Pittsburgh Pirates at Houston Astros Baseball Betting Tips and Predictions 6/26/2019

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Dario Agrazal vs. Framber Valdez

Melky Cabrera and the Pittsburgh Pirates (36-40, 5th in NL Central) go to Minute Maid Park on Wednesday where they'll meet the Houston Astros (49-30, 1st in AL West). The moneyline on this game has the Pirates coming in at +130 and the Astros are at -140. The over/under has been set at 10.

The Pirates have been a less than ideal choice for bettors, having gone 36-40-0 SU. Houston covers 62.0% of the time, going 49-30-0 straight up. The Astros have been very good for baseball wagerers as the favorite, going 48-25-0 SU. Pittsburgh covers 42.3% of the time as the underdog, having gone 22-30-0 straight up.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pirates have been an awful Under pick for O/U wagerers, having gone 45-28-3.

Pittsburgh covers 47.5% of the time as a visitor, having gone 19-21-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros cover 71.0% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 27-11-0 SU.

The Astros have been a strong Under pick for O/U wagerers, having gone 34-42-3.

Related: MLB Baseball First Five Innings Betting Strategy

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

6/24/2019 Gregory Polanco RF Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
6/23/2019 Francisco Cervelli C Concussion Expected to be out until at least Jun 28
6/19/2019 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
6/19/2019 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
6/19/2019 Jordan Lyles SP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jun 28
6/18/2019 Rookie Davis RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Jun 28
6/15/2019 Keone Kela RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
6/13/2019 Erik Gonzalez SS Collarbone Expected to be out until at least Jul 10
6/5/2019 Nick Burdi RP Biceps Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
3/28/2019 Edgar Santana RP Elbow Out for the season
3/1/2019 Chad Kuhl SP Elbow Out for the season

Key Houston Astros Injuries

6/22/2019 Collin McHugh SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 25
6/20/2019 Aledmys Diaz 2B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jul 11
6/20/2019 Carlos Correa SS Ribs Expected to be out until at least Jul 11
6/17/2019 George Springer RF Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jun 25
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season
5/15/2019 Joe Smith RP Achilles Expected to be out until at least Jul 1

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 36-40 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Dario Agrazal has a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.50 this season. He has 3 strikeouts over his 4 innings pitched and he's given up 6 hits. He's allowed 13.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.44. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.19 and they have given up 296 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .255 against the bullpen and they've struck out 318 hitters and walked 148 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.08. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 697 base hits and 384 earned runs. They have allowed 103 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 285 batters and struck out 676. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.44 and their FIP as a unit is 4.58.

Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .263, good for 7th in the league. The Pirates hold a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 4th in MLB with 9.2 hits per game. Melky Cabrera is hitting .313 with an on-base percentage of .349. He has 63 hits this season in 201 at bats with 25 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .438 and an OPS+ of 107. Josh Bell is hitting .315 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .386. He has totaled 91 hits and he has driven in 66 men in 289 at bats. His OPS+ is 165 while his slugging percentage is at .640. The Pirates have 702 hits, including 149 doubles and 75 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 205 times so far this season and they have struck out 613 times as a unit. They have left 540 men on base and have a team OPS of .737. They score 4.55 runs per contest and have scored a total of 346 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 49-30 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.61, Framber Valdez has a 3-3 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He has 39 strikeouts over the 42.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 35 hits. He's allowing 7.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.99. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.73 and they have given up 212 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 273 batters and walked 86 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.72. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 565 base knocks and 293 earned runs this season. They have given up 117 home runs this year, which ranks 5th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 215 hitters and struck out 800 batters. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.10 while their FIP as a staff is 4.09.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .267, good for 3rd in the league. The Astros hold a .473 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .343, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 9.1 hits per contest. Michael Brantley comes into this matchup batting .322 with an OBP of .382. He has 95 hits this year along with 43 RBI in 295 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .512 with an OPS+ of 137. Alex Bregman is hitting .259 this season and he has an OBP of .388. He has collected 72 hits in 278 at bats while driving in 51 runs. He has an OPS+ of 142 and a slugging percentage of .522. The Astros as a unit have 716 base hits, including 144 doubles and 128 homers. Houston has walked 304 times this year and they have struck out on 548 occasions. They have had 549 men left on base and have an OPS of .816. They have scored 5.13 runs per game and totaled 405 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros -140

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