San Diego Padres vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 8/25/26, 6:11 PM  by Carlos Zabala | Modified on 8/26/26 at 12:05 AM in MLB Picks

The Padres have new owners who have vowed to win it all. For now, with a month or so of the season remaining, they hold the final wild card spot. After sweeping the Twins at Petco Park in a series where their bats came alive, they lost the first game of the series to the Pirates in extra innings.

Pittsburgh took the lead with a solo home run by Valdez and an RBI double by Flores. Fermín then scored for the Padres on a balk, and Cronenworth followed with an RBI single. Both teams' bullpens were clinical. In the bottom of the 10th, with the winning run on second, Harris popped out a bunt that resulted in a double play. Yates earned the win and Ramírez the save for the Pirates, striking out all three batters he faced.

For Game 2, the Pirates will start Skenes, hoping he can recapture his lost Cy Young form. He currently has a 9-11 record and a 3.95 ERA; the most likely reasons for his decline are that his fastball has lost about three miles per hour on average, he had another early exit against the Tigers, and he hasn't pitched six innings in six of his last seven starts.