After a stormy Tuesday kept the tarp on the field at Yankee Stadium, the Pirates (52-49) and the Yankees (56-44) will take the field today twice in the form of a day-night doubleheader. The Yankees sit atop the Wild Card standings and two games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East while the Pirates sit 11 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central and tied for the final Wild Card spot.
As a refresher, New York won the series opener Monday night, 8-5, thanks in large part to a pair of home runs and five runs batted in by Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Game 1 today pits two veteran right-handers Mitch Keller (6-7, 5.14 ERA) and Gerrit Cole (3-5, 3.93 ERA) against one another. Keller has been bad for about the last six weeks allowing 26 earned runs over just 35 innings. In his two July starts he has been even worse allowing eight runs in nine innings. In his last start Keller gave up three home runs. Well, the Yankees hit more home runs than anyone. Cole is beginning to look more like himself following his return from Tommy John surgery in late May. He was special against the Dodgers in his last start…until his last pitch. Max Muncy took him to the second deck in the seventh inning in a 2-1 Yankees loss. In July, Cole has thrown 17.1 innings and allowed seven earned runs, walking two and striking out 21.
The nightcap features a matchup of power arms at very different points of their seasons. Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.77 ERA) remains one of Pittsburgh’s most talented young pitchers, possessing high-end strikeout stuff, but command issues have led to inconsistency. He has struggled recently, posting a 6.60 ERA over his last three starts. Chandler was better in his most recent start, though, allowing two runs over 4.2 innings. Great? Hardly but better than his previous two starts in which he allowed a combined nine runs in 10.1 innings of work. For the Yankees, all eyes will be on Max Fried (4-3, 3.21 ERA), who is being activated from the injured list for the nightcap. The left-hander has been sidelined since May with a bone bruise in his elbow and was originally expected to make another rehab start before joining the rotation. Instead, the rainout accelerated his return. Expectations are he will throw a max of 60 pitches tonight.
Lets dive further into today’s doubleheader and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game Details and How to Watch Game 1: Pirates vs. Yankees
- Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
- Time: 1:05PM EST
- Site: Yankee Stadium
- City: New York, NY
- Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, SportsNet Pittsburgh, YES
Game Details and How to Watch Game 2: Pirates vs. Yankees
- Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
- Time: 7:05PM EST
- Site: Yankee Stadium
- City: New York, NY
- Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, SportsNet Pittsburgh, YES
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Latest Odds for Game 1: Pirates vs. Yankees
The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Pittsburgh Pirates (+142), New York Yankees (-172)
- Spread: Pirates +1.5 (-143), Yankees -1.5 (+119)
- Total: 9.5 runs
The Latest Odds for Game 2: Pirates vs. Yankees
The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Pittsburgh Pirates (+141), New York Yankees (-171)
- Spread: Pirates +1.5 (-143), Yankees -1.5 (+119)
- Total: 8.5 runs
Probable Starting Pitchers for Game 1 – Pirates vs. Yankees for July 22
- Pirates: Mitch Keller
Season Totals: 103.1 IP, 6-7, 5.14 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 77K, 35 BB - Yankees: Gerrit Cole
Season Totals: 55.0 IP, 3-5, 3.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 55K, 12 BB
Probable Starting Pitchers for Game 2 – Pirates vs. Yankees for July 22
- Pirates: Bubba Chandler
Season Totals: 94.1 IP, 3-8, 4.77 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 85K, 55 BB - Yankees: Max Fried
Season Totals: 61.2 IP, 4-3, 3.21 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 50K, 19 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Pirates vs. Yankees
- The Pirates have hit .271 as a team and have outscored their opponent by 18 runs over their last 10 games
- Ben Rice has hit safely in 13 straight games (17-45)
- Cody Bellinger is 4-14 since the All-Star Break
- Jose Caballero is 2-9 since the Break
- Paul Goldschmidt is 3-11 since the Break
- Nick Gonzales has 17 hits in his last 37 ABs
- Bubba Chandler has 6+ Ks in 4 of his last 7 starts
- Bryan Reynolds is 4-15 since the Break
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top Betting Trends & Insights: Pirates vs. Yankees
- The Pirates are 52-49 on the Run Line this season
- The Yankees are 48-52 on the Run Line this season
- The OVER has cashed 59 times in Pittsburgh’s 101 games this season (59-39-3)
- The OVER has cashed 44 times in New York’s 100 games this season (44-52-4)
Will Royals let Witt Jr. play with back issue?
Eric Samulski debriefs Bobby Witt Jr. leaving the game against the Giants on Monday with a recurring lower back issue and whether the struggling Royals should continue to let him play with the nagging injury.
Expert picks & predictions: Pirates vs. Yankees
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s doubleheader between the Pirates and the Yankees:
Game 1 Predictions: Pirates vs. Yankees
- Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Run Line.
- Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 9.5
Game 2 Predictions: Pirates vs. Yankees
- Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Run Line.
- Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 8.5
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
Read the full article here
