Opening Day 2025! The Pittsburgh Pirates are all set to take on the Miami Marlins at 4.10 p.m. ET on Thursday. The Pirates’ Paul Skenes and the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara are the scheduled starters for the opening day. Ngl, we are all expecting it to be the cracker of a game! But before experiencing it live, today we decided to take the liberty to predict certain aspects of the game. You can check if those match with you…

First of all, both the Pirates and the Marlins are sure to draw attention due to their impressive arsenals. Take Bryan Reynolds from the Pirates. He had a terrific last season, with a batting average of .275, hitting 24 home runs. Then there’s Oneil Cruz, who had a slugging percentage of .449, and Andrew McCutchen, too, boasting a .232 average with 20 home runs.

The Marlins aren’t lagging either, as they have Jesus Sanchez, with a .252 batting average. And also Xavier Edwards (AVG .328) and Otto Lopez (AVG .270).

But who looks like the winner for you?

Well, if we go by the stats of the last ten games, the Miami Marlins won only two against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and that was in 2023. Ever since then, the Pirates have been dominant, and the win-loss difference shows that. They have beaten the Marlins seven times in a row in 2024, increasing that differential as well. On March 29, 2024, the Marlins went 2-7, followed by 3-9 on March 30. And they have been losing time and again.

In terms of head-to-head, the total number of games played between the two is 149, among which 82 games were won by the Pirates, compared to 64 wins by the Marlins. Even the Pirates have higher total runs, going up to 585. For the Marlins, it’s 513. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a higher winning percentage, too, 55%; Miami stands at 43% in that regard.

The Pirates hold a strong position even at home (4.1) or away points per game (3.8). Their home and away winning percentage is 58.9 and 51.3, respectively, quite ahead of the Marlins (48.7 and 37).  

Going by the records and H2H stats, predictions are somewhat inclined towards the Pittsburgh Pirates, aren’t they? 

Predictions for the upcoming highly anticipated Marlins-Pirates faceoff

While we all may agree with it, as per the matchup’s money line, the Pittsburgh Pirates have a higher probability of winning – 60.8%. The Miami Marlins remain the underdogs, who have only a 40.5% chance of winning. More importantly, the Marlins won just 33 out of 88 games, quite poor! And probably that’s why the prediction might come true.

In a recent post by FOX Sports, the scores were predicted – 5 for the Marlins and 4 for the Pirates. The total prediction is above 6.5 runs, while the Pirates stand at 51% winning chance. However, the difference is negligible, and both teams might give stiff competition to each other. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates went 76-86 last year, and they were placed in the fifth position in the NL Central. They had a moderate last season; however, with Paul Skenes now, they will look to turn their fate back. Clutchpoints.com predicted the Pirates to have an upper edge, given that they have made some good moves, adding Tommy Pham at the top, who managed to hit at a .248 average with a .305 on-base percentage along with a .368 slugging percentage.

So, if we look at it as a whole, the Pirates’ chances are on the upside. But on the ground, anything can happen. Injury, mental strength, strategy – several factors come into play there. While predictions are all way too enticing, we all need to wait till the first pitch is thrown at the LoanDepot Park! But wait…

Till then, if you want, you can share your predictions with us…