St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates 8/5/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, August 5, 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 Sunday, August 5, 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 -110 and Pittsburgh at +100. The Cardinals have a 51-54-5 over/under record and a 50-60-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 52-58-0 against the run line and have a 54-49-7 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 51-54-5 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 50-60-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 54-49-7 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 52-58-0 against the run line

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

08/04/18 CF Dexter Fowler Foot 10-day DL (08/04)
07/31/18 P Luke Gregerson Shoulder 10-day DL (07/26)
07/28/18 P Brett Cecil Foot 10-day DL (07/23)
07/23/18 2B Kolten Wong Knee 10-day DL (07/22)
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 10-day DL (06/20)
05/15/18 P Adam Wainwright Elbow 60-day DL (05/14)
05/07/18 P Dominic Leone Arm 60-day DL (05/06)

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

07/28/18 LF Corey Dickerson Hamstring 10-day DL (07/28)
07/28/18 1B Josh Bell Oblique 10-day DL (07/28)
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)
03/26/18 P Nick Burdi Elbow 60-day DL (02/20)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 56-54 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty has a 4-6 record with an earned run average of 3.49 and a WHIP of 1.13 this season. He has 111 strikeouts over his 90.1 innings pitched and he's given up 70 hits. He's allowed 7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.06. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.46 and they have given up 383 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the bullpen and they've struck out 356 hitters and walked 162 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 3.9. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 918 base hits and 429 earned runs. They have allowed 99 home runs this season, ranking them 30th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 389 batters and struck out 906. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 3.98.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .248, good for 15th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.4 hits per game. Matt Carpenter is hitting .281 with an on-base percentage of .392. He has 106 hits this season in 377 at bats with 58 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .581 and an OPS+ of 162. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .267 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .312. He has totaled 111 hits and he has driven in 59 men in 415 at bats. His OPS+ is 91 while his slugging percentage is at .393. The Cardinals have 927 hits, including 157 doubles and 136 home runs. St. Louis has walked 364 times so far this season and they have struck out 928 times as a unit. They have left 755 men on base and have a team OPS of .722. They score 4.46 runs per contest and have scored a total of 491 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 57-53 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.89, Trevor Williams has a 9-7 record and a 1.24 WHIP. He has 77 strikeouts over the 111 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 98 hits. He's allowing 7.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.35. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.23 and they have given up 369 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 410 batters and walked 168 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.23. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 964 base knocks and 460 earned runs this season. They have given up 118 home runs this year, which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 358 hitters and struck out 905 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.35 while their FIP as a staff is 4.13.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 8th in the league. The Pirates hold a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Josh Harrison comes into this matchup batting .254 with an OBP of .295. He has 67 hits this year along with 29 RBI in 264 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .360 with an OPS+ of 78. Starling Marte is hitting .292 this season and he has an OBP of .338. He has collected 107 hits in 367 at bats while driving in 54 runs. He has an OPS+ of 124 and a slugging percentage of .493. The Pirates as a unit have 951 base hits, including 189 doubles and 115 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 332 times this year and they have struck out on 832 occasions. They have had 735 men left on base and have an OPS of .738. They have scored 4.53 runs per game and totaled 498 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates +100

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