Texas Rangers at Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Point Spread Picks 5/8/2019

Wednesday, May 8, 2019
PNC Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Shelby Miller vs. Nick Kingham
The Texas Rangers visit PNC Park on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Shelby Miller for the Rangers and Nick Kingham for the Pirates.
The opening line for this matchup has Texas at +130 and Pittsburgh at -140. The Rangers have a 19-12-1 over/under record and a 19-13-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 16-15-0 against the run line and have a 15-16-0 over/under record.
Valuable Texas Rangers Betting Trends
The Texas Rangers are 19-12-1 against the over/under
The Texas Rangers are 19-13-0 against the run line
Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 15-16-0 against the over/under
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 16-15-0 against the run line
Key Texas Rangers Injuries
05/07/19 RF Shin-Soo Choo Rest is not in the starting lineup Tuesday vs Pittsburgh Pirates
04/26/19 P Taylor Hearn Elbow 10-day IL (04/26)
04/13/19 P Edinson Volquez Elbow 60-day IL (04/05)
04/07/19 1B Ronald Guzman Hamstring 10-day IL (04/07)
04/01/19 P Yohander Mendez Elbow 60-day IL (04/01)
03/25/19 P Luke Farrell Jaw 60-day IL (03/28)
03/25/19 RF Scott Heineman Shoulder 60-day IL
Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries
05/07/19 LF Melky Cabrera Rest is not in the starting lineup Tuesday vs Texas Rangers
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)
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Rangers have a 16-16 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Shelby Miller has a 1-2 record with an earned run average of 7.99 and a WHIP of 2.03 this season. He has 13 strikeouts over his 23.2 innings pitched and he's given up 28 hits. He's allowed 10.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 7.03. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.76 and they have given up 132 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .261 against the bullpen and they've struck out 110 hitters and walked 60 batters. As a team, Texas allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.14. The Rangers pitchers collectively have given up 298 base hits and 164 earned runs. They have allowed 44 home runs this season, ranking them 15th in the league. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 140 batters and struck out 251. They have walked 4.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.52 and their FIP as a unit is 5.02.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Texas is hitting .254, good for 11th in the league. The Rangers hold a .455 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .337, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Shin-Soo Choo is hitting .328 with an on-base percentage of .416. He has 39 hits this season in 119 at bats with 14 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .555 and an OPS+ of 149. Elvis Andrus is hitting .333 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .391. He has totaled 42 hits and he has driven in 23 men in 126 at bats. His OPS+ is 136 while his slugging percentage is at .532. The Rangers have 279 hits, including 61 doubles and 48 home runs. Texas has walked 127 times so far this season and they have struck out 305 times as a unit. They have left 210 men on base and have a team OPS of .792. They score 5.91 runs per contest and have scored a total of 189 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Pittsburgh has a 16-15 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 6.39, Nick Kingham has a 1-0 record and a 1.50 WHIP. He has 13 strikeouts over the 12.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 13 hits. He's allowing 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.54. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.20 and they have given up 96 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 125 batters and walked 43 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.72. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 249 base knocks and 116 earned runs this season. They have given up 31 home runs this year, which ranks 29th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 92 hitters and struck out 276 batters. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.21 while their FIP as a staff is 3.72.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .232, good for 24th in the league. The Pirates hold a .367 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .297, which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 23rd in MLB with 7.9 hits per contest. Josh Bell comes into this matchup batting .287 with an OBP of .364. He has 33 hits this year along with 25 RBI in 115 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .617 with an OPS+ of 159. Melky Cabrera is hitting .337 this season and he has an OBP of .376. He has collected 32 hits in 95 at bats while driving in 8 runs. He has an OPS+ of 131 and a slugging percentage of .484. The Pirates as a unit have 246 base hits, including 53 doubles and 26 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 91 times this year and they have struck out on 273 occasions. They have had 221 men left on base and have an OPS of .664. They have scored 3.52 runs per game and totaled 109 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Rangers/Pirates MLB game against the spread?
Tony's Pick: Take the Rangers +130
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