Padres vs Pirates Picks and Prediction – 5/3/2025

The San Diego Padres play the second game of a three-game series on the road Saturday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. San Diego is 19-11 following its 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, completing a two-game sweep of that series, after winning the first game 7-4 on Tuesday. San Diego is second in the National League West, 1 ½ games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. Keep up to date with all the MLB action with our expert MLB picks.

Fernando Tatis Jr is batting .345 with eight home runs, 18 RBI, 39 hits, and an on-base percentage of .409 to lead San Diego in all five categories. Jackson Merrill is one of three players for the Padres with three home runs, which is second for the Padres. On Saturday, San Diego will send Randy Vasquez to the mound. The right-hander is 1-3 with a 4.28 ERA, 10 Ks, and 19 BBs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped to 12-20 following an 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. Pittsburgh lost two out of three in its series versus Chicago, and the Pirates have lost four of the last five. Pittsburgh is last in the National League Central, seven games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa is batting .280 to lead Pittsburgh, and Bryan Reynolds is the leader in hits with 30. Oneil Cruz is the leader in home runs with eight, RBI with 17, and on-base percentage at .362. Pittsburgh is batting .224 with a .339 slugging percentage. On Saturday, the Pirates will send Bailey Falter to the mound. The left-hander is 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA, 22 Ks, and 9 BBs.

The play here is OVER. The OVER has cashed in 10 of San Diego's last 14 on the road versus Pittsburgh and in four of Pittsburgh's last five overall. San Diego starter Randy Vasquez has struggled in two consecutive starts, allowing nine runs on 10 hits across 6.2 innings. Pittsburgh starter Bailey Falter has struggled in each of the last two outings, allowing eight runs on 13 hits across 8.1 innings. Final Score Prediction: Pittsburgh Pirates win, but our best play is OVER 8-4.