Game 3 of the three-game series between the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates will take place on Thursday afternoon when the Giants travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to face the Pirates at PNC Park. The game starts at 12:35 PM ET and will air on the MLB Network, NBC Sports Bay Area, and SportsNet Pittsburgh.
The San Francisco Giants trailed the Pittsburgh Pirates 0-5 at the end of the 4th inning and looked like they were going to lose their 2nd consecutive game in the series after losing 6-7 in extra innings in Game 1 on Tuesday; however, the Giants would not allow another run in the game, would tie Game 2 in the top of the 9th inning with a base hit from LaMonte Wade, which scored Luis Matos, and would score 4 runs in the top of the 10th, including the game-winning base hit from Patrick Bailey, which scored Thairo Estrada.
San Francisco has been hot over their previous six games; they have compiled a record of 5-1 during that stretch and have outscored their opponents by an average of 7.83 to 3.83 runs per game in those contests. Despite going 5-1 over their last six games, the San Francisco Giants remain two games below.500 with a record of 24-26 and are in 3rd place in the NL West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
San Francisco has won six of the last ten against Pittsburgh, winning by an average margin of.8 runs per game in those contests. The San Francisco Giants will look to win back-to-back series for the second time this season when they travel to face the Pittsburgh Pirates for Game 3.
Paul Skenes has been as good as advertised after looking dominant in his first two starts in the MLB, with a strikeout rate of 16.2/9, which shows how dominant he has been. Skenes has a WHIP of.90 and has only issued three walks while having an ERA of 2.70. He will be making his third start of his young career on Thursday afternoon in Game 3 of the series against the San Francisco Giants.
The Pirates have struggled as a whole this season and are four games below.500 after losing Game 2 of the series on Wednesday in extra innings by a score of 5-9, which also ended their two-game winning streak. However, Pittsburgh has gone 4-2 over their previous six games and has outscored their opponents by an average of 4.83 to 4.17 during that stretch.
Pittsburgh has not won a back-to-back series since their first two series of the 2024 MLB season, but they have the opportunity to do so when they host the San Francisco Giants for Game 3 of the series on Thursday afternoon.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are listed as -154 moneyline favorites at home against the San Francisco Giants in Game 3 of the series on Thursday afternoon, according to WagerWeb. San Francisco has won six of the last ten against Pittsburgh and has won by an average margin of.8 runs per game in those matchups. It has also won two of the previous three meetings while winning by an average margin of 1.33 runs per game in those contests.
Paul Skenes will be making his third start of his career against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday afternoon. He has looked dominant in his first two starts with an ERA of 2.70 and is averaging 16.2 strikeouts per nine innings. I look for Skenes to remain dominant and pick up another win against the Giants in Game 3 of the series on Thursday afternoon. As a result, I am taking the moneyline for the Pittsburgh Pirates when they host the San Francisco Giants.
