Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals 8/28/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Busch Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Ivan Nova vs. Jack Flaherty

Busch Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, August 28, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Ivan Nova for the Pirates and Jack Flaherty for the Cardinals.

Pittsburgh opens at +144 while St. Louis opens at -154. The Pirates have a 62-62-7 over/under record and a 64-67-0 run line mark. The Cardinals are 64-67-0 against the run line and have a 59-65-7 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 62-62-7 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-67-0 against the run line

Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 59-65-7 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 64-67-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

08/26/18 2B Josh Harrison Hamstring is questionable Tuesday vs St Louis Cardinals
08/17/18 SS Jordy Mercer Calf 10-day DL (08/15)
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 St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

08/26/18 2B Kolten Wong Hamstring is questionable Tuesday vs Pittsburgh Pirates
08/26/18 P Mike Mayers Shoulder 10-day DL (08/26)
08/22/18 LF Marcell Ozuna Shoulder 10-day DL (08/22)
08/22/18 P Matt Pearce Shoulder 10-day DL (08/22)
08/04/18 CF Dexter Fowler Foot 60-day DL (08/04)
07/31/18 P Luke Gregerson Shoulder 60-day DL (07/26)
06/30/18 P Alex Reyes Side 60-day DL (06/30)
06/20/18 P Matt Bowman Blister 10-day DL (06/20)
06/20/18 P Michael Wacha Oblique 10-day DL (06/20)
05/15/18 P Adam Wainwright Elbow 60-day DL (05/14)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 64-67 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Ivan Nova has a 7-8 record with an earned run average of 4.20 and a WHIP of 1.27 this year. He has 95 strikeouts over his 137 innings pitched and he's given up 147 hits. He's allowed 9.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.53. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.04 and they have given up 424 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the bullpen and they've struck out 476 hitters and walked 202 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,141 base hits and 532 earned runs. They have allowed 137 home runs this season, ranking them 22nd in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 417 batters and struck out 1,058. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 4.08.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .254, good for 10th in the league. The Pirates hold a .410 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Josh Harrison is hitting .257 with an on-base percentage of .299. He has 81 hits this season in 315 at bats with 33 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .365 and an OPS+ of 82. Starling Marte is hitting .275 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .323. He has totaled 122 hits and he has driven in 58 men in 444 at bats. His OPS+ is 113 while his slugging percentage is at .459. The Pirates have 1,130 hits, including 230 doubles and 132 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 395 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,008 times as a unit. They have left 881 men on base and have a team OPS of .730. They score 4.4 runs per contest and have scored a total of 576 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

St. Louis has a 73-58 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.97, Jack Flaherty has a 7-6 record and a 1.05 WHIP this season. He has 144 strikeouts over the 115.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 80 hits. He allows 6.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.76. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.24 and they have given up 438 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 408 batters and walked 197 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.71. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,071 base knocks and 485 earned runs this season. They have given up 114 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 459 hitters and struck out 1,065 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 3.92.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .251, good for 14th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .413 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .273 with an OBP of .385. He has 125 hits this year along with 71 RBI in 458 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .579 with an OPS+ of 159. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .275 this season and he has an OBP of .319. He has collected 133 hits in 484 at bats while driving in 69 runs. He has an OPS+ of 97 and a slugging percentage of .409. The Cardinals as a unit have 1,120 base hits, including 202 doubles and 168 homers. St. Louis has walked 425 times this year and they have struck out on 1,087 occasions. They have had 903 men left on base and have an OPS of .735. They have scored 4.6 runs per game and totaled 602 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +144

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