Pittsburgh Pirates at Minnesota Twins 8/15/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Target Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Chris Archer vs. Jose Berrios

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Target Field on Wednesday, August 15, 2018 to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are Chris Archer for the Pirates and Jose Berrios for the Twins.

The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +119 and Minnesota at -129. The Pirates have a 58-54-7 over/under record and a 58-61-0 run line mark. The Twins are 63-54-0 against the run line and have a 55-59-3 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 58-54-7 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 58-61-0 against the run line

Important Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 55-59-3 against the over/under

The Minnesota Twins are 63-54-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

08/12/18 C Francisco Cervelli Head is "?" Tuesday vs Minnesota Twins
08/08/18 RF Sean Rodriguez Abdominal 10-day DL (08/06)
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)
03/26/18 P Nick Burdi Elbow 60-day DL (02/20)

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

08/13/18 CF Byron Buxton Toe 10-day DL (05/30); expected to be activated Tuesday vs Pittsburgh
08/12/18 1B Logan Morrison Hip 7-day DL (08/11)
08/11/18 P Adalberto Mejia Wrist 10-day DL (08/10)
08/08/18 P Matt Belisle Knee 10-day DL (08/08)
08/07/18 LF Robbie Grossman Hamstring 10-day DL (08/06)
07/14/18 P Aaron Slegers Shoulder 10-day DL (07/11)
06/10/18 C Jason Castro Knee is out for season
03/26/18 P Michael Pineda Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Trevor May Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 61-58 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Chris Archer has a 4-5 record with an earned run average of 4.36 and a WHIP of 1.43 this season. He has 111 strikeouts over his 105.1 innings pitched and he's given up 114 hits. He's allowed 9.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.85. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.20 and they have given up 393 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 430 hitters and walked 181 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.2. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,047 base hits and 493 earned runs. They have allowed 122 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 385 batters and struck out 951. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 4.09.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .255, good for 8th in the league. The Pirates hold a .416 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Josh Harrison is hitting .254 with an on-base percentage of .298. He has 73 hits this season in 287 at bats with 32 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .366 and an OPS+ of 81. Starling Marte is hitting .277 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .321. He has totaled 112 hits and he has driven in 57 men in 405 at bats. His OPS+ is 114 while his slugging percentage is at .469. The Pirates have 1,027 hits, including 205 doubles and 126 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 355 times so far this season and they have struck out 908 times as a unit. They have left 787 men on base and have a team OPS of .736. They score 4.57 runs per contest and have scored a total of 544 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Minnesota has a 54-63 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.66, Jose Berrios has a 11-8 record and a 1.09 WHIP. He has 153 strikeouts over the 150 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 122 hits. He's allowing 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.72. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.67 and they have given up 441 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .268 against the Twins bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 432 batters and walked 142 opposing hitters. As a team, Minnesota allows 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.46. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,047 base knocks and 520 earned runs this season. They have given up 143 home runs this year, which ranks 9th in Major League Baseball. Minnesota as a staff has walked 397 hitters and struck out 1,021 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.38 while their FIP as a staff is 4.30.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 18th in the league. The Twins hold a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Max Kepler comes into this matchup batting .232 with an OBP of .321. He has 91 hits this year along with 44 RBI in 393 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .422 with an OPS+ of 101. Eddie Rosario is hitting .296 this season and he has an OBP of .337. He has collected 138 hits in 467 at bats while driving in 67 runs. He has an OPS+ of 123 and a slugging percentage of .495. The Twins as a unit have 976 base hits, including 237 doubles and 114 homers. Minnesota has walked 393 times this year and they have struck out on 984 occasions. They have had 783 men left on base and have an OPS of .713. They have scored 4.38 runs per game and totaled 513 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates +119

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