It’s an early season matchup of first-place teams Friday as the Pirates host the Rays to open a weekend series at PNC Park.

Pittsburgh is in the middle of a homestand after wrapping up a four-game set with the Nationals on Thursday. Brandon Lowe continues to pace the Pirates’ offense, ranking among MLB’s leaders in OPS (.992) and home runs (seven), while Oneil Cruz and Ryan O’Hearn also are off to strong starts at the plate.

While pitching has long been the Rays’ calling card, they’ve had a role reversal of sorts early in 2026. Their staff is near the bottom of MLB with a 4.38 ERA, but their .735 team OPS puts them sixth in the majors.

Tampa Bay is expected to send Nick Martinez to the mound Friday evening. He has no decisions this year but has been stellar, allowing four earned runs — all of them coming on homers — across three starts. Bubba Chandler will take the ball for Pittsburgh as he looks to get a handle on his command. The right-hander has walked 12 batters in 14 innings so far but has mostly been able to limit the damage in three starts.

Who will start the weekend with a win? Here’s everything you need to know to watch the series opener.

How to watch Pirates vs. Rays tonight: TV channel, live stream

Pirates vs. Rays will not air on traditional television Friday. The game will stream live as part of Apple TV’s “Friday Night Baseball” package.

New subscribers get their first week of Apple TV for free. After that, they can subscribe for just $12.99/month.

Subscribers can watch “Friday Night Baseball” with the Apple TV app, which is available on select smart TVs, Roku devices, Amazon Fire TV and gaming consoles.

Pirates vs. Rays start timeDate: Friday, April 17Time: 6:40 p.m. ET

First pitch of Pirates vs. Rays on Friday is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. The game will be played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Pirates schedule 2026

Here is the upcoming schedule for the Pirates:

DateGameTime (ET)April 17vs. Rays6:40 p.m.April 18vs. Rays4:05 p.m.April 19vs. Rays1:35 p.m.April 21at Rangers8:05 p.m.April 22at Rangers8:05 p.m.Tampa Bay Rays schedule 2026

Here is the upcoming schedule for the Rays:

DateGameTime (ET)April 17at Pirates6:40 p.m.April 18at Pirates4:05 p.m.April 19at Pirates1:35 p.m.April 20vs. Reds6:40 p.m.April 21vs. Reds6:40 p.m.More Pirates