The San Diego Padres host the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 25, 2026. First pitch from Petco Park is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on SportsNet PT.
The Padres are favored by -118 on the moneyline and are +1.5 on the run line. The Pirates are +110 on the moneyline and -1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 7.5 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Pirates vs Padres prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Pirates vs Padres Prediction
- Pirates vs Padres Pick: Padres ML (-118)
My Pirates vs Padres best bet is on San Diego to win outright. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Pirates vs Padres Odds
| Pirates Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +176 | 7.5 -100o / -122u | +110 |
| Padres Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -215 | 7.5 -100o / -122u | -118 |
- Pirates vs Padres moneyline: Pirates +110, Padres -118
- Pirates vs Padres over/under: 7.5 (-100o/ -122u)
- Pirates vs Padres spread: Pirates -1.5 (+176), Padres +1.5 (-215)
Pirates vs Padres Probable Pitchers
| Paul Skenes (RHP, PIT) | Stat | Michael King (RHP, SD) |
|---|---|---|
| 9-11 | W-L | 8-9 |
| 3.8 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 1.9 |
| 3.95 / 3.17 | ERA / xERA | 3.38 / 4.35 |
| 3.01 / 3.25 | FIP / xFIP | 4.29 / 4.35 |
| 22.7 | K-BB% | 11.5 |
| 39.6 | GB% | 45.2 |
| .308 | BABIP | .249 |
| 99 | Stuff+ | 95 |
| 107 | Location+ | 101 |
Pirates vs Padres MLB Betting Preview
Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview
The Pirates (64-69) won the series opener in San Diego in a 3-2 victory in 10 innings. Braxton Ashcraft gave them six strong innings, allowing only one earned run.
They'll look to build on that win as they send Paul Skenes to the mound. Skenes is trying to get back on track after what's been an extended rough patch.
San Diego Padres Betting Preview
The Padres (71-61) have won 11 of their last 15 games, so they're still in top form despite dropping last night's game in a one-run loss.
They're going with Michael King in this game as they look to even up the series against the Pirates.
Pirates vs Padres Pick, Betting Analysis
I'm going with Padres moneyline here.
We're getting a reasonable price on the vastly superior team. The Padres have been excellent at home, with a 40-27 record this season.
I'm fading Paul Skenes, who looks gassed right now. In his last 10 starts, Skenes has a 5.82 ERA (4.10 xERA) and a 1.51 WHIP with a 28.7% strikeout rate and a 10.3% walk rate in 51 innings.
Skenes has also gone five innings or fewer in four consecutive outings, even being limited to 65 pitches in an August 11th start vs. the Marlins. There's clearly something up here.
With the Pirates pretty much out of contention at 7.5 games back of the final NL Wild Card, they have no incentive to push Skenes here. So even if he performs well, it's unlikely to be a deep outing.
On the other side, Michael King has been much more effective at home (3.21 ERA, 22.4 K%) than on the road (3.56 ERA, 19.6 K%). He's given up one earned run or fewer in three of his last five home starts.
In the last 14 days, the Pirates have a 75 wRC+, which ranks 26th in MLB, so look for King to put forth a quality outing here. In the same timeframe, the Padres have a 122 wRC+, good for 3rd in MLB.
To that end, I give the Padres the slight edge on the mound, which is crazy to say in a game with King vs Skenes, but that's where we're at right now.
Pick: Padres ML (-118, FanDuel)
