TOM'S MLB NATIONAL LEAGUE TOP SHELF BEST BET
- Handicapper
- Tom Stryker
- League
- MLB
- Competition
- Pittsburgh Pirates vs Colorado Rockies
- Release Date
- 06/19/2026 09:44 AM
- Event Date
- 06/19/2026 08:40 PM
- Bet Type
- Moneyline
- Pick
-
Pittsburgh Pirates -138
(BetOnline)
- Outcome
- Loss
- Analysis
- #955 PITTSBURGH with Chandler (-) over Colorado with Freeland at 8:40 PM EST
With a little juice off a pair of road wins over the A's, the Bucs will travel to the Rocky Mountains and pick up another solid victory over Colorado. Pittsburgh is sitting just 1.0-game over the .500 mark and manager Don Kelly and his players know they can't afford to fall to a Rockies bunch that has the least amount of wins (27) in Major League Baseball.
Grabbing the pearl for the visitors will be right-hander Bubba Chandler. With three June starts in the bank versus the Marlins, A's, and Astros, No. 36 was tripped up for just eight earned runs and 10 hits in 16.0 innings of work. Bubba struck out 16 and walked five on his way to a 1-1 record with a 4.50 ERA. In his short two-year career, Chandler has made 21 visits to the mound (17 as a starter) and surrendered 50 earned runs and 78 hits in 99.1 frames. After the math, that adds up to a 6-8 tally with a 4.53 ERA.
Struggling lefty Kyle Freeland will get the nod for the home squad. In June, No. 21 battled the Athletics, Brewers, and Angles and was shattered for 14 earned runs and 24 hits in 16.1 innings. Kyle fanned 10 and issued two free passes on his way to an 0-1 record with an elevated 7.71 ERA. Overall, with 12 starts in 2026, Freeland has been assaulted for 52 earned runs and 84 hits in 58.2 frames. That's bad enough for a 1-7 mark with a woeful 7.98 ERA.
A number of team trends work against the hosts in this matchup. Colorado has fallen in 267 of its last 399 overall, 176 of its last 264 when coming off a loss, 118 of its last 194 when playing at home, and 264 of its last 392 when priced as an underdog. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has picked up wins in 22 of its last 36 against losing teams.
The Pirates have the better arm on the bump and that will prove to be the difference in this contest. Take Pittsburgh with Chandler. Thanks, and best of luck, Tom.
