The San Francisco Giants will play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET and this NL showdown will be televised on both ATPT and NSBA.
San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Pittsburgh (-130) is the favorite over San Francisco (+120) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this game at 8.5 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). Gamblers can also bet on the games runline with the current odds sitting at -175 for the Giants +1.5 runs and +155 for the Pirates -1.5 runs.
The Pirates are 22-16 SU and 20-17 ATS. They’ve gained 4.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 3.4 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 Giants, on the other hand, have gone 19-20 SU this year and are 23-15 ATS. In total, the teams gained 4.0 units for moneyline gamblers in the seasons early going and 5.4 units ATS. San Francisco is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has cashed in four of those seven.
Pirates games have had an over/under record of 19-13-5 thus far in 2018. The Giants have an over/under record of 19-19.
The right-handed Jeff Samardzija will get the nod for the visiting Giants. 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 Pirates in 2017, posting a 2-0 record against them with a 2.08 ERA and 13 strikeouts.
The Pirates will send righty Chad Kuhl (4-2, 4.12 ERA) to the mound. Kuhl has 36 strikeouts and 12 walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.30. Kuhl only made one start against the Giants in 2017 (0-0, 1.50 ERA and three strikeouts across six innings).
As a unit, Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 4.4 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have an ERA of 4.15, a WHIP of 1.24 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.3. The bullpen has a 4.11 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 10.0 K/9.
Pittsburgh’s offense is putting up 5.1 runs per contest, including 5.5 per game over its last 10 games and 7.8 per game over its last five. The team has hit .307/.371/.570 over its last five contests and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
The Pirates batters have been led by right fielder Starling Marte and catcher Francisco Cervelli. Marte is slashing .300/.361/.493 with six home runs, 19 RBIs, 28 runs and nine steals, and Cervelli’s line sits at .303/.403/.545 with five homers, 22 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
Marte enjoyed hitting against righty pitching at home last year, slashing .374/.447/.565 over 132 such plate appearances (his overall season line was .275/.333/.379).
In the other dugout, San Francisco’s pitchers have 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 WHIP of 1.29.
The Giants offense has slashed .249/.314/.385 on its way to 3.9 runs scored per game this year, including 4.5 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 2.0 per game over the teams last five outings (0-5 SU).
First baseman Brandon Belt and catcher Buster Posey have led San Francisco’s offense. Belt is slashing .276/.396/.488 with six home runs, 17 RBIs and 19 runs scored, while Posey (.308/.369/.427) has produced two homers, 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .320/.400/.462, Posey did not seem to enjoy hitting against righty pitching on the road last season, putting up a slash line of only .276/.357/.400 across 210 such plate appearances.
The Giants have lost 3.1 units and are 10-10 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in seven of those games, compared to 13 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Pirates have netted 3.5 units and are 17-15 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s cashed in 14 of those games, compared to 13 that’ve gone under.
San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Giants, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- San Francisco fielders have 14 errors over the last 10 games, compared to six errors for Pittsburgh over its last 10.
- The Giants have hit seven home runs in their last 10 games. The Pirates have hit 18 over their last 10.
