Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants Preview
Thursday’s matchup between the Giants and Pirates is set to get started at 12:35 PM ET from PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -162, while the Giants are at +135. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.
Paul Skenes is starting for the Pirates, and he is facing off against Mason Black for the Giants. San Francisco is 4th in the NL West, while the Pirates are 4th in the NL Central. NBCS will be televising this game.
Check out BetCoco for Pittsburgh Pirates – San Francisco Giants odds
Pittsburgh Pirates Trends and Key Stats
- The Giants are 3-2 in their five most recent road games, including a 3-2 runline record.
- Conversely, the Pirates have achieved a 3-2 (SU) record and 4-1 record in their last five home games.
- The Pirates have a straight-up record of 4-6 in their last ten games as the favorite, and a 3-7 record vs. the runline.
- The Giants have a 4-6 straight-up record and a 5-5 record vs. the runline over their previous ten games as the underdog.
San Francisco rallied for four runs in the 10th inning in the most recent game of this series. The Giants scored one run in the 1st inning but didn’t score another run until putting up two in the 5th. As for the Pirates, they scored five of their five runs in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Giants were at +104 on the money line.
Blake Snell only went 3 1/3 innings for the Giants but gave up just one hit and one earned run. Ryan Walker got the win out of the bullpen. Jared Jones put together a good outing for the Pirates, going six innings and giving up three earned runs.
At the plate, Matt Chapman and LaMonte Wade Jr. each homered for the Giants. Chapman, Jorge Soler, and Luis Matos each had two hits and three RBIs. Pittsburgh’s top hitter was Bryan Reynolds, who went 2/5 with a homer.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants Prediction
San Francisco is 24-26 overall and is 8.0 games behind the Dodgers for the NL West lead. The Giants are 12-11 against other teams in the NL West. So far, they have gone 15-10 at home compared to 9-16 on the road.
The Giants have been the underdog in two straight games, and they have won both of those games. Overall, they are 8-14 as the underdog this year and 16-12 as the favorite. San Francisco’s overall series record is 7-6-2, and they are currently tied with the Pirates in their series.
San Francisco is 24-26 against the run line this season, and they have been a better bet on the road, going 13-12. Their average run margin is -0.5, but they have been a better bet as the underdog, going 13-9 against the run line. They have covered the run line in two straight games as the underdog.
San Francisco Giants are on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates today. The over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The combined run average for Giants games this season is 9.0 runs per game. Their over/under record is 25-23 on the season. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, the Giants have gone 8-6. This is the fifth time this season the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs. The over has hit in two straight games for the Giants.
Mason Black and the Giants are on the road to take on the Pirates. Black has started 3 games this season, and he has yet to pick up a win. In his last start, he went 3 innings and gave up 4 runs, taking the loss. He has 14 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings of work.
Over the past eight games, Matt Chapman has been on fire for the Giants, going 12/28 with two homers and 11 runs scored. This has pushed his season average to .245, and he is 2nd on the team with seven homers. Thairo Estrada is also near the top of the Giants’ home run leaderboard, as he has gone deep eight times this season, which is 10th in the league. Estrada has 29 RBIs this season, which is 13th best in the MLB.
As a team, the Giants are 18th in the league in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. They have been a good home run hitting team but are just 16th in home runs and have a team batting average of .248. Overall, their team on-base percentage and slugging percentage numbers are around the league average.
Pittsburgh will take on the Giants today with an overall record of 23-27, which has them 4th in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Cardinals by a half-game for the 3rd spot in the division and are 5.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. The Pirates are just 7-7 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Pirates are 10-13 this year compared to 13-14 on the road. So far, they have really struggled when favored, going just 7-13. As the underdog, the Pirates are 16-14 this year. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 5-7-3, and they have dropped two straight series at home.
The Pirates have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 28-22. They have been especially good on the road, going 17-10 against the run line. However, they have struggled to cover the run line at home, going just 11-12. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 22-8 against the run line. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.5, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.3.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is slightly higher than the Pirates’ average combined run average of 8.3 runs per game. The over/under record for Pittsburgh games this season is 24-25, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 11-7. The over has hit in two straight games for the Pirates.
Paul Skenes will be making his second start of the season, and it comes at home against the Giants. In his first outing, he went 6 innings and picked up the win, striking out 11 batters while allowing just 1 hit. He did have a rough outing at home against the Cubs, giving up 3 runs in 4 innings.
Over the past 10 games, Bryan Reynolds has gone 13/45 with two homers and nine RBIs. Reynolds is currently batting .251 for the season and leads the Pirates with 26 RBIs. Oneil Cruz and Connor Joe are also near the top of the Pirates’ home run leaderboard, with Cruz having seven homers and Joe six. Cruz is batting .256, and Joe comes into the game with a batting average of .268.
Andrew McCutchen has struggled this season, hitting just .218, but he has been swinging the bat better of late, going 11/35 in his last nine games with two homers. Nick Gonzales is also swinging the bat well, going 11/37 in his last 10 games with two homers and seven RBIs.
Getting the Giants at +135 on the money line is a great value pick, as we have them winning this one by a score of 5-4. With the payout, you could also look to take the Giants on the run line, as the payout would be even better, and we have them winning by just one run.
Looking at some of the starting pitcher props, Mason Black is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is the fourth-best among today’s starters. As for Paul Skenes, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts as well, which is tied for the third-best among starters.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants Betting Tips
- We like the Giants on the moneyline (+135)
- The Giants are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Yasmani Grandal | Questionable | Groin |
| Johan Oviedo | Out | Elbow |
| Marco Gonzales | Out | Forearm |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | Out | Back |
| Ryan Borucki | Out | Tricep |
| Jason Delay | Out | Knee |
| Dauri Moreta | Out | Elbow |
| Endy Rodríguez | Out | Elbow |
San Francisco Giants Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Robbie Ray | Out | Elbow |
| Nick Ahmed | Out | Wrist |
| Alex Cobb | Out | Hip |
| Tom Murphy | Out | Knee |
| Michael Conforto | Out | Hamstring |
| Austin Slater | Out | Head |
| Tristan Beck | Out | Vascular |
| Ethan Small | Out | Oblique |
| Austin Warren | Out | Elbow |
| Keaton Winn | Out | Forearm |
| Jung Hoo Lee | Out | Shoulder |
