Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Game Picks 6/18/2019

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Daniel Norris vs. Mitch Keller

PNC Park is the site where Melky Cabrera and the Pittsburgh Pirates (32-39, 4th in NL Central) will take on the Detroit Tigers (25-43, 4th in AL Central) on Tuesday. The odds on this contest have the Tigers coming in at +112 and the Pirates are at -122. The total opens at 9.

The Tigers have been bad for bettors, having gone 25-43-0 SU. The Pirates cover 45.1% of the time, going 32-39-0 straight up. The Pirates have been bad for Las Vegas oddsmakers as the favorite, going 12-9-0 SU. The Tigers cover 33.3% of the time as an underdog, having gone 18-36-0 straight up.

Valuable Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Tigers have been a decent Under pick for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 29-35-4.

Detroit is covering 43.8% of the time as the visitor, having gone 14-18-0 straight up.

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

Pittsburgh is covering 41.9% of the time at PNC Park, going 13-18-0 SU.

The Pirates have been a bad Under pick for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 43-27-1.

Related: Launch Angle Stat: Advice for MLB Handicapping and Betting

Key Detroit Tigers Injuries

6/14/2019 Grayson Greiner C Back Expected to be out until at least Jun 25
6/14/2019 Tyson Ross SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
6/10/2019 Jordy Mercer SS Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Jun 25
6/10/2019 Jordan Zimmermann SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 21
6/9/2019 Josh Harrison 2B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jul 27
4/30/2019 Matt Moore SP Knee Out for the season
3/23/2019 Michael Fulmer SP Elbow Out for the season
10/25/2019 Artie Lewicki RP Elbow Out for the season

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

6/15/2019 Trevor Williams SP Side Expected to be out until at least Jun 19
6/15/2019 Keone Kela RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
6/13/2019 Chris Stratton RP Side Expected to be out until at least Jun 18
6/13/2019 Erik Gonzalez SS Collarbone Expected to be out until at least Jul 10
6/13/2019 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
6/13/2019 Jordan Lyles SP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jun 20
6/9/2019 Francisco Cervelli C Concussion Expected to be out until at least Jun 22
6/8/2019 Rookie Davis RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Jun 18
6/5/2019 Nick Burdi RP Biceps Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
6/4/2019 Nik Turley SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 18
5/13/2019 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 4
3/28/2019 Edgar Santana RP Elbow Out for the season
3/1/2019 Chad Kuhl SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Tigers have a 25-43 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Daniel Norris has a 2-5 record with an earned run average of 4.52 and a WHIP of 1.46 this season. He has 54 strikeouts over his 67.2 innings pitched and he's given up 81 hits. He's allowed 10.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.74. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.14 and they have given up 264 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .263 against the bullpen and they've struck out 217 hitters and walked 118 batters. As a team, Detroit allows 9.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.88. The Tigers pitchers collectively have given up 639 base hits and 332 earned runs. They have allowed 104 home runs this season, ranking them 6th in the league. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 234 batters and struck out 550. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.43 and their FIP as a unit is 4.88.

Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Detroit is hitting .229, good for 28th in the league. The Tigers hold a .377 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .290, which is good for 29th in baseball. They rank 27th in MLB with 7.7 hits per game. Nicholas Castellanos is hitting .259 with an on-base percentage of .314. He has 69 hits this season in 266 at bats with 24 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .440 and an OPS+ of 97. Miguel Cabrera is hitting .294 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .357. He has totaled 68 hits and he has driven in 29 men in 231 at bats. His OPS+ is 100 while his slugging percentage is at .394. The Tigers have 532 hits, including 131 doubles and 59 home runs. Detroit has walked 189 times so far this season and they have struck out 676 times as a unit. They have left 463 men on base and have a team OPS of .668. They score 3.46 runs per contest and have scored a total of 239 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 32-39 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 15.43, Mitch Keller has a 0-1 record and a 3.00 WHIP. He has 9 strikeouts over the 7 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 17 hits. He's allowing 21.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.18. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.24 and they have given up 279 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 293 batters and walked 134 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.12. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 654 base knocks and 360 earned runs this season. They have given up 99 home runs this year, which ranks 13th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 263 hitters and struck out 621 batters. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.45 while their FIP as a staff is 4.66.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .261, good for 8th in the league. The Pirates hold a .414 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 5th in MLB with 9.2 hits per contest. Melky Cabrera comes into this matchup batting .330 with an OBP of .367. He has 61 hits this year along with 23 RBI in 185 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .459 with an OPS+ of 119. Josh Bell is hitting .321 this season and he has an OBP of .388. He has collected 87 hits in 271 at bats while driving in 65 runs. He has an OPS+ of 170 and a slugging percentage of .653. The Pirates as a unit have 651 base hits, including 139 doubles and 71 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 189 times this year and they have struck out on 583 occasions. They have had 503 men left on base and have an OPS of .732. They have scored 4.44 runs per game and totaled 315 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates -122

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