Kansas City Royals at Pittsburgh Pirates 9/19/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Heath Fillmyer vs. Chris Archer

The Kansas City Royals visit PNC Park on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Heath Fillmyer for the Royals and Chris Archer for the Pirates.

The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +170 and Pittsburgh at -200. The Royals have a 66-74-10 over/under record and a 70-80-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 74-75-0 against the run line and have a 67-74-8 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 66-74-10 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 70-80-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 67-74-8 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 74-75-0 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

09/17/18 C Francisco Cervelli Illness is questionable Tuesday vs Kansas City Royals
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 52-98 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Heath Fillmyer has a 3-1 record with an earned run average of 4.76 and a WHIP of 1.41 this season. He has 43 strikeouts over his 68 innings pitched and he's given up 66 hits. He's allowed 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.02. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.10 and they have given up 538 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .273 against the bullpen and they've struck out 408 hitters and walked 229 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 5.05. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 1,428 base hits and 743 earned runs. They have allowed 192 home runs this season, ranking them 6th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 518 batters and struck out 1,081. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.47 and their FIP as a unit is 4.69.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .246, good for 18th 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. Whit Merrifield is hitting .301 with an on-base percentage of .365. He has 175 hits this season in 581 at bats with 57 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .434 and an OPS+ of 120. Salvador Perez is hitting .235 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .272. He has totaled 110 hits and he has driven in 76 men in 469 at bats. His OPS+ is 93 while his slugging percentage is at .446. The Royals have 1,249 hits, including 262 doubles and 141 home runs. Kansas City has walked 401 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,203 times as a unit. They have left 986 men on base and have a team OPS of .698. They score 3.93 runs per contest and have scored a total of 589 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 75-74 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.66, Chris Archer has a 4-8 record and a 1.41 WHIP. He has 145 strikeouts over the 135.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 145 hits. He's allowing 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.87. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.10 and they have given up 477 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .247 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 531 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 1,281 base knocks and 596 earned runs this season. They have given up 159 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 455 hitters and struck out 1,219 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 .254, good for 10th in the league. The Pirates hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, 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 .292 with an OBP of .323. He has 138 hits this year along with 51 RBI in 472 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .453 with an OPS+ of 111. Starling Marte is hitting .273 this season and he has an OBP of .317. He has collected 142 hits in 520 at bats while driving in 67 runs. He has an OPS+ of 109 and a slugging percentage of .452. The Pirates as a unit have 1,280 base hits, including 264 doubles and 143 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 437 times this year and they have struck out on 1,145 occasions. They have had 990 men left on base and have an OPS of .724. They have scored 4.33 runs per game and totaled 645 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals +170

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