The San Francisco Giants are ready to play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. This NL matchup begins at 7:05 p.m. ET and fans can watch the game on ATPT and NSBA.
San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
San Francisco (+120) is entering this game as the underdog to Pittsburgh (-130) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this one at 8.5 runs (-110 for the under and -110 for the over). Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds coming in at Giants +1.5 runs (-175) and Pirates +-1.5 runs (+155).
The Giants have gone 19-20 SU this year and are 23-15 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 4.0 units for moneyline gamblers through the early portions of the year and 5.4 units ATS. San Francisco is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Pirates, on the other hand, are 22-16 SU and 20-17 ATS. The team’s gained 4.1 units for moneyline bettors and 3.4 units ATS. Pittsburgh has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the over has cashed in four of those seven.
Pittsburgh games have had an over/under record of 19-13-5 so far in 2018. San Francisco has an over/under record of 19-19.
Jeff Samardzija will get the nod for San Francisco. The right-handed Samardzija is 1-2 with a 6.62 ERA and 15 strikeouts. He has yet to face Pittsburgh this year, but he made two starts against the team in 2017, putting together a 2-0 record with a 2.08 ERA and 13 strikeouts.
The Pirates will put the ball in the right hand of Chad Kuhl (4-2, 4.12 ERA), who’s got 36 strikeouts and 12 walks as well as a 1.30 WHIP. Kuhl only made one start against the Giants in 2017 (0-0, 1.50 ERA and three strikeouts across six innings).
Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 4.4 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The team’s starting pitching staff has a 4.15 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.11 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 10.0 K/9.
Pittsburgh’s hitters have produced 5.1 runs per outing, including 5.5 per game over its last 10 games and 7.8 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .307/.371/.570 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that span.
Right fielder Starling Marte and catcher Francisco Cervelli have led the Pirates’ offense so far. Marte is slashing .300/.361/.493 with six home runs, 19 RBIs, 28 runs and nine steals, while Cervelli’s line is .303/.403/.545 with five homers, 22 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
Marte seemed to enjoy hitting righties at home last year. Over 132 such plate appearances, he slashed .374/.447/.565 (his total season line was .275/.333/.379).
In the visiting dugout, San Francisco’s pitching staff allowed 4.7 runs per game and its starters own a 4.41 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 7.42 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.35, along with a K-per-9 of 7.98.
Giants hitters have slashed .249/.314/.385 on their way to 3.9 runs scored per game this year, including 4.5 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 2.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (0-5 SU).
First baseman Brandon Belt and catcher Buster Posey have led San Francisco’s hitters. Belt is slashing .276/.396/.488 with six home runs, 17 RBIs and 19 runs scored, while Posey is slashing .308/.369/.427 with two homers, 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
Compared to his total season slash line of .320/.400/.462, Posey did not perform especially well against righty pitching on the road last year, putting up a slash line of .276/.357/.400 across 210 such plate appearances.
The Giants have lost 3.1 units and are 10-10 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in seven of those games, as opposed to 13 that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Pirates have netted 3.5 units and are 17-15 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 14 of those games, as opposed to 13 that’ve cashed the under.
San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Giants, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
Pittsburgh has posted 23.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 29.8 over its last five.
The Giants have hit seven home runs in their last 10 games. The Pirates have hit 18 over their last 10.
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