Padres vs Pirates Odds, Picks & Predictions (June 29)

• The Padres and Pirates meet on Thursday
• San Diego is a heavy -190 favorite
• Keep reading for the Padres vs Pirates odds, picks, and predictions

The San Diego Padres (37-42, 17-20 away) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (36-42, 19-19 home) will wrap up a three-game set on Thursday afternoon at PNC Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:35 pm ET.

Joe Musgrove is getting the ball for the Padres, while the Bucs counter with Luis Ortiz.

Padres vs Pirates Odds

The Padres are the favorite with -190 moneyline odds for the rubber match, while the Pirates come back at +160. The total is set at 8.5, with the under being hit in four of the last five meetings between these two teams.

DRAFTKINGS
SPORTSBOOK

Bet $5 & Get $200 in Bonus Bets Instantly + a No Sweat NBA SGP Every Day!

LOCK IN PROMO

SIGNUP PROMO

BET $5
GET $200

+ A NO SWEAT NBA SGP

GET PROMO

Odds as of June 28th at DraftKings. Claim a DraftKings promo code to bet on San Diego vs Pittsburgh on Thursday. 

San Diego vs Pittsburgh Probable Pitchers

Musgrove is having a solid campaign for San Diego, going 6-2 with a 3.88 ERA. He’s struck out 55 hitters in 60.1 innings while walking 14. Musgrove also owns a 1.26 WHIP. The 30-year-old is easily one of the Padres’ most reliable starters.

Joe Musgrove, Painted 82mph Curveball. 🖌️🎨

7th K pic.twitter.com/jnmLZRBhe3

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 24, 2023

He’s also on quite the run of quality outings. Musgrove hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in six straight starts. Last time out, the righty tossed seven innings of one-run baseball against the Nationals, collecting his sixth win in the process. Musgrove has a career of 3.43 ERA versus his former team.

Musgrove vs Ortiz Stats

Ortiz is a 24-year-old out of the Dominican who is in only his second big league campaign. He’s pitching rather well too, compiling a 2-3 record and 3.75 ERA in eight starts. Ortiz has struck out 31 in 45.2 frames but he’s issued 22 walks. Thankfully, the command issues haven’t hurt him too much.

Ortiz coming off a pair of stellar starts. On June 23rd, he went eight innings against the Miami Marlins, giving up a mere one run on seven hits. Before that? Another one-run outing. He’s certainly in good shape heading into Thursday against a star-studded Padres lineup.

Padres Are Struggling

It’s truly been a nightmare season in San Diego. For a team with such talent, they’re seriously underperforming. The pitching staff has actually done their job, it’s the offense that is failing to produce.

Ha-Seong Kim in his last 12 games:

.395 AVG (17-43 AB)
3 HR
9 RBI
9 R
1.075 OPS@Padres | #BringTheGold pic.twitter.com/NsuulUGgxC

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 28, 2023

San Diego ranks 18th in runs, 25th in hits, 23rd in average, and 19th in slugging. Yes, that’s with the likes of Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis Jr. On a more positive note, there is still time to turn things around, but they need to do it in a hurry because Arizona is 10.5 games ahead of them in the NL West.

Bucs Looking For The Sweep

Pittsburgh isn’t completely hopeless in 2023 and trails the first-place Reds by just five games in the NL Central. While the Bucs are 3-7 in their last 10, they can complete the sweep of San Diego on Thursday, having secured a 7-1 win on Wednesday.

Henry Davis and Carlos Santana both drove in two apiece, while the latter also went yard. On the hill, Mitch Keller limited the Padres to one run in six innings. Hopefully, Ortiz can follow suit in the finale.

SD vs PIT – Last 10 Games

Padres vs Pirates Prediction

Sure, the Padres lineup is ice cold, but I can’t imagine them scoring just one run again on Thursday. I expect Musgrove to put his best foot forward while the bats will do their part.

Pick: Padres moneyline (-190)