Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals MLB Picks & Predictions 8/9/2019
Friday, August 9, 2019
Busch Stadium
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Chris Archer vs. Dakota Hudson
Busch Stadium is the site where Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals (58-55, 3rd in NL Central) will play the Pittsburgh Pirates (48-66, 5th in NL Central) on Friday.
The Pirates have been a terrible choice for baseball bettors, having gone 48-66-0 SU. The Cardinals cover 51.3% of the time, going 58-55-0 straight up.
Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pirates have been a strong Over choice for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 66-44-4.
The Pirates cover 41.4% of the time on the road, having gone 24-34-0 straight up.
Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends
St. Louis is covering 57.4% of the time at Busch Stadium, going 31-23-0 SU.
The Cardinals have been a rough Over choice for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 46-60-7.
Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries
8/5/2019 Joe Musgrove SP Back Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
8/3/2019 Keone Kela RP Suspension Suspended until Aug 16
8/1/2019 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Out for the season
7/31/2019 Clay Holmes RP Triceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
7/27/2019 Rookie Davis RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
7/25/2019 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Expected to be out until at least Aug 15
7/25/2019 Gregory Polanco RF Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
7/24/2019 Francisco Cervelli C Concussion Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
6/25/2019 Nick Burdi RP Collarbone Out for the season
3/28/2019 Edgar Santana RP Elbow Out for the season
3/1/2019 Chad Kuhl SP Elbow Out for the season
Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries
8/7/2019 Matt Carpenter 3B Foot Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
8/7/2019 Yadier Molina C Thumb Expected to be out until at least Aug 16
8/3/2019 Tyler O'Neill LF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Aug 11
7/23/2019 Brett Cecil RP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
7/11/2019 Jordan Hicks RP Elbow Out for the season
6/26/2019 Tony Cingrani RP Shoulder Out for the season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Pirates have a 48-66 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Chris Archer has a 3-8 record with an earned run average of 5.35 and a WHIP of 1.42 this season. He has 122 strikeouts over his 107.2 innings pitched and he's given up 100 hits. He's allowed 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.56. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.73 and they have given up 430 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 472 hitters and walked 201 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 5. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,034 base hits and 558 earned runs. They have allowed 168 home runs this season, ranking them 7th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 402 batters and struck out 994. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.43 and their FIP as a unit is 4.78.
Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .265, good for 6th in the league. The Pirates hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 9.3 hits per game. Starling Marte is hitting .284 with an on-base percentage of .325. He has 122 hits this season in 429 at bats with 68 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .503 and an OPS+ of 113. Josh Bell is hitting .279 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .362. He has totaled 115 hits and he has driven in 89 men in 412 at bats. His OPS+ is 140 while his slugging percentage is at .573. The Pirates have 1,049 hits, including 232 doubles and 121 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 306 times so far this season and they have struck out 873 times as a unit. They have left 778 men on base and have a team OPS of .750. They score 4.68 runs per contest and have scored a total of 529 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
St. Louis has a 58-55 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.99, Dakota Hudson has a 10-6 record and a 1.58 WHIP. He has 93 strikeouts over the 117.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 128 hits. He's allowing 9.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.37. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.87 and they have given up 309 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .214 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 437 batters and walked 161 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.11. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 909 base knocks and 453 earned runs this season. They have given up 142 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 386 hitters and struck out 968 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 while their FIP as a staff is 4.44.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .242, good for 25th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Paul Goldschmidt comes into this matchup batting .255 with an OBP of .335. He has 107 hits this year along with 58 RBI in 419 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .465 with an OPS+ of 111. Paul DeJong is hitting .254 this season and he has an OBP of .332. He has collected 105 hits in 414 at bats while driving in 52 runs. He has an OPS+ of 109 and a slugging percentage of .461. The Cardinals as a unit have 912 base hits, including 169 doubles and 140 homers. St. Louis has walked 358 times this year and they have struck out on 963 occasions. They have had 752 men left on base and have an OPS of .718. They have scored 4.44 runs per game and totaled 497 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Pirates/Cardinals MLB game against the spread?
Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates
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