Royals vs Pirates Prediction, Odds, Moneyline, Spread & Over/Under for Sept. 20

Odds updated as of 1:11 p.m.

The Sunday slate in MLB includes a matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Kansas City Royals.

All the information you need to make smart wagers 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 (78-77) vs. Kansas City Royals (67-88)
• Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026
• Time: 1:35 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: (-118) | KC: (+100)
• Spread: PIT: +1.5 (-205) | KC: -1.5 (+168)
• Total: 8.5 -- Over: (-104) | Under: (-118)

Pirates vs Royals Probable Starting Pitchers

Probable Pitchers: Lake Bachar (Pirates) - 1-4, 3.50 ERA vs Michael Wacha (Royals) - 9-9, 3.34 ERA

The Pirates will give the nod to Lake Bachar (1-4, 3.50 ERA), who is eyeing win No. 2 on the season, and the Royals will counter with Michael Wacha (9-9, 3.34 ERA). When Bachar starts, his team is 7-3-0 against the spread this season. Bachar's team is 2-0 this season when he starts and they're favored on the moneyline. The Royals have a 15-13-0 record against the spread in Wacha's starts. The Royals have a 4-12 record in Wacha's 16 starts this season when they were the moneyline underdog.

Pirates vs Royals Prediction & Pick

All MLB win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Pirates win (65.1%)

Pirates vs Royals Moneyline

• Kansas City is the underdog, +100 on the moneyline, while Pittsburgh is a -118 favorite at home.

Pirates vs Royals Spread

• The Royals are 1.5-run favorites against the spread for this matchup with the Pirates. The Royals are +168 to cover, while the Pirates are -205 to cover as a 1.5-run underdog on the runline.

Pirates vs Royals Over/Under

• Pirates versus Royals on Sept. 20 has an over/under of 8.5 runs, with the odds on the over -104 and the under set at -118.

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Pirates vs Royals Betting Trends

• The Pirates have come away with 45 wins in the 78 contests they have been listed as the favorites in this season.
• Pittsburgh has a record of 34-29 in contests when bookmakers favor them by -118 or more on the moneyline.
• Contests with the Pirates have gone over the total set by bookmakers in 81 of 153 chances this season.
• The Pirates are 76-77-0 against the spread in their 153 games with a line set by sportsbooks this season.
• The Royals have been the moneyline underdog 97 total times this season. They've gone 38-59 in those games.
• Kansas City has a 31-50 record (winning just 38.3% of its games) when it has played as a moneyline underdog of +100 or longer.
• The Royals have had an over/under set by oddsmakers 148 times, and have combined with opponents to go over the total in 67 of those games (67-78-3).
• The Royals are 75-73-0 ATS this season.

Pirates Player Leaders

• Bryan Reynolds is hitting .261 with 39 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 84 walks. He has an on-base percentage of .364 while slugging .424.
• Among qualified hitters in MLB, he is 60th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage, and 68th in slugging.
• Brandon Lowe has 147 hits, which leads Pittsburgh batters this season. He's batting .262 with 63 extra-base hits. He's also slugging .494 with an on-base percentage of .332.
• Among all qualifying players, he is 58th in batting average, 66th in on-base percentage and 16th in slugging percentage.
• Lowe has picked up a hit in seven straight games. During his last 10 games he is batting .351 with a double, four home runs, five walks and 10 RBIs.
• Nick Gonzales has a team-best OPS of .759, fueled by a slash line of .304/.367/.392 this season.
• Gonzales heads into this matchup with two games in a row with at least one hit. In his last five games he is batting .278 with two doubles, a walk and an RBI.
• Ryan O'Hearn is batting .264 with a .329 OBP and 73 RBI for Pittsburgh this season.

Royals Player Leaders

• Bobby Witt Jr. has accumulated a team-best OBP (.360) and slugging percentage (.442). He's batting .279.
• He ranks 24th in batting average, 29th in on-base percentage and 54th in slugging percentage among all qualifying hitters in the majors.
• Carter Jensen is batting .233 with 33 doubles, two triples, 25 home runs and 64 walks. He's slugging .454 with an on-base percentage of .319.
• He is 108th in batting average, 88th in on-base percentage and 42nd in slugging percentage in the majors.
• Jac Caglianone has 136 hits, a team-high for the Royals.
• Vinnie Pasquantino has 18 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs and 50 walks while hitting .242.

Pirates vs Royals Head to Head

• 9/19/2026: 6-5 PIT (Favorite: Pirates, Spread: -1.5, Total: 7.5, Favorite Moneyline: -116, Underdog Moneyline: -102)
• 9/18/2026: 8-5 PIT (Favorite: Pirates, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -190, Underdog Moneyline: +160)
• 7/9/2025: 4-3 KC (Favorite: Royals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -190, Underdog Moneyline: +160)
• 7/8/2025: 4-3 KC (Favorite: Royals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 7.5, Favorite Moneyline: -138, Underdog Moneyline: +118)
• 7/7/2025: 9-3 KC (Favorite: Royals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 9, Favorite Moneyline: -152, Underdog Moneyline: +128)
• 9/15/2024: 4-3 PIT (Favorite: Pirates, Spread: -1.5, Total: 7.5, Favorite Moneyline: -116, Underdog Moneyline: -102)
• 9/14/2024: 5-1 KC (Favorite: Royals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8, Favorite Moneyline: -112, Underdog Moneyline: -104)
• 9/13/2024: 8-3 KC (Favorite: Pirates, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -112, Underdog Moneyline: -104)
• 8/30/2023: 4-1 PIT (Favorite: Pirates, Spread: -1.5, Total: 9.5, Favorite Moneyline: -126, Underdog Moneyline: +108)
• 8/29/2023: 6-3 PIT (Favorite: Royals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -152, Underdog Moneyline: +128)

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