Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Mets Picks and Prediction for Sunday March 29 2026
Use Code WWWC The Pittsburgh Pirates (0–1) are back in action against the New York Mets (1–0) at Citi Field in Queens, New York. New York opened the season with a high-scoring 11–7 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday, thanks to a big day at the plate, and the teams return to the field Sunday for the final game of the series, after the second game of the series. Get involved in the action with our free MLB picks.
Pittsburgh vs. New York Game Information
- March 29, 2026
- 1:40pm EST
- Citi Field
- MLB.TV/SportsNet New York
New York Form & Recent Results
New York heads into this matchup with plenty of confidence after a high-scoring Opening Day win, taking down the Pirates 11–7 on Thursday. The Mets’ offense looked sharp right away, and catcher Francisco Alvarez was right in the middle of it, going 2-for-4 while scoring twice. He also delivered a home run and drove in a run, setting an early tone for what New York hopes will be a more dangerous lineup this season.
Looking back at last season, the Mets had no shortage of power at the top of the order. Juan Soto finished as the team’s home run leader with 43, while Pete Alonso, who is now with the Baltimore Orioles, was close behind with 38. Alonso wasn’t just a slugger either, he paced New York in RBIs with 126 and also topped the team in batting average at .272. With Alonso no longer in the lineup, the Mets will need other hitters to step into bigger roles as they try to improve on last year’s 83–79 finish, a season that ended without a Wild Card spot after they lost a head-to-head tiebreaker with Cincinnati. After Thursday’s offensive burst, New York will try to carry that momentum into Sunday and keep building positive energy early in the season, beginning with their second game on Saturday.
Pittsburgh Form & Recent Results
Pittsburgh comes into this game with the feel of a potential sleeper team—one that might not get a ton of attention early in the season, but could end up being much tougher than people expect. They did drop their season opener in Queens against the Mets, falling 11–7, yet the score doesn’t tell the whole story because there were still some encouraging signs throughout the game. Even with the loss, the Pirates showed they can put runs on the board, and the expectation around the team is that they’re a step forward from last year. With that in mind, they’ll be looking to bounce back quickly and grab a win in this series to steady things early in the season.
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One of the biggest bright spots from Opening Day was Brandon Lowe, who went 2-for-4 and did a lot of damage at the plate with two home runs, two runs scored, and three RBIs, production that can change a game in a hurry. Looking back at last season, Oneil Cruz was Pittsburgh’s main power threat, leading the team with 20 home runs, while Bryan Reynolds wasn’t far behind with 16. Reynolds also did a little bit of everything for this lineup, finishing as the team leader in RBIs with 73 and posting the best batting average on the roster at .245. Even though the Pirates started the season with a tough loss, they’ll turn to Carmen Mlodzinski in this game, and they’re hoping he can be a steady presence as the team tries to put together a surprising season that exceeds expectations.
Key Stats
- Pittsburgh’s Ryan O’Hearn on Thursday: 2-for-4, 2 runs, 1 home run, 1 RBI
- New York’s Brett Baty on Thursday: 1-for-5, 1 run, 2 RBIs
Betting Odds & Market Overview:
- NYM -175 / PIT +144; O/U 7.5
Pittsburgh vs. New York Picks and Prediction
Paul Skenes couldn’t have drawn up a much rougher start to his season. He managed to record only two outs before getting pulled, and in that short stint he was tagged for five earned runs. Pittsburgh will be counting on Carmen Mlodzinski to steady things and avoid anything close to that kind of early hole, while the Mets will hand the ball to Nolan McLean on their side. For the Pirates, getting a win here would go a long way toward building some positive momentum heading into their next series against Cincinnati. Still, that won’t be easy if New York’s bats get rolling, because the Mets’ offense has the ability to quickly swing a game and spoil Pittsburgh’s plans. Final Score Prediction, New York Mets win 5-1.
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