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Pirates vs. Giants Prediction and Odds for Sunday, August 14 (Over in Play Despite Two Struggling Offenses)

By Ben Heisler

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr has swung the bat well over his last 10 games; hitting three home runs and driving in four.
San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr has swung the bat well over his last 10 games; hitting three home runs and driving in four. / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
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The San Francisco Giants look to climb back to .500 this afternoon as they attempt to sweep away the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates from Oracle Park.

San Francisco covered both games on Friday and Saturday on the run line by the slimmest of margins; taking down Pittsburgh 5-3 on Friday, and then shutting them out Saturday 2-0.

Neither team has gotten much offense going of late. The Giants are hitting .236 as a team while the Pirates are just .222 over their last 10 games.

How might that impact today's starters in Zach Thompson (3-8, 5.08 ERA) and Alex Wood (8-9, 4.17 ERA)?

Here are the latest odds from WynnBET Sportsbook for today's showdown in San Francisco.

Pirates vs. Giants Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line:

  • Pirates +1.5 (+105)
  • Giants -1.5 (-125)

Moneyline:

  • Pirates +237
  • Giants -260

Total:

  • 8 (OVER -115 | UNDER -105)

Pirates vs. Giants Prediction and Pick

For much of the season, Alex Wood was one of the most unlucky pitchers in baseball. Things have started to even out a little bit, but his 4.17 ERA still feels like it's a bit too high for his 3.64 expected ERA. However, Wood's still known to have a blowup or two, particularly with the long ball. He's given up four home runs over his last four games, but got back on track his last time out in San Diego; shoving for 6.1 shutout innings against the Padres.

As for Zach Thompson, he's just been mediocre to bad all season long for Pittsburgh. His ERA stands at 5.08, but his Fielding Independent Pitching, or FIP, is 5.27 and his expected ERA is nearly identical to his actual ERA (5.07). You know exactly what to expect from him each start, and the results tend not to go well.

With great hitting weather in San Francisco today, I think eight runs may not be enough despite both offenses scuffling.

LEAN: OVER 8 (-115)

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