Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies 4/20/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, April 20, 2018

Citizens Bank Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Ivan Nova vs. Ben Lively

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Citizens Bank Park on Friday, April 20, 2018 to play the Philadelphia Phillies. The probable starters are Ivan Nova for the Pirates and Ben Lively for the Phillies.

The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +105 and Philadelphia at -115. The Pirates have a 11-6-1 over/under record and a 10-8-0 run line mark. The Phillies are 7-10-0 against the run line and have a 8-8-1 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 11-6-1 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 10-8-0 against the run line

Important Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 8-8-1 against the over/under

The Philadelphia Phillies are 7-10-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

04/17/18 2B Josh Harrison Hand 10-day DL (04/16)
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 Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

03/30/18 P Pat Neshek Shoulder 10-day DL (03/30)
03/29/18 P Mark Leiter Forearm 10-day DL (03/26)
03/29/18 P Tommy Hunter Hamstring 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jerad Eickhoff Back 10-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 12-6 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Ivan Nova has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 4.88 and a WHIP of 1.17 this season. He has 22 strikeouts over his 24 innings pitched and he's given up 24 hits. He's allowed 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.19. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.52 and they have given up 59 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .252 against the bullpen and they've struck out 50 hitters and walked 26 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.1 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.23. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 153 base hits and 77 earned runs. They have allowed 16 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 60 batters and struck out 129. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.05.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .265, good for 5th in the league. The Pirates hold a .439 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 9.1 hits per game. Josh Bell is hitting .278 with an on-base percentage of .338. He has 20 hits this season in 72 at bats with 13 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .389 and an OPS+ of 104. Corey Dickerson is hitting .328 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .354. He has totaled 20 hits and he has driven in 12 men in 61 at bats. His OPS+ is 143 while his slugging percentage is at .525. The Pirates have 163 hits, including 35 doubles and 20 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 63 times so far this season and they have struck out 124 times as a unit. They have left 113 men on base and have a team OPS of .773. They score 5.5 runs per contest and have scored a total of 99 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Philadelphia has a 10-7 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.87, Ben Lively has a 0-1 record and a 1.63 WHIP. He has 17 strikeouts over the 15.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 22 hits. He's allowing 12.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.56. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.73 and they have given up 47 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .209 against the Phillies bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 57 batters and walked 28 opposing hitters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.46. The Phillies pitchers as a team have surrendered 136 base knocks and 59 earned runs this season. They have given up 10 home runs this year, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball. Philadelphia as a staff has walked 51 hitters and struck out 140 batters. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.22 while their FIP as a staff is 3.34.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .226, good for 25th in the league. The Phillies hold a .375 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 7.6 hits per contest. Rhys Hoskins comes into this matchup batting .327 with an OBP of .486. He has 17 hits this year along with 13 RBI in 52 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .577 with an OPS+ of 199. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .271 this season and he has an OBP of .419. He has collected 16 hits in 59 at bats while driving in 5 runs. He has an OPS+ of 135 and a slugging percentage of .407. The Phillies as a unit have 129 base hits, including 32 doubles and 17 homers. Philadelphia has walked 83 times this year and they have struck out on 168 occasions. They have had 115 men left on base and have an OPS of .700. They have scored 5.18 runs per game and totaled 88 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates +105

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