MLB Thursday best bets: Darvish, Scherzer duel in San Diego

Well, that hurts. The Cubs snapped an 11-game losing streak the moment we bet against them, though our 0-2 record on Wednesday only dropped us to 44-25-2 on the season. Here are our best bets for Thursday:

Pirates under 3 runs (-105) at Mets

Few things are as consistently profitable to bet than the Pirates' under, as bookmakers simply can't get this number low enough on a daily basis. Pittsburgh has plated two or fewer runs in eight of its last 10 games and 14 of its last 23, and it almost hasn't mattered who takes the mound for the other team.

This time, the Pirates' bats will have to crack Mets veteran Taijuan Walker, who's allowed two or fewer runs in 12 of his 15 starts this season. Pittsburgh is averaging three runs per game on the road and should struggle to get to that mark on Thursday.

Nationals-Padres under 7 (-110)

It's risky to recommend the under on such a low number, especially with these two lineups, but this pitching matchup simply demands it.

Padres ace Yu Darvish has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season, allowing two or fewer runs in 13 of 17 starts this season en route to a sterling 2.65 ERA through 102 innings. Conversely, Max Scherzer has held Nationals opponents to two or fewer runs in each of his last 11 starts, including a strong six-inning performance against the Dodgers on Friday.

This season, the under is a stellar 87-63-8 (58%) when the total is seven or below. Don't let a low number scare you away from what profiles as an epic pitcher's duel.

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at cjackson.cowart@thescore.com.