Washington Nationals at Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Tips 8/22/2019
Thursday, August 22, 2019
PNC Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Max Scherzer vs. Steven Brault
Starling Marte and the Pittsburgh Pirates (52-73, 5th in NL Central) play the Washington Nationals (68-57, 2nd in NL East) at PNC Park on Thursday, August 22, 2019. The Nationals open this contest at -190 while the Pirates are coming in at +178. The O/U has been set at 8.5.
The Nationals have been a pretty good play for bettors, having gone 68-57-0 SU. Pittsburgh covers 41.6% of the time, going 52-73-0 straight up.
Valuable Washington Nationals Betting Trends
The Nationals have been a less than ideal Over bet for over/under bettors, having gone 58-61-6.
The Nationals are covering 50.8% of the time as the away team, having gone 32-31-0 straight up.
Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
Pittsburgh covers 43.3% of the time at PNC Park, going 26-34-0 SU.
The Pirates have been a rough Under bet for over/under bettors, having gone 71-50-4.
Key Washington Nationals Injuries
8/20/2019 Ryan Zimmerman 1B Foot Expected to be out until at least Aug 22
8/19/2019 Austin Voth SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/19/2019 Joe Ross RP Leg Expected to be out until at least Aug 24
8/18/2019 Roenis Elias RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Aug 27
8/18/2019 Sean Doolittle RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Aug 28
8/17/2019 Max Scherzer SP Back Expected to be out until at least Aug 22
8/14/2019 Austen Williams RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
8/7/2019 Jeremy Hellickson SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 28
7/31/2019 Jonny Venters RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 10
7/31/2019 Koda Glover RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries
8/20/2019 Chris Archer SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 25
8/20/2019 Elias Diaz C Head Probable for Aug 21
8/14/2019 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Out for the season
8/8/2019 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Out for the season
8/8/2019 Francisco Cervelli C Concussion Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/8/2019 Nick Burdi RP Collarbone 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
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Nationals have a 68-57 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Max Scherzer has a 9-5 record with an earned run average of 2.41 and a WHIP of 0.99 this season. He has 189 strikeouts over his 134.1 innings pitched and he's given up 108 hits. He's allowed 7.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.08. The bullpen has an earned run average of 6.08 and they have given up 419 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .270 against the bullpen and they've struck out 389 hitters and walked 170 batters. As a team, Washington allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.44. The Nationals pitchers collectively have given up 1,075 base hits and 548 earned runs. They have allowed 155 home runs this season, ranking them 26th in the league. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 395 batters and struck out 1,158. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 4.14.
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Hitting Statistics
As a team Washington is hitting .262, good for 8th in the league. The Nationals hold a .452 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .339, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.9 hits per game. Adam Eaton is hitting .290 with an on-base percentage of .376. He has 133 hits this season in 459 at bats with 39 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .436 and an OPS+ of 105. Anthony Rendon is hitting .322 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .400. He has totaled 136 hits and he has driven in 98 men in 423 at bats. His OPS+ is 149 while his slugging percentage is at .608. The Nationals have 1,113 hits, including 220 doubles and 181 home runs. Washington has walked 445 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,031 times as a unit. They have left 864 men on base and have a team OPS of .790. They score 5.26 runs per contest and have scored a total of 657 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Pittsburgh has a 52-73 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.06, Steven Brault has a 3-2 record and a 1.42 WHIP. He has 70 strikeouts over the 77.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 73 hits. He's allowing 8.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.37. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.68 and they have given up 472 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 520 batters and walked 219 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 5.02. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,142 base knocks and 618 earned runs this season. They have given up 182 home runs this year, which ranks 14th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 444 hitters and struck out 1,109 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.43 while their FIP as a staff is 4.72.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .263, good for 7th in the league. The Pirates hold a .423 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 9.2 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .291 with an OBP of .333. He has 138 hits this year along with 73 RBI in 475 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .505 with an OPS+ of 114. Josh Bell is hitting .279 this season and he has an OBP of .363. He has collected 126 hits in 451 at bats while driving in 98 runs. He has an OPS+ of 140 and a slugging percentage of .579. The Pirates as a unit have 1,144 base hits, including 248 doubles and 134 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 338 times this year and they have struck out on 956 occasions. They have had 858 men left on base and have an OPS of .744. They have scored 4.61 runs per game and totaled 576 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Nationals/Pirates MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates (+178)
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