Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals 8/30/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Busch Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Joe Musgrove vs. John Gant

Busch Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, August 30, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Joe Musgrove for the Pirates and John Gant for the Cardinals.

Pittsburgh opens at +121 while St. Louis opens at -131. The Pirates have a 62-63-7 over/under record and a 64-68-0 run line mark. The Cardinals are 65-67-0 against the run line and have a 59-66-7 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 62-63-7 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-68-0 against the run line

Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 59-66-7 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 65-67-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

08/28/18 2B Josh Harrison Hamstring is questionable Wednesday 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

08/28/18 2B Kolten Wong Hamstring 10-day DL (08/28)
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 64-68 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Joe Musgrove has a 5-7 record with an earned run average of 3.56 and a WHIP of 1.20 this year. He has 73 strikeouts over his 91 innings pitched and he's given up 89 hits. He's allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.73. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.02 and they have given up 428 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the bullpen and they've struck out 484 hitters and walked 202 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.11. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,151 base hits and 537 earned runs. They have allowed 139 home runs this season, ranking them 22nd in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 419 batters and struck out 1,067. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 4.09.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .254, good for 10th in the league. The Pirates hold a .409 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. Starling Marte is hitting .275 with an on-base percentage of .322. He has 123 hits this season in 448 at bats with 58 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .458 and an OPS+ of 112. Josh Harrison is hitting .257 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .301. He has totaled 81 hits and he has driven in 33 men in 315 at bats. His OPS+ is 83 while his slugging percentage is at .365. The Pirates have 1,136 hits, including 231 doubles and 132 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 397 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,013 times as a unit. They have left 884 men on base and have a team OPS of .728. They score 4.38 runs per contest and have scored a total of 578 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

St. Louis has a 74-58 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.56, John Gant has a 5-5 record and a 1.22 WHIP this season. He has 72 strikeouts over the 86 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 67 hits. He allows 7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.9. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.24 and they have given up 440 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 408 batters and walked 199 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 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.69. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,077 base knocks and 487 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 461 hitters and struck out 1,070 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 13th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .414 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Yadier Molina comes into this matchup batting .273 with an OBP of .321. He has 104 hits this year along with 57 RBI in 381 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .446 with an OPS+ of 107. Matt Carpenter is hitting .274 this season and he has an OBP of .385. He has collected 127 hits in 463 at bats while driving in 71 runs. He has an OPS+ of 158 and a slugging percentage of .577. The Cardinals as a unit have 1,130 base hits, including 204 doubles and 170 homers. St. Louis has walked 427 times this year and they have struck out on 1,096 occasions. They have had 911 men left on base and have an OPS of .736. They have scored 4.6 runs per game and totaled 607 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates +121

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