The San Diego Padres (37-43) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (37-42) wrap up a 3-game series Thursday at PNC Park. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Padres vs. Pirates odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Pirates lead 2-0 after a 7-1 victory on Wednesday
The Padres are in the midst of a 4-game skid, and are just 2-7 in their past 9 games overall to slip to 6 games under .500. San Diego is also just 1-6 across its previous 7 games on the road and trails the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks by 10 1/2 games.
The Pirates had lost 10 in a row from June 13-22 and were just 1-12 in the 13 games before this series. However, Pittsburgh has outscored San Diego by a 16-5 count, and the 2-game run total is the most for the Bucs against the same opponent since also scoring 16 runs in consecutive games from May 19-20 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.