Pirates vs. Astros Prediction, MLB Picks for Wednesday, June 3

The Pittsburgh Pirates (33-28) and the Houston Astros (27-35) will play the second game of a three-game series on Wednesday, June 3, at 8:10 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh secured a 10-6 victory over Houston on Tuesday to extend the team’s winning streak to four games.

Ahead of Wednesday’s clash, the Pirates are road favorites with a 1.61x payout if they defeat the Astros, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Below, we'll break down our Pirates vs. Astros prediction and picks for Wednesday’s MLB contest, including the run line, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.

Make your Pirates vs. Astros picks on PrizePicks for tonight's game.

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Pirates vs. Astros Prediction, Winner Payout, Over/Under – Wednesday, June 3

For the second meeting of the series, it will be Pirates SP Paul Skenes (2.97 xFIP across 12 starts and 65.1 IP in 2026) and Astros SP Spencer Arrighetti (4.98 xFIP across 8 starts and 47 IP) squaring off on the bump.

To no one’s surprise, Skenes continues to be one of the most electric pitchers in MLB, ranking in the 96th percentile in xERA (2.28) and 91st percentile in xBA (.191), per Baseball Savant. Skenes is also producing a career-best 0.86 WHIP entering Wednesday’s outing.

Ahead of his 13th start, Skenes has the fourth-lowest payout (5.88x) to win the National League Cy Young award, via PrizePicks Team Picks. Only Cristopher Sanchez (2.63x), Jacob Misiorowski (3.03x), and Shohei Ohtani (4.76x) have lower payouts.

According to FanGraphs, the Pirates’ lineup has tallied the fourth-best wRC+ (128), third-best wOBA (.360), and fifth-best ISO (.184) over the last 14 days.

The 1.34 ERA and 1.13 WHIP look pristine for Arrighetti, but he’s sitting in the 28th percentile in xERA (4.68) and 11th percentile in walk rate (13.1%). This could spell trouble for Arrighetti in the not-so-distant future.

In the same 14-day sample from above, the Astros’ bats have the 13th-worst wRC+ (94), 13th-worst wOBA (.308), and 10th-highest strikeout rate (23.0%).

With DH Yordan Alvarez swatting 21 HRs already, he possesses the third-lowest payout (4x) to win the American League MVP award.

Pirates vs. Astros Winner Payout, Over/Under – Wednesday, June 3

The Pirates enter Wednesday’s game as road favorites, returning a 1.61x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Here are the full payouts for the Pirates vs. Astros game on PrizePicks.

• Spread: Pirates -1.5 (2.04x payout)
• Over/Under: 7.5 (1.78x payout on Over)
• Game Winner Payout: Pirates 1.61x | Astros 2.22x

Make your Pirates vs. Astros prediction on the spread or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 35 states!

Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Pirates vs. Astros Prediction to Win – 6/3/26

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Pirates vs. Astros prediction on the winner for Wednesday, June 3.

Lock in your Pirates vs. Astros prediction on PrizePicks before the first pitch.

• While Skenes was roughed up for at least 4 ERs in back-to-back starts, he bounced back in his last outing by racking up 10 Ks and allowing 1 ER against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.
• The Astros deploy a dominantly right-handed lineup, and Skenes boasts a 2.64 xFIP, 0.86 WHIP, and 31.1% strikeout rate in that split.
• Houston’s lineup is registering the seventh-worst wRC+ (95), seventh-worst wOBA (.307), and third-highest strikeout rate (24.1%) at home this season.
• Despite Arrighetti not allowing more than 2 ER in a start yet this year, he’s likely due for negative regression soon with the notable gap between his ERA (1.34) and xERA (4.68).
• On the season, Houston’s bullpen has the sixth-worst xERA (4.36) and second-worst HR/9 (1.44).
• Against right-handed pitching in 2026, the Pirates are accruing the fourth-best wRC+ (114), third-best wOBA (.339), and 11th-best ISO (.158) in that split.
• Pittsburgh has the ninth-highest win rate (58.8%) as road favorites this season. Houston has the 10th-lowest win rate (42.1%) as home underdogs.

Pirates vs. Astros Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks – 6/3/26

Here are the top Pirates vs. Astros picks to target on PrizePicks for Wednesday, June 3. Today’s MLB picks for PrizePicks include Brandon Lowe and Cam Smith

Pirates 2B Brandon Lowe vs. Astros: 5 Hitter Fantasy Score

• Lowe is crushing righties to the tune of a 168 wRC+, .419 wOBA, and .329 ISO in 2026.
• Plus, Lowe is notching a 178 wRC+, .431 wOBA, and .359 ISO in road games this season.
• Across his last nine games, Lowe has totaled 2 multi-hit performances, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs, 1 double, and 7 runs.
• Arrighetti is logging a 5.64 xFIP and 1.31 WHIP against lefties, compared to a 4.11 xFIP and 0.89 WHIP against righties.

Add Brandon Lowe to your PrizePicks Lineup now.

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Astros OF Cam Smith vs. Pirates: 4.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

• Up to this point, Smith has just a 90 wRC+, .301 wOBA, .120 ISO, and 27.6% strikeout rate when facing right-handed pitchers this season.
• At home in 2026, Smith also carries a dismal 58 wRC+, .254 wOBA, .101 ISO, and 27.3% strikeout rate.
• Smith has failed to record a hit in three of his last six outings, and he’s struck out at least once in seven of his last 10 appearances.
• Skenes is permitting just a .246 BABIP while striking out 31.1% of the right-handed hitters he’s faced this year.

Add Cam Smith to your PrizePicks Lineup now.

Make Pirates vs. Astros Picks on PrizePicks

The Pirates are rolling right now, and they’ll have Skenes on the mound for Wednesday’s matchup against the Astros. Will Houston do any damage against Pittsburgh’s ace?

Don’t wait until the first pitch happens — make your Pirates vs. Astros picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.

Pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.

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