Kansas City Royals at Pittsburgh Pirates 9/18/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Eric Skoglund vs. Jameson Taillon

PNC Park is the site of the matchup between the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, September 18, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Eric Skoglund for the Royals and Jameson Taillon for the Pirates.

Kansas City opens at +199 while Pittsburgh opens at -215. The Royals have a 65-74-10 over/under record and a 69-80-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 74-74-0 against the run line and have a 66-74-8 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 65-74-10 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 69-80-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 66-74-8 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 74-74-0 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 52-97 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Eric Skoglund has a 1-5 record with an earned run average of 6.19 and a WHIP of 1.34 this year. He has 43 strikeouts over his 56.2 innings pitched and he's given up 59 hits. He's allowed 9.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.32. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.07 and they have given up 532 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .272 against the bullpen and they've struck out 407 hitters and walked 227 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.7 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 5.03. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 1,412 base hits and 736 earned runs. They have allowed 192 home runs this season, ranking them 6th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 515 batters and struck out 1,073. 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 4.70.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .246, good for 17th in the league. The Royals hold a .390 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307, which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Salvador Perez is hitting .234 with an on-base percentage of .272. He has 109 hits this season in 465 at bats with 75 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .447 and an OPS+ of 94. Whit Merrifield is hitting .302 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .366. He has totaled 174 hits and he has driven in 57 men in 576 at bats. His OPS+ is 120 while his slugging percentage is at .436. The Royals have 1,239 hits, including 259 doubles and 140 home runs. Kansas City has walked 401 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,198 times as a unit. They have left 980 men on base and have a team OPS of .697. They score 3.91 runs per contest and have scored a total of 583 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 74-74 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.37, Jameson Taillon has a 13-9 record and a 1.20 WHIP this season. He has 156 strikeouts over the 171 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 163 hits. He allows 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.54. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.11 and they have given up 475 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .247 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 530 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 4.04. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,271 base knocks and 590 earned runs this season. They have given up 158 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 455 hitters and struck out 1,214 batters. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 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 12th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .272 with an OBP of .316. He has 140 hits this year along with 66 RBI in 515 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .449 with an OPS+ of 108. Corey Dickerson is hitting .293 this season and he has an OBP of .324. He has collected 137 hits in 467 at bats while driving in 50 runs. He has an OPS+ of 113 and a slugging percentage of .456. The Pirates as a unit have 1,264 base hits, including 263 doubles and 143 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 434 times this year and they have struck out on 1,137 occasions. They have had 979 men left on base and have an OPS of .722. They have scored 4.31 runs per game and totaled 638 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates -215

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