The San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates will engage in the second clash of a three-game series at PNC Park on Saturday afternoon. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with a Giants-Pirates prediction and pick.
The Giants shut out the Pirates 2-0 on Friday night at PNC Park. San Francisco got things rolling in the first inning when Luis Gonzalez smacked a 2-0 pitch into the river past the seats in right field to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. The leadoff home run was the 3rd in 2022 for Gonzalez. The Giants led 1-0 in the fourth when Joc Pederson approached the plate. Then, Pederson smoked a 1-1 pitch into the seats in right field for a home run. The blast was the team-leading 14th in 2022 for Pederson and made it 2-0 Giants. That would be for scoring from both sides as pitching dominated this showdown.
Carlos Rodon tossed a gem, allowing no earned runs on two scattered hits with eight strikeouts through eight innings. Camilo Doval came into the game and tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save, securing the win. The Giants are 36-27 and in third place in the NL West. Meanwhile, the Pirates sit at 25-38, good for third place in the NL Central.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Giants-Pirates odds:
MLB odds: Giants-Pirates Odds
Giants: -1.5 (-108)
Pirates: +1.5 (-111)
Over: 8.5 (-106)
Under: 8.5 (-114)
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Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
The Giants have caught fire lately, winning six of their last seven games. The hot streak has closed the gap in the NL West, as they now trail the San Diego Padres by 3.5 games. They will turn to Alex Wood in today's contest. Wood is 4-5 with a 4.11 ERA in 2022. However, he has pitched significantly better over his past three starts. Wood tossed six innings in his last outing, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Likewise, he has brought his ERA down from 4.81 at the start of the month to 4.11 Wood hopes to continue that run while also receiving some run support.
The Giants are 20th in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in runs, 10th in home runs, and 11th in slugging percentage. San Francisco does not hit the ball often but capitalizes on their chances when they do. Aside from Pederson, the Giants have excellent hitters like Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores leading the pack. The Giants will need both mashers to step up to the plate today, as two runs will not cut it every game.
San Francisco comes into the day with the 16th best bullpen in the majors. The relievers had a day to rest yesterday so they will have the chance to improve on that ranking today. The Giants will cover the spread if Wood can replicate his last outing and give the six quality innings. Additionally, San Francisco must capitalize on its chances to cover all ground. The bullpen may have to work longer today, so they must make adjustments.
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates split the four-game series against the Giants last year at PNC Park. Also, they hung tough last night despite not scoring anything. Jose Quintana is on the mound today. Quintana is 1-4 with a 3.53 ERA in 2022. However, his stock has plummeted recently and allowed four earned runs in each of his last two starts. He allowed four earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts in his previous outing. Quintana needs to avoid another letdown and give his team the best chance to win. The Pirates bullpen is middle-of-the-pack and has pitched inconsistently this season. The offense is another story.
The Pirates rank 29th in the majors in batting average with a lowly .218 mark. Additionally, they are 28th in on-base percentage, 29th in runs, 23rd in home runs, and 28th in slugging percentage. Ke'Bryan Hayes is one of the lone bright spots in the lineup, with a .272 batting average, two home runs, and 22 RBIs. Bryan Reynolds has also hit well, smacking 11 home runs with 21 RBIs. He is batting 15 for 32 over a nine-game stretch with three home runs and seven RBIs. Otherwise, Pittsburgh does not have many threats that can pounce on the baseball.
The Pirates will cover the spread if Quintana can recover from his previous two starts and toss a solid outing. Likewise, they need some offensive outbursts from Hayes and Reynolds to cover the odds.
Final Giants-Pirates Prediction & Pick
The Giants are hot and looking to keep the momentum going. However, their pitcher is still not trustworthy. The Pirates do not have a reliable pitcher, either. The gut feeling is that the game will swing back and forth until one team ends it. Expect a close game and for the Pirates to cover.
Final Giants-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Pirates +1.5 (-111)
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