On Tuesday night, the Giants finally broke their 2025 curse against the Pirates. After losing four straight against Pittsburgh to start the year, San Francisco won 8-1.
Now the teams throw out a couple of left-handers to decide the series in Wednesday’s matinee. The San Francisco Giants are -157 moneyline favorites on the DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 7.5 runs. Let’s dig into a preview, prediction and best bet for this Pirates-Giants game.
Pirates at Giants prediction, preview
After Logan Webb carved up the Pirates over six innings, San Francisco trots out a second ace on Wednesday in Robbie Ray.
Ray, 33, is having his best year since his 2021 Cy Young campaign. A .217 expected batting average backs up his 2.85 ERA, one of the best marks in the league. Ray’s electric fastball has been complemented by increased changeup usage. Giving San Francisco a second dependable All-Star pitcher has kept the team alive this season. Facing a Pirates lineup that has struggled all year, he should keep the good times rolling.
The opposite can be said for Andrew Heaney. The 34-year-old signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason, hoping to rehab some value to get one last significant deal in 2026. It doesn’t look like that deal is coming. Pittsburgh’s left-hander couldn’t even drum up trade rental interest, as his 5.33 expected ERA scared off all suitors. The only thing he’s been doing at an above-average level is keeping his walks down. Against a Giants offense swinging the bats well since the deadline, it could be a rough afternoon for the former first-round pick.
San Francisco has the better lineup, and it’s starting to wake up. It has a much better starting pitcher. And, on top of that, it won on Tuesday without having to use any significant bullpen arms. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has been behind the 8-ball after Monday’s starter, Johan Oviedo, only made it through one inning. Even if the Pirates can take a tie or a lead into the bullpen phase of the game, I don’t trust their relief arms to keep this one close.
