The Pittsburgh Pirates take on the San Francisco Giants. Check out our MLB odds series for our Pirates Giants prediction and pick.
Tyler Beede starts for the Pirates, while Logan Webb gets the call for the Giants.
Tyler Beede is a relief pitcher who will open this game for Pittsburgh. It is unclear how long he will go. If you look at his past six appearances, they are a mixture of three-inning, two-inning, and one-inning stints. Beede's most recent appearance, on Aug. 8 against the Diamondbacks, was a 3 2/3-inning stint in which he did not allow a run. Beede had a 1.64 ERA in the month of July but then gave up four runs in 1 1/3 innings against the Brewers on Aug. 3. One can reasonably assume the Pirates will use at least three or four pitchers in this game, but we'll see how they allocate each of them.
Logan Webb has a 3.17 ERA, which is certainly not bad, but also not what the Giants were hoping for this season. Webb was a dominant starting pitcher in September and October last season. He flummoxed a very formidable Los Angeles Dodger lineup and pitched like an ace. This year, he hasn't possessed ace-level command or posted ace-level results. He has been good, but not overwhelming, at least not on a sustained basis.
Webb did have four very strong starts in July. In a series of four consecutive appearances, he pitched 26 innings and allowed only four runs. That was the guy the Giants hoped to see for most of 2022. However, just when it seemed Webb was regaining his dominant form at the end of July, he ran into problems in his next two starts: 11 1/3 innings pitched and 10 runs allowed against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers. His ERA was 2.77 on July 26. On Aug. 1, it was back up to 3.20. Webb did respond well with a strong start (seven innings, two runs allowed) against the A's last weekend, but Webb's ability to do well in any individual appearance is not the issue. It's being regularly strong for a team which doesn't have a large margin for error.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Pirates-Giants MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Giants Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-102)
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (-118)
Over: 7.5 (-120)
Under: 7.5 (-102)
Why The Pirates Could Cover the Spread
The Pirates have certainly struggled this week and for most of the season, but they have given good teams problems at times. They're 5-1 against the Dodgers in 2022, which might be the most stunning head-to-head result in Major League Baseball this year. The Pirates recently swept the Milwaukee Brewers. They won a game against the New York Yankees. They put up a good fight on some occasions, and this could be one of them. Friday's loss to the Giants was a tough battle in which Pittsburgh fought back from a 4-1 deficit to make the score 4-3. This team isn't an especially good team, but it doesn't quit. If Logan Webb is less than fully sharp — which has happened more than many people expected this year — Pittsburgh can swoop in and pluck this game from San Francisco.
Why The Giants Could Cover the Spread
After winning on Friday, the Giants got back on track after a tough pair of losses in San Diego against the Padres. The Giants know they are running out of time in the National League wild card chase. They know they have to sweep bad teams, the Pirates being one example. They have Logan Webb on the mound against the Pittsburgh bullpen. This game is set up for the Giants to succeed. They should be able to bring the hammer to the Buccos.
Final Pirates-Giants Prediction & Pick
The Giants won a game they were supposed to win against the Pirates on Friday, with Carlos Rodon starting. They won and they covered one and a half runs on the run line. With Logan Webb pitching, they should be able to cover the spread again.
Final Pirates-Giants Prediction & Pick: Giants -1.5
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