Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers Picks and Prediction for Saturday, September 26, 2026

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers meet Saturday at Comerica Park, with the opening pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM ET and the game televised on MLB.TV. This is the next-to-last regular-season game for both teams. Pittsburgh is 81-78, third in the NL Central, and has been eliminated from playoff contention. The Pirates beat St. Louis 2-1 on Thursday and have won four of their last five. Detroit is 74-85, fourth in the AL Central, and has also been eliminated from playoff contention. The Tigers lost 4-2 to Washington on Wednesday and have dropped four of their last five. Cash in big with our free MLB picks.

Pittsburgh Pirates Finishing the Season on a Productive Stretch

Pittsburgh has won four of its last five games, with victories over Kansas City and St. Louis. The Pirates allowed only one run across their two wins against the Cardinals during that stretch. Nick Gonzales leads Pittsburgh with a .301 average and .365 on-base percentage, while Brandon Lowe has 34 home runs and 95 RBI. Bryan Reynolds has a .261 average, 17 homers and 71 RBI, while Oneil Cruz has 20 home runs, 67 RBI and 29 stolen bases.

Pittsburgh has a .253 team average with 753 runs, 182 home runs, a .331 on-base percentage and .404 slugging percentage. The Pirates rank fourth in MLB batting and have a 4.15 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and .237 opponent average. Pittsburgh ranks 18th in pitching. The Pirates have a 37-41 road record and have committed 95 errors with a .983 fielding percentage.

Injuries: Esmerlyn Valdez (out), Isaac Mattson (out), Mitch Keller (out), Braxton Ashcraft (out), Endy Rodriguez (out).

Detroit Tigers Trying to Close a Difficult Week

Detroit has lost four of its last five games and scored only seven runs across those four defeats. The Tigers were held to two runs or fewer in each loss. Riley Greene is batting .282 with a .371 on-base percentage, .478 slugging percentage, 21 home runs and 75 RBI. Dillon Dingler has a team-high 27 home runs and 89 RBI, while Kevin McGonigle is batting .278 with a .378 on-base percentage, 17 homers, 70 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

Detroit carries a .241 team average with 709 runs, 177 home runs, a .320 on-base percentage and .400 slugging percentage. The Tigers rank 20th in MLB batting, but their pitching numbers have been far better. Detroit ranks sixth with a 3.65 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and .232 opponent average. The Tigers are 40-38 at Comerica Park and rank seventh in fielding with 77 errors and a .987 fielding percentage.

Injuries: Kerry Carpenter (out), Jack Flaherty (out), Justin Verlander (out), Kyle Finnegan (out), Colt Keith (out).

Pitching Matchup

Pittsburgh Pirates - Lake Bachar

Lake Bachar is 1-4 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across 85 innings. He has allowed 61 hits and 13 home runs while recording 89 strikeouts and 36 walks.

Detroit Tigers - Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander is 0-1 with a 12.27 ERA and 2.18 WHIP across 3.2 innings. He has allowed six hits and one home run while recording one strikeout and two walks.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers Game Pick

• Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh is the pick after winning four of its last five while Detroit has lost four during the same span. The Pirates have the higher team average, on-base percentage, and run total, and Bachar has a 3.49 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP over 85 innings. Detroit owns the lower team ERA, but Verlander has worked only 3.2 innings this season. Pittsburgh’s recent results and deeper offensive production give the Pirates a big advantage in the next-to-last game of the regular season.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers Over/Under Pick

• under

Under is the pick with Detroit struggling to produce runs during its recent slide. The Tigers scored seven total runs across their last four losses, including one run twice. Pittsburgh has also played several tight games, with its last three contests producing totals of three, six and two runs. Bachar owns a 3.49 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, while Detroit’s staff has a 3.65 ERA and ranks sixth in MLB pitching. Those numbers set up another lower-scoring matchup.