Vegas Play of the Day: Padres at Pirates

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016 | 8:13 a.m.

We’ve entered the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015.

Pittsburgh Pirates minus-130 vs. San Diego Padres: $520 to win $400: I always like betting against teams such as the Padres who are playing out the final two months of the season.

The Padres enter with a 48-63 record, while the Pirates are three-games out of a wild-card playoff berth. Both teams had the day off yesterday, meaning Pittsburgh could focus on beating an inferior opponent in a push to make the playoffs. As crazy as it sounds, this series is a must-win for the Pirates if they want to make a fourth straight postseason.

San Diego Starter Luis Perdomo enters with a 6.67 earned run average in 11 starts — ugly, right? In his most recent start Aug. 2, he yielded 10 hits and issued four walks. Chad Kuhl returns from Triple-A to start for Pittsburgh, which isn’t a bad thing. The Pirates have won all four of his starts, including July 17 at Washington when Kuhl pitched six scoreless innings.

Current Standings: Keefer (5-4, $10,120), Brewer (4-5, $9,895), Bern (3-5, $9,670)

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21