Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals 9/12/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Busch Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jameson Taillon vs. Daniel Poncedeleon

Busch Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, September 12, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Jameson Taillon for the Pirates and Daniel Poncedeleon for the Cardinals.

Pittsburgh opens at -113 while St. Louis opens at +103. The Pirates have a 64-71-8 over/under record and a 71-72-0 run line mark. The Cardinals are 71-73-0 against the run line and have a 64-73-7 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-71-8 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 71-72-0 against the run line

Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 64-73-7 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 71-73-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

09/08/18 RF Gregory Polanco Knee is out for season
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)

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

09/10/18 C Yadier Molina Hamstring is questionable Tuesday vs Pittsburgh Pirates
08/26/18 P Mike Mayers Shoulder 10-day DL (08/26)
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 60-day DL (06/20)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 71-72 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has a 12-9 record with an earned run average of 3.40 and a WHIP of 1.21 this year. He has 152 strikeouts over his 164 innings pitched and he's given up 159 hits. He's allowed 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.57. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.99 and they have given up 454 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the bullpen and they've struck out 518 hitters and walked 211 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.02. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,230 base hits and 568 earned runs. They have allowed 151 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 439 batters and struck out 1,171. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.05.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .254, good for 10th in the league. The Pirates hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Starling Marte is hitting .277 with an on-base percentage of .320. He has 137 hits this season in 495 at bats with 66 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .459 and an OPS+ of 111. Corey Dickerson is hitting .289 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .318. He has totaled 132 hits and he has driven in 47 men in 456 at bats. His OPS+ is 108 while his slugging percentage is at .450. The Pirates have 1,227 hits, including 250 doubles and 142 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 416 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,091 times as a unit. They have left 948 men on base and have a team OPS of .725. They score 4.33 runs per contest and have scored a total of 619 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

St. Louis has a 80-64 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.67, Daniel Poncedeleon has a 0-1 record and a 1.15 WHIP this season. He has 23 strikeouts over the 27 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 19 hits. He allows 6.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.86. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.28 and they have given up 484 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 448 batters and walked 228 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.3 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 3.72. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,189 base knocks and 535 earned runs this season. They have given up 124 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 518 hitters and struck out 1,162 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 3.95.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .250, good for 15th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .413 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Jose Ramirez comes into this matchup batting .283 with an OBP of .397. He has 147 hits this year along with 98 RBI in 520 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .575 with an OPS+ of 158. Matt Carpenter is hitting .270 this season and he has an OBP of .385. He has collected 136 hits in 503 at bats while driving in 77 runs. He has an OPS+ of 155 and a slugging percentage of .559. The Cardinals as a unit have 1,223 base hits, including 217 doubles and 189 homers. St. Louis has walked 465 times this year and they have struck out on 1,216 occasions. They have had 981 men left on base and have an OPS of .734. They have scored 4.64 runs per game and totaled 668 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates -113

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