St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates 4/29/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, April 29, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Luke Weaver vs. Nick Kingham

The St. Louis Cardinals visit PNC Park on Sunday, April 29, 2018 to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Luke Weaver for the Cardinals and Nick Kingham for the Pirates.

The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -154 and Pittsburgh at +144. The Cardinals have a 12-11-2 over/under record and a 14-11-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 14-12-0 against the run line and have a 14-9-3 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 12-11-2 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 14-11-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 14-9-3 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 14-12-0 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 15-10 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Luke Weaver has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 4.85 and a WHIP of 1.35 this season. He has 24 strikeouts over his 26 innings pitched and he's given up 23 hits. He's allowed 8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.83. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.53 and they have given up 83 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 85 hitters and walked 41 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.27. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 206 base hits and 84 earned runs. They have allowed 21 home runs this season, ranking them 26th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 93 batters and struck out 220. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.89.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .244, good for 12th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328, which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.4 hits per game. Tommy Pham is hitting .358 with an on-base percentage of .469. He has 29 hits this season in 81 at bats with 9 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .531 and an OPS+ of 180. Jose Martinez is hitting .309 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .389. He has totaled 29 hits and he has driven in 18 men in 94 at bats. His OPS+ is 145 while his slugging percentage is at .489. The Cardinals have 209 hits, including 39 doubles and 33 home runs. St. Louis has walked 101 times so far this season and they have struck out 227 times as a unit. They have left 179 men on base and have a team OPS of .732. They score 4.96 runs per contest and have scored a total of 124 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 15-11 overall mark this year. Nick Kingham is expected to make his debut for the Pirates. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.62 and they have given up 94 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .260 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 93 batters and walked 38 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.23. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 227 base knocks and 111 earned runs this season. They have given up 24 home runs this year, which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 86 hitters and struck out 208 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 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 .257, good for 7th in the league. The Pirates hold a .416 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Josh Bell comes into this matchup batting .238 with an OBP of .297. He has 24 hits this year along with 15 RBI in 101 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .337 with an OPS+ of 76. Corey Dickerson is hitting .322 this season and he has an OBP of .351. He has collected 29 hits in 90 at bats while driving in 14 runs. He has an OPS+ of 136 and a slugging percentage of .511. The Pirates as a unit have 232 base hits, including 48 doubles and 27 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 88 times this year and they have struck out on 201 occasions. They have had 178 men left on base and have an OPS of .740. They have scored 4.96 runs per game and totaled 129 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates +144

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