Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals MLB Picks Against the Spread 5/11/2019

Saturday, May 11, 2019
Busch Stadium
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Jordan Lyles vs. Miles Mikolas
The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Busch Stadium on Saturday, May 11, 2019 to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Jordan Lyles for the Pirates and Miles Mikolas for the Cardinals.
The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +162 and St. Louis at -172. The Pirates have a 18-16-0 over/under record and a 16-18-0 run line mark. The Cardinals are 24-14-0 against the run line and have a 20-15-3 over/under record.
Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 18-16-0 against the over/under
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 16-18-0 against the run line
Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends
The St. Louis Cardinals are 20-15-3 against the over/under
The St. Louis Cardinals are 24-14-0 against the run line
Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries
05/08/19 P Keone Kela Elbow 10-day IL (05/06)
05/04/19 P Jameson Taillon Elbow 10-day IL (05/04)
04/28/19 P Chris Archer Thumb 10-day IL (04/27)
04/23/19 P Nick Burdi Elbow 10-day IL (04/23)
04/21/19 C Jacob Stallings Neck 10-day IL (04/18)
04/20/19 2B Erik Gonzalez Collarbone 60-day IL (04/20)
04/04/19 LF Corey Dickerson Shoulder 10-day IL (04/04)
03/30/19 P Edgar Santana Elbow 60-day IL (03/30); is out for season
03/28/19 RF Lonnie Chisenhall Finger 10-day IL (03/28)
03/25/19 P Chad Kuhl Elbow 60-day IL (03/01)
Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries
04/17/19 P Mike Mayers Shoulder 10-day IL (04/16)
03/27/19 P Brett Cecil Arm 60-day IL (03/28)
03/27/19 P Carlos Martinez Shoulder 10-day IL (03/25)
03/27/19 RF Justin Williams Hand 10-day IL (03/25)
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Pirates have a 17-17 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 2.20 and a WHIP of 1.16 this season. He has 29 strikeouts over his 32.2 innings pitched and he's given up 26 hits. He's allowed 7.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.65. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.95 and they have given up 115 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the bullpen and they've struck out 143 hitters and walked 55 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.25. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 279 base hits and 145 earned runs. They have allowed 35 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 115 batters and struck out 307. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.87.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .235, good for 23rd in the league. The Pirates hold a .375 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .300, which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 23rd in MLB with 8.1 hits per game. Melky Cabrera is hitting .337 with an on-base percentage of .373. He has 35 hits this season in 104 at bats with 10 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .481 and an OPS+ of 131. Josh Bell is hitting .294 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .368. He has totaled 37 hits and he has driven in 28 men in 126 at bats. His OPS+ is 166 while his slugging percentage is at .635. The Pirates have 274 hits, including 59 doubles and 30 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 98 times so far this season and they have struck out 290 times as a unit. They have left 241 men on base and have a team OPS of .675. They score 3.65 runs per contest and have scored a total of 124 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
St. Louis has a 22-16 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.02, Miles Mikolas has a 4-2 record and a 1.13 WHIP. He has 28 strikeouts over the 47 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 44 hits. He's allowing 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.92. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.84 and they have given up 91 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .190 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 154 batters and walked 59 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.24. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 295 base knocks and 158 earned runs this season. They have given up 62 home runs this year, which ranks 2nd in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 137 hitters and struck out 329 batters. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.93.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .262, good for 2nd in the league. The Cardinals hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .343, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Paul Goldschmidt comes into this matchup batting .252 with an OBP of .331. He has 38 hits this year along with 21 RBI in 151 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .457 with an OPS+ of 110. Paul DeJong is hitting .329 this season and he has an OBP of .410. He has collected 48 hits in 146 at bats while driving in 17 runs. He has an OPS+ of 164 and a slugging percentage of .582. The Cardinals as a unit have 337 base hits, including 69 doubles and 47 homers. St. Louis has walked 144 times this year and they have struck out on 321 occasions. They have had 276 men left on base and have an OPS of .773. They have scored 5.21 runs per game and totaled 198 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Pirates/Cardinals MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals -172
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