Padres vs. Pirates prediction and odds for Wednesday, June 28 (Pitcher's duel on the way)

The Pirates offense has been sputtering, but Mitch Keller has been on point. We give our expert breakdown on how to bet on this Wednesday showdown.

Jun 22, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller (23) pitches
Jun 22, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller (23) pitches | Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The Pirates offense is struggling in a big way and will turn to its best pitcher to get the team a win on Wednesday.

Mitch Keller draws the start on Wednesday against the Padres, who counter with Blake Snell, who is starting to look like the All-Star caliber pitcher that the Friars hoped they were getting when they acquired him from Tampa Bay a few years ago.

Is this matchup shaping up to be a pitcher's duel? Here's our best bet:

Padres vs. Pirates odds, run line and total

Padres vs. Pirates prediction and pick

Snell has been on a roll for San Diego, allowing only one earned run in four June starts. He has found his strikeout pitch, punching out more than 15 batters per nine innings and should have little issue handling a Pirates lineup that is hitting .214 this month.

However, Keller should be up to the test as he looks to continue his elite play this season. He is striking out more than 10 batters per nine innings, the most since his 11 start stint as a rookie. He has also lowered his walk rate to a career low 2.4 per nine which is key against a Padres team that is one of two ball clubs with a 10% or higher walk rate.

The Padres are hitting the ball well at .260 in the month of June, but I'm going to trust Keller to keep the runs to a minimum behind his 3.45 ERA (3.27 xERA).

Give me the under on Wednesday as both offenses struggle to string together runs against two stud pitchers.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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