Pirates vs Royals Prediction, Odds, Moneyline, Spread & Over/Under for Sept. 18

Odds updated as of 6:12 p.m.

The MLB's Friday schedule includes the Pittsburgh Pirates taking on the Kansas City Royals.

All the information you need to make smart bets on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook can be found below. Check out all of the latest MLB betting lines here.

Pirates vs Royals Game Info

• Pittsburgh Pirates (76-77) vs. Kansas City Royals (67-86)
• Date: Friday, September 18, 2026
• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Venue: PNC Park -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Coverage: SportsNet PT and Royals.TV

Pirates vs Royals Odds & Moneyline

• All MLB odds, betting lines and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: PIT: (-190) | KC: (+160)
• Spread: PIT: -1.5 (+114) | KC: +1.5 (-137)
• Total: 8.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Pirates vs Royals Probable Starting Pitchers

Probable Pitchers: Paul Skenes (Pirates) - 10-11, 3.78 ERA vs Randy Dobnak (Royals) - 3-4, 2.73 ERA

The Pirates will give the nod to Paul Skenes (10-11, 3.78 ERA), who is eyeing win No. 11 on the season, and the Royals will turn to Randy Dobnak (3-4, 2.73 ERA). When Skenes starts, his team is 10-20-0 against the spread this season. Skenes' team is 11-13 this season when he starts and they are the moneyline favorite. The Royals have a 7-4-0 ATS record in Dobnak's 11 starts that had a set spread. The Royals have been the underdog on the moneyline in nine of Dobnak's starts this season, and they went 4-5 in those matchups.

Pirates vs Royals Prediction & Pick

All MLB win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Pirates win (68%)

Pirates vs Royals Moneyline

• The moneyline numbers for Pirates vs. Royals reveal Pittsburgh as the favorite (-190) and Kansas City as the underdog (+160) on the road.

Pirates vs Royals Spread

• The Pirates are hosting the Royals and are favored by 1.5 runs on the spread. The Pirates are +114 to cover the runline, with the Royals being -137.

Pirates vs Royals Over/Under

• The Pirates-Royals game on Sept. 18 has been given an over/under of 8.5 runs. The over is set at -110 and the under at -110.

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Pirates vs Royals Betting Trends

• The Pirates have come away with 43 wins in the 76 contests they have been listed as the favorites in this season.
• This year Pittsburgh has won three of five games when listed as at least -190 on the moneyline.
• Contests with the Pirates have gone over the total set by sportsbooks in 79 of 151 chances this season.
• The Pirates are 74-77-0 against the spread in their 151 games that had a posted line this season.
• The Royals have gone 38-57 in games they were listed as the moneyline underdog (winning 40% of those games).
• Kansas City has a 3-9 record (winning only 25% of its games) when it has played as a moneyline underdog of +160 or longer.
• The Royals have played in 146 games with an over/under set, and have combined with opponents to go over the total 65 times (65-78-3).
• The Royals have put together a 75-71-0 record ATS this season (covering 51.4% of the time).

Pirates Player Leaders

• Bryan Reynolds has 37 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 84 walks while batting .262. He has an on-base percentage of .366 and a slugging percentage of .424.
• Among the qualified hitters in MLB, his batting average ranks 59th, his on-base percentage ranks 21st, and he is 68th in slugging.
• Brandon Lowe leads Pittsburgh with 144 hits. He is batting .261 this season and has 61 extra-base hits. He's also slugging .486 with an on-base percentage of .332.
• Among qualifiers, he is 63rd in batting average, 66th in on-base percentage and 19th in slugging percentage.
• Lowe enters this game looking to extend his five-game hit streak. During his last five outings he is hitting .375 with a double, two home runs, three walks and six RBIs.
• Nick Gonzales has a team-best OPS of .759, fueled by a slash line of .304/.367/.392 this season.
• Ryan O'Hearn has been key for Pittsburgh with 101 hits, an OBP of .332 plus a slugging percentage of .452.
• O'Hearn has safely hit in two straight games. In his last five games he is hitting .235 with a home run, a walk and three RBIs.

Royals Player Leaders

• Bobby Witt Jr. has a .359 on-base percentage and a .441 slugging percentage, both team-high marks for the Royals. He's batting .276.
• Including all qualifying hitters, he is 32nd in batting average, while his on-base percentage is 32nd and he is 55th in slugging.
• Carter Jensen is batting .235 with 33 doubles, two triples, 24 home runs and 64 walks. He's slugging .454 with an on-base percentage of .322.
• His batting average ranks 107th among all qualified players, his on-base percentage ranks 84th, and he is 42nd in slugging.
• Jac Caglianone has put up 134 hits, a team-high for the Royals.
• Salvador Perez is hitting .227 with 23 doubles, a triple, 19 home runs and 23 walks.

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