Pirates prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
The San Francisco Giants are looking to make a playoff push as they face the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with a Giants-Pirates prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Giants ended the first half of the season winning two of three from the Rockies. Still, they won just four of their last ten before the break and sit at 49-41 for the season. That places the Giants at 49-41 on the season and 2.5 games back of the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in the division. They do currently hold a wild-card spot, but they have just a half-game lead over the Brewers and Phillies in that race.
The Pirates enter the game off a win over Arizona. Still, they have lost seven of their last ten and are now 41-49 on the season. This places them 8.5 games back of the Reds for first place in the division and 7.5 games out of the wild card. To open June, the Pirates were 28-27, since then, they have lost 21 times while winning just 13.
Here are the Giants-Pirates MLB odds,
MLB Odds: Giants-Pirates Odds
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+130)
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-156)
Over: 9 (-115)
Under: 9 (-105)
How To Watch Giants vs. Pirates
TV: Apple TV+
Stream: MLB.TV/Apple TV+
Time: 7:05 PM ET/ 4:05 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
The Giants enter the game with a solid offense. They are 11th in the majors in runs scored this year, while sitting 16th in batting average, 15th in on-base percentage, and 14th in slugging. They are led by J.D. Davis. Davis leads the team in RBIs and batting average on the season. July has not been great for Davis. He is hitting just .233 on the month with a home run and two RBIs. He has scored three times as well. The biggest concern is his lack of walks. He has not walked yet this month.
While Davis has not been hot, Wilmer Flores has. He is hitting .417 on the month with a .462 on-base percentage. Flores has only scored once this month though, and has not driven in a run. He has only been hitting singles as of late. He has ten hits on the month and his only extra-base hit is a double on July 8th.
Meanwhile, Mike Yastrzemski has struggled this month so far. He is hitting just .154 and also does not have an RBI. Yastrzemski only has two hits this month and one of them is for extra bases. He hit a double on July 4th against Seattle. Currently, Yastrzemski is on a four-game streak of going without a hit. Brandon Crawford does have two RBIs on the month with a help of a home run. Still, he is day-to-day right now and is hitting just .143.
The Giants will send out Ross Stripling in this one. He is currently 0-2 on the season with a 6.37 ERA. He has been starting as of late, with two starts in July. In each of them, he went under four innings, working more as an opener. He has a 3.18 ERA in July, and the Giants have not won a game in his two starts.
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The Pirate's offense has struggled this year, sitting 25th in runs scored on the year. They are also 21st in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, and 25th in slugging percentage. The Pirates are led on offense by Jack Suwinski. He has 19 home runs this year with 48 RBIs while hitting .235. He picked up his offense in July. Suwinski is hitting .321 on the month with a .444 OBP. He has three home runs and ten RBIs on the month. He has also hit two doubles, but strikeouts have been an issue. he has struck out 14 times this month, and two or more times in each of his last five games.
Ji-Man Choi has been hitting better as of late. He came back to the lineup on July 7th after last playing on April 13th. He has hit .250 since coming back, and in his last game, went 2-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Conner Joe has also been hot as of late. He is hitting .400 on the month with a .571 on-base percentage. He does not have an RBI though, and has only one extra base hit. That is a double.
While some guys have hit well, some of the major players have not hit well. Carlos Santana is hitting just .118 with two RBIs and no home runs. Bryan Reynolds is hitting just .152 this month with two RBIs and a home run. Further, Andrew McCuthen does not have a hit this month. He does have two walks but has not scored a run.
On the mound for the Pirates will be Rich Hill. He is 7-9 on the season with a 4.78 ERA. July has not gone well for Hill. He has given up eight runs in just nine innings of work in two starts. He has also given up a home run in each start while walking six. This has led to Hill having an 0-2 record with an 8.00 ERA in the month.
Final Giants-Pirates Prediction & Pick
While Ross Stripling is not an amazing pitcher, he does give the Giants the pitching edge in this one. Hill has not given up less than three runs in a game since June 9th. Further, the Giant's offense is better. It is not a lot better, but too many of the Pirate's bats are struggling right now. The Pirates are in a free fall. They are struggling on offense, and the pitching has not been solid. Even when they’ll get a good start, the bullpen is letting them down. Meanwhile, the Giant's bullpen has been better. Both teams are currently in the playoff race, but the Pirates are fading fast. Expect the Giants to start the second half hot. They will be in contention for the division crown. Expect a fair amount of runs in this one with a Giants win.
Final Giants-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Giants -1.5 (+130) and Over 9 (-115)
