St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates 5/25/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, May 25, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: John Gant vs. Joe Musgrove

PNC Park is the site of the matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, May 25, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are John Gant for the Cardinals and Joe Musgrove for the Pirates.

St. Louis opens at +100 while Pittsburgh opens at -110. The Cardinals have a 17-26-4 over/under record and a 20-27-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 22-26-0 against the run line and have a 24-19-5 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 17-26-4 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 20-27-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 24-19-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 22-26-0 against the run line

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

05/19/18 P Matt Bowman Finger 10-day DL (05/17)
05/18/18 3B Paul DeJong Hand 10-day DL (05/18)
05/17/18 C Carson Kelly Hamstring 10-day DL (05/17)
05/16/18 P Luke Gregerson Shoulder 10-day DL (05/16)
05/15/18 P Adam Wainwright Elbow 60-day DL (05/14)
05/12/18 P Tyler Lyons Back 10-day DL (05/09)
05/10/18 P Carlos Martinez Back 10-day DL (05/09)
05/07/18 P Dominic Leone Arm 10-day DL (05/06)
05/06/18 C Yadier Molina Groin 10-day DL (05/06)
03/31/18 P Alex Reyes Elbow 60-day DL (03/31)

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

05/19/18 CF Starling Marte Oblique 10-day DL (05/16)
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 26-21 overall record this season. Starting pitcher John Gant has a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 4.67 and a WHIP of 1.10 this year. He has 18 strikeouts over his 17.1 innings pitched and he's given up 14 hits. He's allowed 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.64. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.19 and they have given up 159 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 151 hitters and walked 71 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.41. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 388 base hits and 165 earned runs. They have allowed 40 home runs this season, ranking them 29th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 163 batters and struck out 398. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 3.75.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .239, good for 19th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.1 hits per game. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .253 with an on-base percentage of .295. He has 45 hits this season in 178 at bats with 22 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .331 and an OPS+ of 74. Jose Martinez is hitting .312 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .385. He has totaled 53 hits and he has driven in 30 men in 170 at bats. His OPS+ is 136 while his slugging percentage is at .471. The Cardinals have 380 hits, including 65 doubles and 57 home runs. St. Louis has walked 169 times so far this season and they have struck out 419 times as a unit. They have left 323 men on base and have a team OPS of .707. They score 4.36 runs per contest and have scored a total of 205 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 27-21 overall mark this year. Joe Musgrove is expected to make his debut for the Pirates. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.94 and they have given up 164 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 181 batters and walked 62 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.11. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 414 base knocks and 197 earned runs this season. They have given up 49 home runs this year, which ranks 24th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 141 hitters and struck out 401 batters. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.80.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .259, good for 5th in the league. The Pirates hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .333, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 5th in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Josh Bell comes into this matchup batting .254 with an OBP of .333. He has 45 hits this year along with 27 RBI in 177 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .395 with an OPS+ of 102. Corey Dickerson is hitting .316 this season and he has an OBP of .356. He has collected 55 hits in 174 at bats while driving in 30 runs. He has an OPS+ of 135 and a slugging percentage of .500. The Pirates as a unit have 428 base hits, including 88 doubles and 54 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 171 times this year and they have struck out on 359 occasions. They have had 348 men left on base and have an OPS of .760. They have scored 4.83 runs per game and totaled 232 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals +100

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