Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates 4/5/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, April 5, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Homer Bailey vs. Steven Brault

The Cincinnati Reds visit PNC Park on Thursday, April 5, 2018 to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Homer Bailey for the Reds and Steven Brault for the Pirates.

The opening line for this matchup has Cincinnati at +112 and Pittsburgh at -122. The Reds have a 2-2-0 over/under record and a 2-2-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 3-1-0 against the run line and have a 3-1-0 over/under record.

Valuable Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 2-2-0 against the over/under

The Cincinnati Reds are 2-2-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 3-1-0 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 3-1-0 against the run line

Key Cincinnati Reds Injuries

04/04/18 LF Scott Schebler Elbow is "?" Thursday vs Pittsburgh Pirates
03/30/18 P Michael Lorenzen Shoulder 10-day DL (03/29)
03/30/18 P David Hernandez Shoulder 10-day DL (03/29)
03/26/18 P Rookie Davis Hip 60-day DL (03/02)
03/26/18 P Anthony DeSclafani Oblique 60-day DL (03/29)
03/26/18 P Brandon Finnegan Biceps 10-day DL (03/29)
03/26/18 P Kevin Shackelford Forearm 10-day DL (03/29)

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

04/03/18 P Joe Musgrove Shoulder 10-day DL (03/30)
03/26/18 P A.J. Schugel Shoulder 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Nick Burdi Elbow 60-day DL (02/20)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Reds have a 1-3 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Homer Bailey has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 1.50 and a WHIP of 1.17 this season. He has 3 strikeouts over his 6 innings pitched and he's given up 4 hits. He's allowed 6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.5. The bullpen has an earned run average of 7.62 and they have given up 15 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .288 against the bullpen and they've struck out 13 hitters and walked 9 batters. As a team, Cincinnati allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 5.25. The Reds pitchers collectively have given up 30 base hits and 21 earned runs. They have allowed 8 home runs this season, ranking them 5th in the league. Cincinnati as a pitching staff has walked 19 batters and struck out 31. They have walked 4.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 6.00.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Cincinnati is hitting .233, good for 18th in the league. The Reds hold a .383 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 23rd in MLB with 7.8 hits per game. Adam Duvall is hitting .154 with an on-base percentage of .143. He has 2 hits this season in 13 at bats with 5 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .462 and an OPS+ of 53. Joey Votto is hitting .200 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .294. He has totaled 3 hits and he has driven in 0 men in 15 at bats. His OPS+ is 35 while his slugging percentage is at .200. The Reds have 31 hits, including 6 doubles and 4 home runs. Cincinnati has walked 13 times so far this season and they have struck out 40 times as a unit. They have left 32 men on base and have a team OPS of .692. They score 3.25 runs per contest and have scored a total of 13 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 4-0 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 0.00, Steven Brault has a 1-0 record and a 1.00 WHIP. He has 3 strikeouts over the 3 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 2 hits. He's allowing 6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2. The bullpen has an earned run average of 6.00 and they have given up 17 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 15 batters and walked 12 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.4 batters per nine innings. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.5. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 35 base knocks and 20 earned runs this season. They have given up 2 home runs this year, which ranks 29th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 20 hitters and struck out 33 batters. They give up a walk 4.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.38 while their FIP as a staff is 3.57.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .266, good for 9th in the league. The Pirates hold a .441 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .355, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 9.5 hits per contest. Josh Bell comes into this matchup batting .438 with an OBP of .474. He has 7 hits this year along with 3 RBI in 16 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .500 with an OPS+ of 160. Josh Harrison is hitting .278 this season and he has an OBP of .381. He has collected 5 hits in 18 at bats while driving in 2 runs. He has an OPS+ of 133 and a slugging percentage of .500. The Pirates as a unit have 38 base hits, including 8 doubles and 5 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 20 times this year and they have struck out on 30 occasions. They have had 24 men left on base and have an OPS of .796. They have scored 6.75 runs per game and totaled 27 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates -122

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