San Francisco Giants (24-26) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (23-27)
May 23, 2024 12:35 pm EDT
The Line: Pittsburgh Pirates -155 / San Francisco Giants +135; Over/Under: +8.5
(Get latest betting odds)
In this article we will formulate a Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants prediction for this MLB game on Thursday, May 23rd at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game three in the series.
Pirates Trying to Bounce Back
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 23-27 this year and they have won four of their last six games. Pittsburgh won game one in this series by a score of 7-6, but they blew a big lead in game two for the loss. Prior to this series, the Pirates won three out of four against the Cubs, lost two out of three against the Brewers, and lost two out of three against the Cubs. Pittsburgh is 6-8 in their last 14 games and they are fourth in the NL Central behind the Brewers, Cubs, and Cardinals.
The Pittsburgh pitching staff has a 3.95 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and a .237 opponent batting average. The Pirates offense has scored 192 runs with a .226 batting average and a .302 on base percentage. Bryan Reynolds is batting .251 with six home runs and 26 RBI’s for the Pirates this season. Pittsburgh is 23rd in runs scored this season and they have scored three runs or fewer in four of their last eight games.
Giants are Heating Up
The San Francisco Giants are 24-26 this season and they have won five of their last six games. San Francisco lost game one in this series, but they did win game two by a score of 9-5 on Wednesday. Prior to this series, the Giants swept the Rockies, lost two out of three against the Dodgers, and won two out of three against the Reds. San Francisco has won seven of their last ten games and they are third in the NL West behind the Dodgers and Padres.
The San Francisco pitching staff has a 4.47 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and a .258 opponent batting average. The Giants offense has scored 212 runs with a .248 batting average and a .317 on base percentage. Matt Chapman is batting .245 with seven home runs and 24 RBI’s for the Giants this season. San Francisco is 17th in runs scored this season, but they have scored at least four runs in nine of their last ten games.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for San Francisco is Mason Black, who is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP over 11.2 innings pitched this year. Black has allowed 10 earned runs and 18 hits over three starts this year (11.2 IP). The projected starting pitcher for Pittsburgh is Paul Skenes, who is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP over 10.0 innings pitched this season. Skenes allowed three earned runs and six hits in his first start this season, but he threw 6.0 no hit innings with 11 strikeouts in his second start.
Why the Pittsburgh Pirates will win
The Giants have lost each of their last six games following an extra innings win.
The Pirates have won six of their last seven day games against National League opponents that held a losing record.
The Giants have failed to cover the run line in each of their last seven games following an extra innings win.
The Pirates have covered the run line in six of their last seven day games against National League opponents.
Total Runs Facts
Each of the Giants’ last four road games have gone OVER the total runs line.
Five of the Pirates’ last six home games against National League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last five day games between the Giants and Pirates.
The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Giants’ last four day games.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants Prediction
Pittsburgh had a great chance at taking the first two games in this series, but they collapsed in game two and will try to bounce back here. The Pirates are starting Paul Skenes, who is must watch tv after his electric second start of the season. San Francisco has played very well over the last week, but they are just 9-16 on the road this season. The Giants are starting Mason Black, who has not had many positives so far through three outings. I like how the Giants are hitting the baseball right now, but I am going to jump on the Skenes bandwagon for this start. My Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants prediction is for the Pirates to win by at least two runs.
