St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates 5/26/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, May 26, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jack Flaherty vs. Trevor Williams

PNC Park is the site of the matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, May 26, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Jack Flaherty for the Cardinals and Trevor Williams for the Pirates.

St. Louis opens at -105 while Pittsburgh opens at -105. The Cardinals have a 17-26-4 over/under record and a 20-27-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 23-26-0 against the run line and have a 25-19-5 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 25-19-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 23-26-0 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

05/24/18 C Francisco Cervelli Hand is "?" Friday vs St. Louis Cardinals
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 Jack Flaherty has a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 2.31 and a WHIP of 1.03 this year. He has 27 strikeouts over his 23.1 innings pitched and he's given up 17 hits. He's allowed 6.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.81. 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. Jose Martinez is hitting .312 with an on-base percentage of .385. He has 53 hits this season in 170 at bats with 30 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .471 and an OPS+ of 136. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .253 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .295. He has totaled 45 hits and he has driven in 22 men in 178 at bats. His OPS+ is 74 while his slugging percentage is at .331. 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 27-22 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.05, Trevor Williams has a 5-2 record and a 1.09 WHIP this season. He has 40 strikeouts over the 59 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 44 hits. He allows 6.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.09. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.87 and they have given up 165 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 183 batters and walked 63 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 422 base knocks and 201 earned runs this season. They have given up 51 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 144 hitters and struck out 407 batters. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.84.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 6th in the league. The Pirates hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Corey Dickerson comes into this matchup batting .315 with an OBP of .354. He has 56 hits this year along with 30 RBI in 178 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .494 with an OPS+ of 132. Josh Bell is hitting .253 this season and he has an OBP of .332. He has collected 45 hits in 178 at bats while driving in 27 runs. He has an OPS+ of 100 and a slugging percentage of .393. The Pirates as a unit have 435 base hits, including 89 doubles and 56 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 173 times this year and they have struck out on 369 occasions. They have had 352 men left on base and have an OPS of .758. They have scored 4.82 runs per game and totaled 236 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals -105

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