The Pittsburgh Pirates (37-42) will aim for a surprising sweep over the San Diego Padres (37-43) on Thursday afternoon. Pittsburgh opened the series with a 9-4 win on Tuesday before adding a 7-1 victory on Wednesday. San Diego is on a four-game losing streak and is 7.5 games back of the Dodgers for third place in the National League West. Right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove (6-2, 3.88 ERA) will be on the mound for the Padres, while right-hander Luis Ortiz (2-3, 3.74 ERA) is making the start for Pittsburgh. 

The game is slated to begin at 12:35 p.m. ET from PNC Park. The Padres are listed at -205 (risk $205 to win $100) on the money line in the latest Pirates vs. Padres odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total runs scored is 8.5. (see the latest lines for every game on our MLB odds page).

Before making any Pirates vs. Padres picks, you NEED to see the latest MLB predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It went 331-285 on top-rated MLB money-line picks (+357) over the past two seasons. It has opened the 2023 MLB season on a 36-28 roll on all-top rated MLB picks, including a 9-2 mark on top-rated run-line picks (+450). Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns!

The model knows Pittsburgh has bounced back from a lengthy losing stretch with a pair of wins over San Diego earlier this week, climbing back toward the .500 mark overall this season. The Pirates are only 5.0 games behind Cincinnati for first place in the NL Central. Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo are three rookies who have all made their MLB debuts in the past 10 days, going a combined 4 of 10 with two RBI, three runs and two hit batters in Pittsburgh's 9-4 win on Wednesday. 

The model also knows Musgrove has won three straight starts for San Diego, giving up a combined six runs across 19 innings. He held Washington to one run and six hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts last Friday in his most recent start. San Diego's lineup is led by slugger Juan Soto, who is batting .267 with 14 home runs and 41 RBI. Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis have both cracked the 70-hit mark already this season as well. 

Now, it has set its sights on Pirates vs. Padres. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the run total, and it also says one side of the money line has ALL the value! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any MLB picks.

So who wins Padres vs. Pirates, and which side of the money line has ALL the value? Join SportsLine now to find out, all from the model that is profitable over the past two seasons on top-rated MLB money-line picks!