Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals 5/31/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Busch Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Trevor Williams vs. Jack Flaherty

Busch Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, May 31, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Trevor Williams for the Pirates and Jack Flaherty for the Cardinals.

Pittsburgh opens at +150 while St. Louis opens at -160. The Pirates have a 27-21-6 over/under record and a 24-30-0 run line mark. The Cardinals are 23-29-0 against the run line and have a 19-28-5 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 27-21-6 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 24-30-0 against the run line

Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 19-28-5 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 23-29-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

05/29/18 C Francisco Cervelli Illness is "?" Wednesday vs Chicago Cubs
05/28/18 P Ivan Nova Finger 10-day DL (05/25)
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 St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

05/29/18 CF Dexter Fowler Knee is "?" Wednesday vs Milwaukee Brewers
05/27/18 P Greg Holland Hip 10-day DL (05/26)
05/19/18 P Matt Bowman Finger 10-day DL (05/17)
05/18/18 3B Paul DeJong Hand 10-day DL (05/18)
05/16/18 P Luke Gregerson Shoulder 10-day DL (05/16)
05/15/18 P Adam Wainwright Elbow 60-day DL (05/14)
05/10/18 P Carlos Martinez Back 10-day DL (05/09)
05/07/18 P Dominic Leone Arm 60-day DL (05/06)
05/06/18 C Yadier Molina Groin 10-day DL (05/06)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 28-26 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Trevor Williams has a 5-3 record with an earned run average of 3.43 and a WHIP of 1.13 this year. He has 43 strikeouts over his 63 innings pitched and he's given up 51 hits. He's allowed 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.19. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.22 and they have given up 188 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the bullpen and they've struck out 198 hitters and walked 71 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.13. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 460 base hits and 218 earned runs. They have allowed 55 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 155 batters and struck out 440. They have walked 2.9 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 3.85.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .254, good for 11th in the league. The Pirates hold a .418 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Corey Dickerson is hitting .311 with an on-base percentage of .348. He has 59 hits this season in 190 at bats with 31 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .489 and an OPS+ of 128. Josh Bell is hitting .250 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .323. He has totaled 48 hits and he has driven in 28 men in 192 at bats. His OPS+ is 95 while his slugging percentage is at .385. The Pirates have 460 hits, including 92 doubles and 57 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 177 times so far this season and they have struck out 398 times as a unit. They have left 367 men on base and have a team OPS of .743. They score 4.7 runs per contest and have scored a total of 249 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

St. Louis has a 29-23 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.15, Jack Flaherty has a 2-1 record and a 1.02 WHIP this season. He has 31 strikeouts over the 29.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 21 hits. He allows 6.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.25. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.29 and they have given up 175 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 166 batters and walked 74 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.57. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 421 base knocks and 186 earned runs this season. They have given up 43 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 171 hitters and struck out 427 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.26 while their FIP as a staff is 3.73.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .239, good for 20th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Jose Martinez comes into this matchup batting .306 with an OBP of .374. He has 57 hits this year along with 31 RBI in 186 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .457 with an OPS+ of 129. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .264 this season and he has an OBP of .306. He has collected 51 hits in 193 at bats while driving in 23 runs. He has an OPS+ of 79 and a slugging percentage of .342. The Cardinals as a unit have 412 base hits, including 72 doubles and 61 homers. St. Louis has walked 176 times this year and they have struck out on 456 occasions. They have had 345 men left on base and have an OPS of .704. They have scored 4.29 runs per game and totaled 219 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates +150

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn