a career record, and his 28 homers on the season equal his total from last season.

"Bryan Reynolds puts the Pirates ahead with his second homer tonight!" - Talkin' Baseball

Second baseman Nick Gonzales, who also homered on Friday, has twelve hits including two doubles and a triple in his last 12 games. The MLB sophomore has also posted a team-best OPS of .840 over the past fortnight.

New York

After the longest home run drought of his career, Aaron Judge is finishing the season on a high note. In addition to his .405 average representing the fourth-highest value in MLB over the past two weeks, Judge has logged 7 homers and 18 RBIs in his last 37 at-bats.

"NO. 58! AARON JUDGE HAS HIT A HOME RUN IN 5 STRAIGHT GAMES!" - MLB

A longtime member of the Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton knows the Pirates well. A career .265 hitter against Pittsburgh with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in 45 games, Stanton logged a homer and three RBIs in last weekend's set against the A's.

Gleyber Torres' 10 hits leads the Yankees over the past seven days, as do the Venezuelan's 28 at-bats in that span of time. Additionally, in eight games in his career against PIttsburgh, Torres is a .429 hitter.

Pirates vs Yankees baseball betting odds

Saturday 28/11	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
Pittsburgh Pirates	+ 110	+ 1.5 -210	O 7 +100
New York Yankees	- 130	- 1.5 +170	U 7 -120

Pirates vs Yankees expert picks and game prediction

Normally, the Yankees would be heavily projected to win this game. Despite their loss on Friday, New York has outscored Pittsburgh by more than 150 runs this season, and as a team, have batted significantly better throughout the whole year.

However, Pittsburgh will bring an ace card into this game, Paul Skenes. In his last outing against the Cincinnati Reds, Skenes spun five scoreless innings, allowing just a pair of hits and striking out nine. When Skenes pitches, the Pirates usually win.

With the Yankees having already clinched, do not be surprised to see them take their feet off the pedal, leaving room for the Pirates to take another.

Run Line: -1.5 +170

Total Runs: U 7 -120

Prediction: Pirates W, 3-2