The Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of this season’s biggest surprises. They may be hovering just below .500, but the expectations for the Pirates coming into the year were so low, that even staying in contention is a success. The Pirates finish up a West Coast trip Wednesday afternoon with a series finale against the San Francisco Giants. It’s early, but both teams are looking to stay in the mix in their divisions and in the National League Wild Card race. Let’s dive into the betting odds for the Pirates-Giants game to find the sharpest MLB predictions and best bet.
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Best MLB Pirates-Giants Bet & Prediction: Low Run Total Could Get Even Lower
Pirates-Giants Odds
Odds via BetRivers Sportsbook
Pittsburgh Pirates: +110 | San Francisco Giants: -129
Over 8.5: -104 | Under 8.5: -114
Mitch Keller was a highly touted prospect when he arrived in the majors in 2019. It’s taken some time, but he is finally living up to his potential for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Keller is off to the best start of his career, posting a 3:01 ERA over his first eleven starts. His success is due, in part, to an increased strikeout rate, as the right-hander has whiffed 82 batters in 68.2 IP. That’s a huge increase from a year ago, when he K’d just 138 batters the entire year. This outburst shouldn’t be too surprising given Keller’s talent level. He is now 27-years old and could be in his prime.
Veteran Alex Wood will take the mound on the other side of this game. Wood is no world beater, but he’s no slouch either. The Giants’ veteran shouldn’t have too much trouble with a weak Pirates lineup. The team has performed well above expectations this year, but it remains to be seen if this is a real improvement or if their offense is playing above their heads. They certainly have dropped off after a hot start to the campaign, and after budding star SS O’Neil Cruz went down with a torn ACL in the first week of the year.
Most importantly, the betting market is simply a tad off on this number, at least at BetRivers. You can pick the Under 8.5 runs up right now for -115, which has a 2% expected ROI. OddsShopper’s market-based model uses the sharpest sportsbooks in every bet type to understand where the appropriate price for a bet should be. It’s found it, and this one is off market. Don’t break the bank, but you can put down about 1% of your bank roll to to get a safe long-term return on investment with this Pirates-Giants bet.
Best Pirates-Giants MLB Bet: Under 8.5 Runs (-115, at BetRivers)
