Pittsburgh Pirates at Houston Astros MLB Tips 6/27/2019

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Joe Musgrove vs. Brad Peacock

Josh Bell and the Pittsburgh Pirates (36-41, 5th in NL Central) go to Minute Maid Park on Thursday where they'll take on the Houston Astros (50-30, 1st in AL West). The Astros open this matchup at -205 while the Pirates are coming in at +190. The total is set at 9.5.

The Pirates have been a hot and cold bet for MLB wagerers, having gone 36-41-0 SU. Houston is covering 62.5% of the time, going 50-30-0 straight up. The Astros have been great for wagerers as the favorite, going 49-25-0 SU. Pittsburgh has went 22-31-0 straight up as an underdog, so they cover 41.5% of the time.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pirates have been a terrible Under bet for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 45-29-3.

Pittsburgh is covering 46.3% of the time as the visitor, having gone 19-22-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros cover 71.8% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 28-11-0 SU.

The Astros have been an excellent Under bet for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 34-43-3.

Related: MLB Baseball First Five Innings Betting Strategy

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

6/25/2019 Bryan Reynolds LF Undisclosed Probable for Jun 26
6/25/2019 Jordan Lyles SP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jun 29
6/25/2019 Nick Burdi RP Collarbone Out for the season
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 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
6/19/2019 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
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
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

6/25/2019 Joe Smith RP Achilles Expected to be out until at least Jul 11
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
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 36-41 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Joe Musgrove has a 5-7 record with an earned run average of 4.57 and a WHIP of 1.23 this season. He has 69 strikeouts over his 84.2 innings pitched and he's given up 82 hits. He's allowed 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.74. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.19 and they have given up 298 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .255 against the bullpen and they've struck out 321 hitters and walked 149 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.09. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 707 base hits and 389 earned runs. They have allowed 105 home runs this season, ranking them 16th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 286 batters and struck out 683. They have walked 3.7 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 .416 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. Josh Bell is hitting .311 with an on-base percentage of .381. He has 91 hits this season in 293 at bats with 66 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .631 and an OPS+ of 162. Melky Cabrera is hitting .312 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .347. He has totaled 64 hits and he has driven in 26 men in 205 at bats. His OPS+ is 106 while his slugging percentage is at .434. The Pirates have 710 hits, including 151 doubles and 75 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 207 times so far this season and they have struck out 619 times as a unit. They have left 548 men on base and have a team OPS of .735. They score 4.51 runs per contest and have scored a total of 347 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 50-30 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.62, Brad Peacock has a 6-5 record and a 1.10 WHIP. He has 87 strikeouts over the 82 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 66 hits. He's allowing 7.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.71. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.69 and they have given up 213 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .220 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 276 batters and walked 86 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.69. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 573 base knocks and 294 earned runs this season. They have given up 117 home runs this year, which ranks 6th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 217 hitters and struck out 806 batters. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.10 while their FIP as a staff is 4.06.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .267, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .474 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. Alex Bregman comes into this matchup batting .266 with an OBP of .393. He has 75 hits this year along with 52 RBI in 282 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .539 with an OPS+ of 147. Michael Brantley is hitting .318 this season and he has an OBP of .377. He has collected 95 hits in 299 at bats while driving in 43 runs. He has an OPS+ of 134 and a slugging percentage of .505. The Astros as a unit have 726 base hits, including 148 doubles and 130 homers. Houston has walked 305 times this year and they have struck out on 555 occasions. They have had 556 men left on base and have an OPS of .817. They have scored 5.12 runs per game and totaled 410 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros -205

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald