MLB Baseball
2026-06-19 - Pittsburgh Pirates at Colorado Rockies
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : Major League Baseball
Friday 19th June 2026 - Scheduled 8:40pm EST
1:40am (British Time)
Preview
Two National League teams that have been accustomed to struggles and missing the Playoffs begin a series on Friday, but this time there is much more ambition about the Pittsburgh Pirates (38-37). We have not reached the halfway mark of the regular season, but the Pirates are holding a winning record and fans will be wondering if this is a season in which they can challenge for a Wild Card spot into the Playoffs.
Over ten years have passed since Pittsburgh last played a post-season game, while they have not finished with a winning record since 2018.
They will be feeling pretty good about the current position and that is certainly better than the Colorado Rockies (28-47) who are in their familiar spot of propping up the National League West.
The Rockies are very much on course for an eighth straight losing season and they managed just 43 wins in 2025, although at least on course to surpass that lowly number. Last week the Colorado Rockies did win a series against the Chicago Cubs, but this is a team that continues to struggle for any kind of consistency and the same can be said for the starting pitcher heading to the mound.
Kyle Freeland has played all of his ten seasons in the Major Leagues with the Colorado Rockies, but the veteran has a 1-7 record and 7.98 ERA in his twelve starts in 2026. Another double digit set of defeats is looking very likely, but the ERA is the big concern for Freeland and trending to be the worst of his career.
The last nine game stretch has been really tough on Kyle Freeland with the team going 1-8 in that time, while he is personally at 0-6 with a 10.05 ERA. This is a tough ballpark for any pitcher, but Freeland's recent outings have knocked the confidence and he holds a 3-5 record and 5.15 ERA in ten previous appearances against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The road team will counter by giving the ball to Bubba Chandler and the second year pitcher has a 2-7 record with a 4.76 ERA in fourteen appearances in 2026... Thirteen of those have been in starts.
Like any young pitcher, Bubba Chandler has had some issues with consistency, but his last couple of performances will give him some real encouragement. The first was in a spot of a long reliever coming out of the bullpen, while the second saw Chandler hold the Miami Marlins to two runs in one out shy of recording 6 completed Innings.
Last season, Bubba Chandler's debut in the Major Leagues came against the Colorado Rockies as he held them scoreless through the final 4 Innings as a reliever.
Pittsburgh took two of three against Colorado earlier this season and have won six of the last seven overall against the Rockies.
Prediction
Two starting pitchers with vastly different levels of Major League experience will head to the mound, but Kyle Freeland has been struggling with his form for the Colorado Rockies.
Bubba Chandler has been churning through the Innings in recent appearances for the Pirates, but this will be a different test in the altitude of Colorado where the ball tends to fly off the bat.
Despite that, Chandler can help the Pittsburgh Pirates earn the opening win in this series on the road with the batting lineup likely getting after Kyle Freeland.
The Pick :
Colorado Rockies 5-7 Pittsburgh Pirates
