Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates 4/8/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, April 8, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Tyler Mahle vs. Jameson Taillon

The Cincinnati Reds visit PNC Park on Sunday, April 8, 2018 to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Tyler Mahle for the Reds and Jameson Taillon for the Pirates.

The opening line for this matchup has Cincinnati at +133 and Pittsburgh at -156. The Reds have a 3-3-0 over/under record and a 2-4-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 5-2-0 against the run line and have a 5-2-0 over/under record.

Valuable Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 3-3-0 against the over/under

The Cincinnati Reds are 2-4-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 5-2-0 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 5-2-0 against the run line

Key Cincinnati Reds Injuries

04/06/18 LF Scott Schebler Elbow is "?" Saturday 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 1-5 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Tyler Mahle has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.50 this season. He has 7 strikeouts over his 6 innings pitched and he's given up 2 hits. He's allowed 1.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.16. The bullpen has an earned run average of 9.31 and they have given up 26 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .321 against the bullpen and they've struck out 17 hitters and walked 13 batters. As a team, Cincinnati allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.9 batters per nine innings. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 6.58. The Reds pitchers collectively have given up 54 base hits and 38 earned runs. They have allowed 9 home runs this season, ranking them 11th in the league. Cincinnati as a pitching staff has walked 29 batters and struck out 40. They have walked 5 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.60 and their FIP as a unit is 5.61.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Cincinnati is hitting .244, good for 13th in the league. The Reds hold a .363 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Adam Duvall is hitting .150 with an on-base percentage of .182. He has 3 hits this season in 20 at bats with 6 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .500 and an OPS+ of 78. Eugenio Suarez is hitting .227 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .346. He has totaled 5 hits and he has driven in 2 men in 22 at bats. His OPS+ is 116 while his slugging percentage is at .455. The Reds have 49 hits, including 7 doubles and 5 home runs. Cincinnati has walked 21 times so far this season and they have struck out 53 times as a unit. They have left 49 men on base and have a team OPS of .683. They score 3 runs per contest and have scored a total of 18 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 6-1 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.38, Jameson Taillon has a 1-0 record and a 0.75 WHIP. He has 9 strikeouts over the 5.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 4 hits. He's allowing 6.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.05. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.91 and they have given up 26 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .236 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 25 batters and walked 18 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.3. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 62 base knocks and 32 earned runs this season. They have given up 4 home runs this year, which ranks 27th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 32 hitters and struck out 54 batters. They give up a walk 4.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 3.63.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .282, good for 2nd in the league. The Pirates hold a .464 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .369, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 10.0 hits per contest. Josh Bell comes into this matchup batting .346 with an OBP of .438. He has 9 hits this year along with 5 RBI in 26 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .500 with an OPS+ of 156. Josh Harrison is hitting .344 this season and he has an OBP of .417. He has collected 11 hits in 32 at bats while driving in 4 runs. He has an OPS+ of 150 and a slugging percentage of .500. The Pirates as a unit have 70 base hits, including 18 doubles and 7 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 34 times this year and they have struck out on 45 occasions. They have had 48 men left on base and have an OPS of .833. They have scored 7 runs per game and totaled 49 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates -156

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