The Pittsburgh Pirates host the San Francisco Giants on August 6, 2025. First pitch from PNC Park is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. EDT; the game will be broadcast on NBCS-BA.
The Giants snagged Game 2 of the series in Pittsburgh and are -160 favorites to win Game 3.
Read our Giants vs Pirates prediction and MLB pick below.
My Giants vs Pirates Prediction
- Giants vs Pirates Picks: Giants -1.5 (-105 or better)
My Giants vs Pirates best bet is on the Giants run line, with the best odds currently on DraftKings. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Giants vs Pirates Odds
| Giants Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +112 | 7.5 -119o / -102u | -157 |
| Pirates Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -137 | 7.5 -119o / -102u | +128 |
Giants vs Pirates Projected Starting Pitchers
| LHP Robbie Ray (SFG) | Stat | LHP Andrew Heaney (PIT) |
|---|---|---|
| 9-5 | W-L | 5-9 |
| 1.7 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.2 |
| 2.85 / 3.36 | ERA / xERA | 4.89 / 5.33 |
| 3.79 / 4.03 | FIP / xFIP | 5.21 / 4.71 |
| 1.12 | WHIP | 1.31 |
| 2.6 | K-BB% | 2.2 |
| 39.4 | GB% | 36 |
| 97 | Stuff+ | 93 |
| 95 | Location+ | 103 |
Sean Paul���s Giants vs Pirates Preview
Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview
Andrew Heaney has pitched terribly for the last month, posting a 9.00 ERA across 14 innings through his past five outings. He finished the fifth inning in just one of those outings and went fewer than four innings in three of the five.
I’d be shocked if Heaney’s results changed much in the final couple of months of the year. He enters this outing with a 4.89 ERA, a 5.33 xERA, and a 5.26 FIP.
He also possesses one of the worst Savant pages you'll see. Heaney sits in the sixth percentile among qualified pitchers in xBA, 17th in average exit velocity, 16th in barrel rate, and 20th in hard-hit rate.
In the past, Heaney had the swing and miss stuff to make up for his shortcomings. That's not the case anymore, as Heaney is punching out 6.44 batters per nine, down from 8.94 last year and 9.22 the prior season.
The main thing plaguing the Pirates all year is their lousy offense. It gets a lot of attention when Paul Skenes twirls another gem, only to record another loss or a no-decision. Things have improved lately, as the Pirates rank 17th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ since the All-Star break.
In particular, hitting left-handed pitching is a trying task for Pittsburgh. Among the 30 MLB lineups, the Pirates rank 29th in wRC+ against southpaws.
For example, Spencer Horowitz is a right-handed pitching masher. He’s batting over .350 in his last 15 games, but he’s batting below .200 against lefties.
On the same side of the coin, O’Neil Cruz is borderline unplayable against lefties.
The only reliable options versus lefties in the Pirates lineup are Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds, and Liover Peguero, who's been sensational since being recalled from the minors last week.
San Francisco Giants Betting Preview
Robbie Ray is the perfect pitcher to hand this Pirates squad a series loss. The Giants' stud southpaw has been brilliant all year, but even more so of late. He's pitching to a stout 2.89 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP in 43 2/3 innings over his past seven starts.
Although Ray's underlying numbers don't pop like his ERA (3.36 xERA, 3.79 FIP), he should have a great start versus this lousy Pirates lineup. Ray used to sell out for strikeouts, but he's throwing more strikes, and it's changed his season. Despite posting his worst K/9 since 2015, Ray has his best BB/9 since 2022 and his best HR/9 since 2015.
Who knew all it would take for the Giants to post a strong offense was for Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Willy Adames to start hitting? All three slumped since Devers' arrival, until the All-Star break provided a much-needed rest.
The Giants rank 10th in MLB with a 109 wRC+ in 17 games since the All-Star break. Devers, Adames, and Chapman each have a wRC+ above 125 during the span.
That's a lineup that should pounce on Heaney, like all of his recent opponents have done.
Giants vs Pirates Prediction, Betting Analysis
Everything in this spot favors a convincing Giants victory.
They've dominated this series, except for the ninth inning on Monday, when Randy Rodriguez blew a multi-run lead for a loss.
On Tuesday, the Giants hammered rookie hurler Mike Burrows, and I don't see anything different happening against a bad pitcher in Heaney.
I would've taken the ML at -140, but with the line sitting over -160, that's too rich for my blood.
So, let's go with the run line here, as I think the Giants win by multiple runs anyway.
Pick: Giants -1.5 (-105 or better)
Moneyline
If the Giants get to -140, I'd take them at that number.
Run Line (Spread)
I like the Giants on the run line here.
Over/Under
No play
