Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 8/22/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Saturday, August 22, 2020

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: ATPT/FSWI/FS1

Odds/Point Spread: Brewers (-175) Pirates (+161)

Erik Gonzalez and the Pittsburgh Pirates (4-17, 5th in NL Central) play the Milwaukee Brewers (11-12, 3rd in NL Central) at PNC Park on Saturday. The Pirates open this matchup at +161 while the Brewers are coming in at -175. The total has been set at 9.5. The starting pitchers are Josh Lindblom and Derek Holland.

Key Milwaukee Brewers Injuries

8/20/2020 Corey Knebel RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Aug 30
8/13/2020 Justin Grimm RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
8/13/2020 Ray Black RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 4

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

8/20/2020 Joe Musgrove SP Triceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 29
8/19/2020 Phillip Evans 3B Jaw Out for the season
8/19/2020 Kyle Crick RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 25
8/19/2020 Mitch Keller SP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
8/18/2020 Yacksel Rios RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 25
8/11/2020 Clay Holmes RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
8/6/2020 Michael Feliz RP Forearm Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Brewers have a 11-12 overall record this season. Lindblom (6-8 win-loss record in his career) has a FIP of 4.45 while he has gone up against 708 hitters in the majors. His ERA is 4.38 (80 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.389. He has conceded 157 base hits (8.6 hits per nine innings) with 71 free passes. Lindblom has taken the hill for 164 frames and has earned 159 strikeouts so far in his career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.35 and they have given up 76 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .177 against the bullpen and they've struck out 137 hitters and walked 42 batters. As a team, Milwaukee allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.8 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Brewers pitchers collectively have given up 179 base hits and 95 earned runs. They have allowed 29 home runs this season, ranking them 21st in the league. Milwaukee as a pitching staff has walked 86 batters and struck out 248. They have walked 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 4.13.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Milwaukee is hitting .216, good for 27th in the league. The Brewers hold a .366 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .295, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 23rd in MLB with 7.3 hits per game. Keston Hiura is hitting .250 with an on-base percentage of .314. He has 23 hits this season in 92 at bats with 13 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .467 and an OPS+ of 107. Justin Smoak is hitting .203 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .247. He has totaled 16 hits and he has driven in 9 men in 79 at bats. His OPS+ is 69 while his slugging percentage is at .392. The Brewers have 168 hits, including 30 doubles and 26 home runs. Milwaukee has walked 74 times so far this season and they have struck out 231 times as a unit. They have left 142 men on base and have a team OPS of .660. They score 4.04 runs per contest and have scored a total of 93 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Holland (78-79 career mark) has a 4.58 earned run average while surrendering 9.1 hits per nine innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.31 and he has gone up against 5,991 batters during his career. Thus far in his career, Holland has given up 1,409 hits while tallying 1,163 K's in 1,394 frames. He has allowed 709 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.372 and having a FIP of 4.7. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.66 and they have given up 96 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 114 batters and walked 60 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 5.3. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 177 base knocks and 111 earned runs this season. They have given up 29 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 99 hitters and struck out 198 batters. They give up a walk 4.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.87.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .210, good for 29th in the league. The Pirates hold a .326 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .269, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 7.1 hits per contest. Erik Gonzalez comes into this matchup batting .308 with an OBP of .308. He has 16 hits this year along with 9 RBI in 52 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .481 with an OPS+ of 113. Kevin Newman is hitting .292 this season and he has an OBP of .329. He has collected 21 hits in 72 at bats while driving in 6 runs. He has an OPS+ of 94 and a slugging percentage of .375. The Pirates as a unit have 149 base hits, including 23 doubles and 19 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 54 times this year and they have struck out on 191 occasions. They have had 113 men left on base and have an OPS of .595. They have scored 3.71 runs per game and totaled 78 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates (+161)

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