Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies Baseball Betting Tips and Predictions 8/28/2019
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Citizens Bank Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Mitch Keller vs. Vince Velasquez
Josh Bell and the Pittsburgh Pirates (55-76, 5th in NL Central) head to Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday where they'll meet the Philadelphia Phillies (68-62, 3rd in NL East). The Pirates open this matchup at +125 while the Phillies are priced at -135. The O/U opens at 10.
The Pirates have been a terrible play for MLB wagerers, having gone 55-76-0 SU. The Phillies are covering 52.3% of the time, going 68-62-0 straight up.
Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pirates have been a very good Over option for over/under wagerers, having gone 75-52-4.
The Pirates are covering 40.0% of the time as the road team, having gone 26-39-0 straight up.
Important Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends
Philadelphia is covering 58.2% of the time at Citizens Bank Park, going 39-28-0 SU.
The Phillies have been an inconsistent Over option for over/under wagerers, having gone 61-66-3.
Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries
8/21/2019 Clay Holmes RP Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/21/2019 Chris Archer SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 31
8/14/2019 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Out for the season
8/8/2019 Nick Burdi RP Collarbone Out for the season
8/8/2019 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Out for the season
7/25/2019 Gregory Polanco RF Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
3/28/2019 Edgar Santana RP Elbow Out for the season
3/1/2019 Chad Kuhl SP Elbow Out for the season
Key Philadelphia Phillies Injuries
8/26/2019 Scott Kingery CF Abdomen Probable for Aug 27
8/26/2019 Pat Neshek RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 10
8/24/2019 Jay Bruce LF Arm Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/24/2019 Juan Nicasio RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
8/21/2019 Victor Arano RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
8/21/2019 Seranthony Dominguez RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 9
8/20/2019 Jake Arrieta SP Elbow Out for the season
8/18/2019 Adam Morgan RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 10
8/17/2019 Roman Quinn CF Groin Expected to be out until at least Aug 27
8/17/2019 David Robertson RP Elbow Out for the season
8/15/2019 Edubray Ramos RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 14
7/23/2019 Tommy Hunter RP Forearm Out for the season
6/24/2019 Andrew McCutchen LF Knee Out for the season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Pirates have a 55-76 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Mitch Keller has a 1-2 record with an earned run average of 7.24 and a WHIP of 1.83 this season. He has 33 strikeouts over his 27.1 innings pitched and he's given up 39 hits. He's allowed 12.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.02. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.83 and they have given up 500 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .254 against the bullpen and they've struck out 548 hitters and walked 233 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 5.04. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,205 base hits and 651 earned runs. They have allowed 193 home runs this season, ranking them 9th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 465 batters and struck out 1,165. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.44 and their FIP as a unit is 4.73.
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 .422 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 9.2 hits per game. Josh Bell is hitting .274 with an on-base percentage of .361. He has 129 hits this season in 470 at bats with 104 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .577 and an OPS+ of 140. Starling Marte is hitting .289 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 144 hits and he has driven in 76 men in 499 at bats. His OPS+ is 113 while his slugging percentage is at .497. The Pirates have 1,200 hits, including 259 doubles and 138 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 354 times so far this season and they have struck out 993 times as a unit. They have left 895 men on base and have a team OPS of .743. They score 4.65 runs per contest and have scored a total of 609 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Philadelphia has a 68-62 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.93, Vince Velasquez has a 5-7 record and a 1.35 WHIP. He has 98 strikeouts over the 91.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 88 hits. He's allowing 8.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.61 and they have given up 468 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .263 against the Phillies bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 455 batters and walked 183 opposing hitters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.6. The Phillies pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,183 base knocks and 597 earned runs this season. They have given up 210 home runs this year, which ranks 5th in Major League Baseball. Philadelphia as a staff has walked 432 hitters and struck out 1,097 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.38 while their FIP as a staff is 4.93.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .246, good for 21st in the league. The Phillies hold a .421 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Bryce Harper comes into this matchup batting .253 with an OBP of .372. He has 118 hits this year along with 93 RBI in 466 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .500 with an OPS+ of 123. Rhys Hoskins is hitting .233 this season and he has an OBP of .380. He has collected 106 hits in 455 at bats while driving in 73 runs. He has an OPS+ of 119 and a slugging percentage of .470. The Phillies as a unit have 1,096 base hits, including 246 doubles and 165 homers. Philadelphia has walked 477 times this year and they have struck out on 1,150 occasions. They have had 924 men left on base and have an OPS of .744. They have scored 4.83 runs per game and totaled 628 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Pirates/Phillies MLB game against the spread?
Guy's Pick: Take the Phillies (-135)
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