The Pittsburgh Pirates take on the San Diego Padres. Check out our MLB odds series for our Pirates Padres prediction and pick.
Jose Quintana takes the hill for the Pirates, while Sean Manaea gets the starting assignment for the Padres.
Jose Quintana has a 2.43 ERA. He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any start this season. In a sequence of four starts from April 28 through May 15, Quintana allowed only three runs in 23 innings. He pitched a six-inning shutout of the Dodgers in that run of four excellent starts. He has been a terrific part of the Pirates’ starting rotation, and very possibly the most pleasantly surprising Pittsburgh player in the first two months of 2022, given his past few seasons of relatively mediocre pitching. Quintana is a fascinating part of the larger drama surrounding this game and any Pirates Padres prediction you might make. Quintana has adjusted the MLB odds for this game.
Sean Manaea has a 4.04 ERA. In his first three starts of the season, Manaea allowed only three runs in 19 innings pitched. In his last five starts, Manaea has allowed 20 runs in 30 innings pitched. He gave up three runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Pirates on April 30. He is definitely heading in the wrong direction, and the Padres know they will need something better from him if they are going to outduel the Dodgers in the National League West race. Manaea is a question mark in this game, and therefore a tricky part of any attempt to make a Pirates Padres pick.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Pirates-Padres MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Padres Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-137)
San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+114)
Over: 7 (-118)
Under: 7 (-104)
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Why The Pirates Could Cover the Spread
The Pirates have shown some spunk in recent weeks. They won a series against the Dodgers a few weeks ago. Earlier this week, they won a series from the Colorado Rockies. They have won a game in which they didn’t get a hit, the 1-0 victory over the Reds on May 15 in which Hunter Greene shut them down. The Pirates are not a high-quality team, but they have shown that they are not a cream-puff-level opponent. They have shown some resilience, including in their series against the Padres earlier this season. The Padres won the series, but narrowly. The teams split the first two games, and the Padres — leading by only one run after eight innings — managed to win a hard-fought rubber match. Pittsburgh is a flawed team, but not a pushover. Keep that in mind when formulating a Pirates Padres prediction.
Why The Padres Could Cover the Spread
After losing two of three games at home to the Milwaukee Brewers in what could be a National League Championship Series preview, the Padres get to stay at home. After a day off on Thursday, they host the Pirates. Being able to get adequate rest and not having to travel, combined with playing an inferior ballclub, should give the Padres all the advantages they need for this game. This is something to consider when you ultimately arrive at a Pirates Padres pick based on the current Pirates Padres odds.
Final Pirates-Padres Prediction & Pick
If Manaea can be moderately better than he has been in recent weeks — not dominant, but solid and able to stake the Padres to an early lead — San Diego should be able to beat Pittsburgh.
Final Pirates-Padres Prediction & Pick: Padres -1.5
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