Detroit Tigers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/7/2020

Game: Detroit Tigers vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Friday, August 7, 2020

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: FSDT/ATPT

Odds/Point Spread: Tigers (-120) Pirates (+110)

PNC Park is the site where Phillip Evans and the Pittsburgh Pirates (2-10, 5th in NL Central) will play the Detroit Tigers (5-5, 4th in AL Central) on Friday. The Pirates open this game at +110 while the Tigers are coming in at -120. The total is set at 8.5. The pitchers taking the mound are Matthew Boyd and Chad Kuhl.

Key Detroit Tigers Injuries

8/6/2020 Cameron Maybin LF Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 6
7/29/2020 Dario Agrazal SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Aug 19
7/18/2020 Jordan Zimmermann SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 4

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

8/6/2020 Clay Holmes RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/6/2020 Michael Feliz RP Forearm Out for the season
8/6/2020 Kyle Crick RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 13
8/6/2020 Nick Burdi RP Elbow Out for the season
8/2/2020 Mitch Keller SP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Aug 12
8/2/2020 Keone Kela RP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
7/23/2020 Luke Maile C Finger Out for the season
6/30/2020 Kevin Kramer RF Hip Out for the season
6/30/2020 Chris Archer SP Shoulder Out for the season
2/13/2020 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Tigers have a 5-5 overall record this season. Boyd has thrown 655 frames and is sitting with 640 strikeouts in his career. His ERA is 4.96 (361 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.327. He has given up 664 base knocks (9.1 hits per nine innings) and has 205 walks. Boyd (31-48 career mark) has a FIP of 4.68 while he has faced 2,813 opposing batters during his time in the majors. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.30 and they have given up 35 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .193 against the bullpen and they've struck out 40 hitters and walked 12 batters. As a team, Detroit allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 5.08. The Tigers pitchers collectively have given up 82 base hits and 48 earned runs. They have allowed 14 home runs this season, ranking them 12th in the league. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 28 batters and struck out 74. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.66.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Detroit is hitting .205, good for 27th in the league. The Tigers hold a .396 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .273, which is good for 29th in baseball. They rank 27th in MLB with 6.2 hits per game. Jonathan Schoop is hitting .250 with an on-base percentage of .256. He has 9 hits this season in 36 at bats with 7 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .500 and an OPS+ of 111. JaCoby Jones is hitting .379 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .419. He has totaled 11 hits and he has driven in 7 men in 29 at bats. His OPS+ is 239 while his slugging percentage is at .793. The Tigers have 62 hits, including 9 doubles and 15 home runs. Detroit has walked 25 times so far this season and they have struck out 102 times as a unit. They have left 50 men on base and have a team OPS of .669. They score 3.8 runs per contest and have scored a total of 38 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kuhl (18-20 mark in his career) has earned a 4.33 earned run average and has surrendered 9.2 hits per 9 innings. He has a SO/W ratio of 2.20 and he has faced 1,376 hitters during his MLB career. Thus far in his career, Kuhl has surrendered 326 hits while totaling 281 punchouts in 318 innings pitched. He has given up a total of 153 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.428 and a FIP of 4.3. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.53 and they have given up 50 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .213 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 52 batters and walked 35 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.43. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 91 base knocks and 52 earned runs this season. They have given up 12 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 62 hitters and struck out 101 batters. They give up a walk 5.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.45 while their FIP as a staff is 4.54.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .189, good for 29th in the league. The Pirates hold a .309 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .255, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 6.2 hits per contest. Phillip Evans comes into this matchup batting .393 with an OBP of .485. He has 11 hits this year along with 4 RBI in 28 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .464 with an OPS+ of 171. Colin Moran is hitting .220 this season and he has an OBP of .273. He has collected 9 hits in 41 at bats while driving in 7 runs. He has an OPS+ of 140 and a slugging percentage of .610. The Pirates as a unit have 74 base hits, including 12 doubles and 11 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 33 times this year and they have struck out on 105 occasions. They have had 59 men left on base and have an OPS of .564. They have scored 3.25 runs per game and totaled 39 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Tigers/Pirates MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Tigers (-120)

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