Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds 5/22/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Great American Ball Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jameson Taillon vs. Matt Harvey

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 to take on the Cincinnati Reds. The expected starting pitchers are Jameson Taillon for the Pirates and Matt Harvey for the Reds.

The odds for this matchup have Pittsburgh at -125 and Cincinnati at +115. The Pirates have a 24-17-5 over/under mark and a 22-24-0 run line record. The Reds are 24-24-0 against the run line and have a 22-24-2 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 24-17-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 22-24-0 against the run line

Important Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 22-24-2 against the over/under

The Cincinnati Reds are 24-24-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

05/19/18 CF Starling Marte Oblique 10-day DL (05/16)
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)

Key Cincinnati Reds Injuries

03/30/18 P Michael Lorenzen 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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 26-20 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has a 2-3 record with an earned run average of 3.97 and a WHIP of 1.26 this year. He has 40 strikeouts over his 45.1 innings pitched and he's given up 42 hits. He allows 8.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.29. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.91 and they have given up 157 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .252 against the bullpen and they've struck out 172 hitters and walked 58 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.07. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 394 base hits and 186 earned runs. They have allowed 47 home runs this season, ranking them 22nd in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 135 batters and struck out 378. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.86.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .260, good for 5th in the league. The Pirates hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. Josh Bell is hitting .260 with an on-base percentage of .335. He has 44 hits this season in 169 at bats with 27 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .408 and an OPS+ of 104. Corey Dickerson is hitting .307 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .343. He has totaled 51 hits and he has driven in 29 men in 166 at bats. His OPS+ is 128 while his slugging percentage is at .494. The Pirates have 407 hits, including 86 doubles and 51 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 160 times so far this season and they have struck out 346 times as a unit. They have left 325 men on base and have a team OPS of .760. They score 4.89 runs per contest and have scored a total of 225 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Cincinnati has a 16-32 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 6.17, Matt Harvey has a 0-2 record and a 1.43 WHIP this season. He has 27 strikeouts over the 35 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 41 hits. He allows 10.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.05. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.06 and they have given up 174 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .242 against the Reds bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 185 batters and walked 84 opposing hitters. As a team, Cincinnati allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8 batters per nine innings. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.92. The Reds pitchers as a team have surrendered 442 base knocks and 234 earned runs this season. They have given up 69 home runs this year, which ranks 2nd in Major League Baseball. Cincinnati as a staff has walked 183 hitters and struck out 378 batters. They give up a walk 3.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.77.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 20th in the league. The Reds hold a .372 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. Joey Votto comes into this matchup batting .283 with an OBP of .406. He has 47 hits this year along with 24 RBI in 166 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .428 with an OPS+ of 129. Jose Peraza is hitting .250 this season and he has an OBP of .274. He has collected 47 hits in 188 at bats while driving in 10 runs. He has an OPS+ of 65 and a slugging percentage of .330. The Reds as a unit have 386 base hits, including 77 doubles and 44 homers. Cincinnati has walked 174 times this year and they have struck out on 400 occasions. They have had 354 men left on base and have an OPS of .689. They have scored 3.98 runs per game and totaled 191 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Reds +115

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