Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds 5/24/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Great American Ball Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Ivan Nova vs. Luis Castillo

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Great American Ball Park on Thursday, May 24, 2018 to take on the Cincinnati Reds. The expected starting pitchers are Ivan Nova for the Pirates and Luis Castillo for the Reds.

The odds for this matchup have Pittsburgh at +118 and Cincinnati at -128. The Pirates have a 24-18-5 over/under mark and a 22-25-0 run line record. The Reds are 25-24-0 against the run line and have a 22-25-2 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 24-18-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 22-25-0 against the run line

Important Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 22-25-2 against the over/under

The Cincinnati Reds are 25-24-0 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 26-21 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Ivan Nova has a 2-4 record with an earned run average of 4.79 and a WHIP of 1.31 this year. He has 43 strikeouts over his 56.1 innings pitched and he's given up 66 hits. He allows 10.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.96. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.91 and they have given up 158 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 176 hitters and walked 58 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.14. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 403 base hits and 193 earned runs. They have allowed 48 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 136 batters and struck out 390. They have walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.80.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .258, good for 6th in the league. The Pirates hold a .426 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 .256 with an on-base percentage of .333. He has 44 hits this season in 172 at bats with 27 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .401 and an OPS+ of 102. Corey Dickerson is hitting .302 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .341. He has totaled 51 hits and he has driven in 29 men in 169 at bats. His OPS+ is 125 while his slugging percentage is at .485. The Pirates have 413 hits, including 86 doubles and 53 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 165 times so far this season and they have struck out 352 times as a unit. They have left 333 men on base and have a team OPS of .758. They score 4.83 runs per contest and have scored a total of 227 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Cincinnati has a 17-32 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.61, Luis Castillo has a 3-4 record and a 1.50 WHIP this season. He has 50 strikeouts over the 51.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 57 hits. He allows 10 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.86. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.05 and they have given up 177 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .242 against the Reds bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 186 batters and walked 87 opposing hitters. As a team, Cincinnati allows 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.86. The Reds pitchers as a team have surrendered 448 base knocks and 236 earned runs this season. They have given up 71 home runs this year, which ranks 2nd in Major League Baseball. Cincinnati as a staff has walked 188 hitters and struck out 384 batters. They give up a walk 3.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 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 .239, good for 20th in the league. The Reds hold a .374 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Joey Votto comes into this matchup batting .278 with an OBP of .403. He has 47 hits this year along with 24 RBI in 169 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .420 with an OPS+ of 127. Jose Peraza is hitting .251 this season and he has an OBP of .279. He has collected 48 hits in 191 at bats while driving in 10 runs. He has an OPS+ of 67 and a slugging percentage of .330. The Reds as a unit have 395 base hits, including 81 doubles and 45 homers. Cincinnati has walked 175 times this year and they have struck out on 412 occasions. They have had 358 men left on base and have an OPS of .691. They have scored 4.04 runs per game and totaled 198 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +118

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