The San Diego Padres will be taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The opening pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET and this NL showdown will be shown on both ATPT and FSSD.
San Diego Padres vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
The Pirates are 26-18 SU and 22-20 ATS. They’ve gained 6.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 3.5 units against the spread (ATS). Pittsburgh has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Padres are 18-28 SU and have gone 20-24 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 5.1 units for moneyline gamblers in the season’s early going and 10.9 units ATS. San Diegohas covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven.
Pirates games have a 21-16-5 over/under record so far in 2018. San Diego has an over/under record of 19-23-2.
Clayton Richard will get the nod for the visiting Padres. The left-handed Richard is 2-5 with a 5.20 ERA and 50 strikeouts. He has yet to face Pittsburgh this year, but he made two starts against the team in 2017, putting together a 0-1 record with a 3.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
The Pirates are going with righty Nick Kingham (2-0, 2.92 ERA), who has 16 punchouts and one walks, as well as a WHIP of 0.65. Kingham did not pitch in the majors last season.
San Diego’s pitchers have allowed 4.7 runs per game and its starters own a 4.90 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 8.51 K/9. The bullpen has managed a solid ERA of just 3.11, along with a WHIP of 1.52.
The Padres offense has slashed .228/.300/.363 on its way to 3.7 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.0 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
San Diego’s hitters have been powered by first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Christian Villanueva, who’ve collectively belted 16 home runs. Hosmer is slashing .277/.375/.503 with six home runs, 20 RBIs and 22 runs scored, while Villanueva is hitting .234 with 10 homers, 22 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
For the home team, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has yielded 4.3 runs per game overall in 2018. The club’s starters have a 4.12 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.76 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 10.0 K/9.
Pittsburgh’s offense is putting up 5.0 runs per outing, including 5.9 per game over its last 10 games and 3.4 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .238/.351/.381 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Catcher Francisco Cervelli and outfielder Starling Marte have led the Pirates’ hitters so far. Cervelli is slashing .296/.418/.556 with six home runs, 24 RBIs and 16 runs scored, and Marte’s line sits at .308/.366/.503 with six homers, 19 RBIs, 30 runs and 10 stolen bases.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .249/.342/.370, Cervelli seemed to take a step back when hitting lefty pitching at home last year, slashing .222/.323/.259 over 31 such plate appearances.
The Padres have lost 4.8 units and are 14-15 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 11 of those games, compared to 16 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Pirates have netted 1.1 units and are 4-4 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over has cashed in six of those games, compared to two that went under the total.
San Diego Padres at Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Padres, O/U – OVER
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
San Diego has posted 17.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 19.6 over its last five.
The Padres have hit four home runs in their last 10 games. The Pirates have hit 13 over their last 10.
*****
