Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals 9/28/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Nationals Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Steven Brault vs. Edwin Jackson

Nationals Park is the site of the matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals on Thursday, September 28, 2017. The probable starting pitchers are Steven Brault for the Pirates and Edwin Jackson for the Nationals.

Pittsburgh opens at +148 while Washington opens at -158. The Pirates have a 62-90-5 over/under record and a 83-74-0 run line mark. The Nationals are 76-81-0 against the run line and have a 67-80-10 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 62-90-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 83-74-0 against the run line

Important Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 67-80-10 against the over/under

The Washington Nationals are 76-81-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

09/03/17 2B Josh Harrison Hand 60-day DL (09/03)
08/27/17 C Francisco Cervelli Quad 10-day DL (08/26)

Key Washington Nationals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 72-85 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Steven Brault has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.38. He has 19 strikeouts over his 32.2 innings pitched and he's given up 35 hits. He allows 9.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.89. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.84 and they have given up 497 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the bullpen and they've struck out 476 hitters and walked 204 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.22. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,411 base hits and 655 earned runs. They have allowed 177 home runs this season, ranking them 27th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 493 batters and struck out 1,220. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 4.23.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .244, good for 27th in the league. The Pirates hold a .387 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen is hitting .278 with an on-base percentage of .362. He has 155 hits this season in 557 at bats with 87 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .487 and an OPS+ of 121. Josh Bell is hitting .252 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .331. He has totaled 134 hits and he has driven in 84 men in 531 at bats. His OPS+ is 105 while his slugging percentage is at .460. The Pirates have 1,293 base hits, including 243 doubles and 148 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 500 times so far this year and they have struck out 1,168 times as a team. They have left 1,101 runners on base and have a team OPS of .705. They tally 4.1 runs per contest and have totaled 643 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Washington has a 95-62 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.40, Edwin Jackson has a 5-6 record and a 1.56 WHIP. He has 53 strikeouts over the 70 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 82 hits. He allows 10.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 6.51. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.35 and they have given up 445 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Nationals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 426 batters and walked 154 opposing hitters. As a team, Washington allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.84. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,263 base knocks and 598 earned runs this season. They have given up 188 home runs this year, which ranks 18th in Major League Baseball. Washington as a staff has walked 471 hitters and struck out 1,413 batters. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.24 while their FIP as a staff is 4.01.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .264, good for 5th in the league. The Nationals hold a .448 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 9.1 hits per contest. Daniel Murphy comes into this matchup batting .315 with an OBP of .376. He has 163 hits this year along with 90 RBI in 517 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .542 with an OPS+ of 134. Anthony Rendon is hitting .300 this season and he has an OBP of .401. He has collected 148 hits in 494 at bats while driving in 96 runs. He has an OPS+ of 139 and a slugging percentage of .532. The Nationals as a team have 1,423 base knocks, including 301 doubles and 209 home runs. Washington has walked 518 times this season and they have struck out 1,281 times. They have had 1,054 runners left on base and have an OPS of .778. They have scored 5.06 runs per contest and totaled 794 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Pirates/Nationals MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates +148

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