The Toronto Blue Jays are stampeding toward the playoffs, while the Pirates aren’t going anywhere. But that doesn’t mean they can’t play some competitive games.
The Pirates boast a few strong starting pitchers, solid defenders, and veteran bats who can occasionally deliver. Although it doesn’t compare to the talent depth and quality that the Blue Jays possess, it’s enough to pull off some wins. Take Monday’s 5-2 victory as an example. With the right mix of pitching and timely hitting, they can lay an AL East leader low.
The Blue Jays are -165 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The run total is set at 8.5 runs. Let’s dig into a preview, prediction and pick for this Blue Jays vs. Pirates game.
Blue Jays vs. Pirates prediction, preview
Once upon a time, Chris Bassitt was one of the most consistently strong starting pitchers in the American League. Between 2020 and 2023, he had three top-10 Cy Young finishes. Cracks began to show last year, and it’s getting worse in his age-36 season; his 4.23 expected ERA is a 37th percentile mark in the big leagues.
It’s an interesting case because he doesn’t allow much hard contact. Boasting an eight-pitch mix, his struggle is with volume of hits, not quality. Bassitt’s 146 hits allowed are the most in the American League. That’s a rough equation to overcome, even with good command and double-play stuff. However, he does get a date with a Pirates offense that does not have a regular batter with above-average numbers. And his opposite number has a considerable lack of experience.
Bassitt has thrown 138.2 innings this season. Johan Oviedo has thrown one. That said, Oviedo has looked good in his three starts at Triple-A in 2025, pitching to a 2.63 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13.2 innings.
Toronto is a tough test for an opposing starter. The Blue Jays have a lot of power and have been batting nearly .300 as a team over the last month. His work will be cut out for him, but I’m confident that Oviedo can still pitch well enough to keep this game under the total.
