San Diego Padres vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction 7-26-23 MLB Picks

The Pirates and Padres meet Wednesday in game 3 of an MLB series at Petco Park. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Pirates Betting Preview

The Pirates need a win after dropping to 3-8 since the all star break. The Pirates now find themselves 10.5 games out of the wild card race. The Pirates pitching staff is 22nd in ERA (4.54), 24th in WHIP (1.38) and 11th in quality starts (39). The Pirates offense is 24th in runs per game (4.16), 22nd in batting average (.238) and 26th in homers (94). Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 85 hits and 46 RBI, while Carlos Santana and Andrew McCutchen have combined for 156 hits and 80 RBI. Johan Oviedo gets the ball, and he is 3-11 with a 4.77 ERA and 101 strikeouts this season. This will be Oviedo’s second career game against the Padres.

Padres Betting Preview

The Padres look for a big series after winning 5 of their last 8 games. The Padres are 6 games back in the NL wild card race. The Padres pitching staff is 5th in ERA (3.81), 15th in WHIP (1.26) and 5th in quality starts (47). The Padres' offense is 13th in runs per game (4.53), 24h in batting average (.235) and 9th in homers (128). Fernando Tatis Jr. leads the Padres with 96 hits and 50 RBI, while Xander Bogaerts and Juan Soto have combined for 188 hits and 97 RBI. Seth Lugo gets the ball, and he is 4-4 with a 3.72 ERA and 71 strikeouts this season. Lugo is 0-1 with a 4.58 ERA and 14 strikeouts in his career against the Pirates.

San Diego Padres Player Prop Facts

• Juan Soto ranks 2nd amongst qualified players for On Base Percentage (.416) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The San Diego Padres ranks 2nd in the league for walks this season (424).
• The San Diego Padres ranks 4th in the league for ERA this season (3.78).
• The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks 26th in the league for home runs this season (94).
• The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks 26th in the league for slugging percentage this season (.384).

Randy’s Pick

The Padres are an underachieving team, and backing them in big favorite roles isn't a solution long term. However, the Pirates have fallen off a cliff over the last month or so and they continue to head in the wrong direction. The Pirates don't win with Johan Oviedo on the mound, and he has a 4.77 ERA and 1.37 WHIP on the season. If the Padres are going to get back in the playoff race and make August interesting, these are games they can't afford to lit slip away. It's that simple. Give me the Padres and the RL for max betting value.