San Francisco Giants vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Odds
Since 2018, the Giants are 14-16 Against the Pirates

The second half of the Major League Baseball season kicks off Friday, with our focus squarely on one of our best MLB bets today when the San Francisco Giants (49-41) head to the East Coast to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (41-49). The Pirates will send Rich Hill out to start the series. He’ll be opposed by Ross Stripling for the Giants. San Francisco opens as -125 favorite with the total sitting at 9 -105/-115. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET / 4:05 pm PT. Let’s continue our Giants vs Pirates betting odds preview with a deeper look at both teams from a betting perspective.
Giants vs Pirates 
Day/Time:
Location: PCN Park
Pittsburgh Pirates Goal: Get Back To .500
This may not be the top game on today’s MLB schedule, but there’s certainly a lot of intrigue regarding the Pirates. We’re less than three weeks away from the trade deadline (August 1st), and typically this time of year the Pirates use their assets to buy other players they hope will turn into serviceable ball players, who then can be traded for more prospects. Owner Robert Nutting has been in charge for 17 seasons, looks season ticket holders in the eye year after year, and tells them the franchise is turning the corner. Actually, he tells GM Ben Cherington to deal with season ticket holders once a year at a meet and greet.
The great fans of Pittsburgh should take a page from the Oakland Athletics at some point, and demand better of their owner. The Pirates will be sellers at the deadline, with the final nail in the coffin for most fans coming if they deal Andrew McCutchen. Pittsburgh is 29-41 (-196 units) this season as an underdog, bringing their five-year total to 201-339 (.372) -4492 units. Only the Kansas City Royals (-4886) are worse in the role of the underdog than Pittsburgh. As a home dog, the Buccos are 99-136 (.421) -20 units. History tells us having our money behind Pittsburgh has been a losing effort. We continue our Giants vs Pirates betting odds preview with a deeper look at San Francisco.
Giants Within Striking Distance Of NL West Leaders
The difference between the Giants and the Pirates in the standings is notable. While one team is struggling to hit the .500 mark again, San Francisco is just 2.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
At the all-star break, there was a lot of talk about where all-star Shohei Ohtani would land. Many in Seattle think Ohtani should follow in the footsteps of Ichiro Suzuki and join the Seattle Mariners. Some in San Francisco have other ideas.
Pitcher Alex Cobb publicly said Ohtani is coming to the bay and we don’t mean Oakland. That remains to be seen but to open the second we would like to remind bettors that the Giants have turned a decent profit for bettors in 2023 (+372 units). Over the last five years, San Francisco is 343-293 (.539) +3,938 units against the moneyline. They are by far the most profitable team in baseball in that span, 1,236 units won more than the Tampa Bay Rays. We conclude our Giants vs Pirates betting odds preview with our official selection.
Moneyline Too High; Total Better Play
We would love to pull the trigger on the Giants but the number is a little high from what we’re looking for, no matter how good the bankroll is. In 2023, the Giants are likely to continue using their bullpen so it’s hard to rely on a starter giving bettors a complete game. San Francisco owns a 3.80-team era (11th) while the Pirates are doing Pirate things with the 22nd-ranking pitching staff (4.24 era). It’s hard to rely on either staff to produce a pitcher’s duel, so we’re recommending getting your cash on the over to start the second half. That does it for our Pirates vs Giants betting odds preview. All the best in the second half.
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