The Pittsburgh Pirates (21-36) and the San Diego Padres (31-23) open a 3-game set Friday. First pitch from Petco Park is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Pirates vs. Padres odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

The Pirates are already 14½ games off the Cubs’ pace in the division and 11 ½ games out of a wild-card spot. Only the Rockies (.161) and Orioles (.345) have a worse winning percentage than the Pirates (.

The Padres took Game 1 of the series, 4-3 yesterday behind a Manny Machado homer in the bottom eighth. San Diego has followed up a six-game losing streak with three victories in the past four games. Miami’s two-game winning streak was snapped yesterday as the Marlins are 2-4 in the last six.