Subscribe
Follow Us
The San Francisco Giants will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Giants-Pirates prediction and pick.
These teams have had vastly different seasons so far. The Giants have been hanging around in the NL West with a 35-27 record, a mark that has them 4.5 games outside of first place. San Francisco has managed to contend with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, clearly establishing themselves as one of the most consistent, solid teams in the MLB. The same can't be said for the Pirates, owners of a 25-37 record. Pittsburgh is 10.5 games out of first place in the NL Central, and it's unlikely they ever come close to sniffing first place. Regardless of the records of these two teams, this should be an entertaining matchup, so let's get into the pick.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Giants-Pirates MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Giants-Pirates Odds
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (-122)
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (+102)
Over: 8.5 (-104)
Under: 8.5 (-118)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Giants Could Cover the Spread
San Francisco will entrust Friday's start to pitcher Carlos Rodon. Rodon has quietly been fantastic, earning a 3.18 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP on the season so far. Some of his best outings have come against teams far better than the Pirates, like when he pitched six innings of shutout ball against the Dodgers in his last appearance. Pittsburgh has been one of the worst offensive teams in baseball, ranking in the bottom five in the MLB in batting average, OPS, OBP, and slugging percentage. Rodon should be able to handle them fairly easily.
Momentum is a proven factor in baseball, and the Giants have the clear advantage in that category. The Pirates have lost nine of their last ten contests, a stretch that included two consecutive sweeps at the hands of the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves. Things have been going much better for the Giants, who are winners of six of their last eight. They actually swept the Dodgers, one of the best teams in the MLB. Only one of these teams has been playing good baseball lately, and that will show in this game.
Why The Pirates Could Cover the Spread
Luckily, the Pirates will have one of their better arms on the mound for this game. Zach Thompson hasn't exactly been Cy Young-worthy, but he's been decent at the very least with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Even more encouraging than those stats are Thompson's numbers in his seven most recent appearances. Over those games, Thompson has a 2.34 ERA and a .98 WHIP, numbers that are in contention for the best in the league. Thompson hasn't earned those numbers against bad teams either, as he's faced the Atlanta Braves, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Dodgers in that span. Another good performance from Thompson could be in the cards here.
The Pirates will benefit from playing on their home field in this game. Pittsburgh is far better offensively when they play at home, earning higher numbers in just about every single major batting category. Carlos Rodon has struggled to pitch well on the road, as he sees his ERA jump from 2.18 at home to 4.22 on the road. There's a good chance the Pirates find a way to cover in front of their home fans in this one.
Final Giants-Pirates Prediction & Pick
The Pirates should cover here. They have a red-hot pitcher on the mound, and they have their home field. Lock in Pittsburgh.
Final Giants-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (+102)
