St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates 4/28/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, April 28, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jack Flaherty vs. Trevor Williams

The St. Louis Cardinals visit PNC Park on Saturday, April 28, 2018 to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Jack Flaherty for the Cardinals and Trevor Williams for the Pirates.

The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -123 and Pittsburgh at +113. The Cardinals have a 11-11-2 over/under record and a 14-10-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 13-12-0 against the run line and have a 13-9-3 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 11-11-2 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 14-10-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 13-9-3 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 13-12-0 against the run line

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

04/23/18 P Adam Wainwright Elbow 10-day DL (04/20)
04/13/18 P Sam Tuivailala Knee 10-day DL (04/10)
03/31/18 P Alex Reyes Elbow 60-day DL (03/31)
03/31/18 P Brett Cecil Shoulder 10-day DL (03/31)

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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 15-9 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty has a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 1.80 and a WHIP of 1.40 this season. He has 9 strikeouts over his 5 innings pitched and he's given up 6 hits. He's allowed 10.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 0.18. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.36 and they have given up 78 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the bullpen and they've struck out 81 hitters and walked 37 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.22. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 195 base hits and 79 earned runs. They have allowed 20 home runs this season, ranking them 26th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 89 batters and struck out 209. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.90.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .246, good for 12th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .407 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.4 hits per game. Tommy Pham is hitting .368 with an on-base percentage of .484. He has 28 hits this season in 76 at bats with 8 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .539 and an OPS+ of 187. Jose Martinez is hitting .311 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .388. He has totaled 28 hits and he has driven in 18 men in 90 at bats. His OPS+ is 145 while his slugging percentage is at .489. The Cardinals have 202 hits, including 36 doubles and 32 home runs. St. Louis has walked 96 times so far this season and they have struck out 216 times as a unit. They have left 173 men on base and have a team OPS of .737. They score 4.96 runs per contest and have scored a total of 119 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 14-11 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.15, Trevor Williams has a 3-1 record and a 1.16 WHIP. He has 21 strikeouts over the 29.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 19 hits. He's allowing 5.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.72. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.97 and they have given up 92 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .268 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 85 batters and walked 36 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.27. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 220 base knocks and 107 earned runs this season. They have given up 23 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 81 hitters and struck out 197 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.34 while their FIP as a staff is 3.97.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 9th in the league. The Pirates hold a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Josh Bell comes into this matchup batting .240 with an OBP of .302. He has 23 hits this year along with 15 RBI in 96 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .344 with an OPS+ of 79. Corey Dickerson is hitting .314 this season and he has an OBP of .348. He has collected 27 hits in 86 at bats while driving in 13 runs. He has an OPS+ of 133 and a slugging percentage of .500. The Pirates as a unit have 221 base hits, including 46 doubles and 26 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 84 times this year and they have struck out on 190 occasions. They have had 168 men left on base and have an OPS of .742. They have scored 4.92 runs per game and totaled 123 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates +113

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