Kansas City Royals at Pittsburgh Pirates 9/17/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Monday, September 17, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Brad Keller vs. Joe Musgrove

The Kansas City Royals head to PNC Park on Monday, September 17, 2018 to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The expected starting pitchers are Brad Keller for the Royals and Joe Musgrove for the Pirates.

The odds for this matchup have Kansas City at +165 and Pittsburgh at -175. The Royals have a 64-74-10 over/under mark and a 69-79-0 run line record. The Pirates are 73-74-0 against the run line and have a 66-73-8 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 64-74-10 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 69-79-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 66-73-8 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 73-74-0 against the run line

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

09/14/18 P Jorge Lopez Ribs left last game, is questionable for next start
09/05/18 P Danny Duffy Shoulder is out for season
07/31/18 3B Cheslor Cuthbert Back 60-day DL (05/16)
06/27/18 P Justin Grimm Shoulder 10-day DL (06/24)
06/17/18 LF Jorge Soler Foot 60-day DL (06/16)
05/27/18 P Eric Skoglund Arm 60-day DL (05/26)
03/30/18 P Nathan Karns Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 CF Bubba Starling Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jesse Hahn Elbow 60-day DL (03/06)

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

09/08/18 RF Gregory Polanco Knee is out for season
06/29/18 P Chad Kuhl Forearm 60-day DL (06/27)
06/29/18 P Nik Turley Arm 60-day DL (06/29)
03/26/18 P A.J. Schugel Shoulder 60-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Royals have a 52-96 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Brad Keller has a 8-6 record with an earned run average of 3.04 and a WHIP of 1.30 this year. He has 87 strikeouts over his 127.1 innings pitched and he's given up 120 hits. He allows 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.63. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.06 and they have given up 522 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .270 against the bullpen and they've struck out 402 hitters and walked 225 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine innings. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.01. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 1,394 base hits and 728 earned runs. They have allowed 188 home runs this season, ranking them 7th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 512 batters and struck out 1,065. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.46 and their FIP as a unit is 4.68.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .245, good for 20th in the league. The Royals hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307, which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Whit Merrifield is hitting .303 with an on-base percentage of .368. He has 173 hits this season in 571 at bats with 56 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .438 and an OPS+ of 121. Salvador Perez is hitting .234 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .272. He has totaled 109 hits and he has driven in 75 men in 465 at bats. His OPS+ is 94 while his slugging percentage is at .447. The Royals have 1,226 hits, including 255 doubles and 139 home runs. Kansas City has walked 401 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,189 times as a unit. They have left 975 men on base and have a team OPS of .696. They score 3.9 runs per contest and have scored a total of 577 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 73-74 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.87, Joe Musgrove has a 6-9 record and a 1.17 WHIP this season. He has 96 strikeouts over the 109.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 105 hits. He allows 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.65. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.09 and they have given up 472 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .247 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 528 batters and walked 218 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.05. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,266 base knocks and 588 earned runs this season. They have given up 156 home runs this year, which ranks 24th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 453 hitters and struck out 1,205 batters. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.05.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 10th in the league. The Pirates hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Corey Dickerson comes into this matchup batting .289 with an OBP of .320. He has 134 hits this year along with 49 RBI in 463 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .449 with an OPS+ of 110. Starling Marte is hitting .272 this season and he has an OBP of .317. He has collected 139 hits in 511 at bats while driving in 66 runs. He has an OPS+ of 109 and a slugging percentage of .450. The Pirates as a unit have 1,259 base hits, including 261 doubles and 143 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 429 times this year and they have struck out on 1,129 occasions. They have had 974 men left on base and have an OPS of .723. They have scored 4.32 runs per game and totaled 635 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates -175

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