The San Diego Padres and the Pittsburgh Pirates will play the rubber match of their 3-game set in a matinée today at Petco Park. The 29-17 Pads sit just three games back of the Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West and will send their 2017 first round pick to the hill, lefty Mackenzie Gore. Gore is living up to all expectations. He is 3-1 with a 2.06 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP over 35 innings of work. The 19-26 Bucs will send Roansy Contreras to the bump and his numbers look good, at 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP, but that was over just 12.2 innings of work. The Friars usually bounce back after a loss. They are 4-0 in their last four Sunday games and could have Manny Machado back today, who sat out yesterday with a sore elbow. San Diego scores more than Pittsburgh, gives up less and they are worth considering today.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES