Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 8/23/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Sunday, August 23, 2020

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: ATPT/FSWI

Odds/Point Spread: Brewers (-165) Pirates (+152)

Justin Smoak and the Milwaukee Brewers (11-13, 4th in NL Central) are headed to PNC Park on Sunday where they'll meet the Pittsburgh Pirates (5-17, 5th in NL Central). The Pirates open this contest at +152 while the Brewers are coming in at -165. The over/under is set at 9. The starting pitchers are Corbin Burnes and JT Brubaker.

Key Milwaukee Brewers Injuries

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

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

8/21/2020 Keone Kela RP Forearm Probable for Aug 22
8/20/2020 Joe Musgrove SP Triceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 29
8/19/2020 Mitch Keller SP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
8/19/2020 Kyle Crick RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 25
8/19/2020 Phillip Evans 3B Jaw Out for the season
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

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Brewers have a 11-13 overall record this season. Burnes (8-5 mark in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 4.76 while he has gone up against 474 hitters in the major leagues. His earned run average is 5.50 (66 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.407. He has allowed 107 hits (8.9 hits per nine innings) and has 45 walks. Burnes has taken the hill for 108 innings and has accumulated 134 punchouts during his pro baseball career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.58 and they have given up 81 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .185 against the bullpen and they've struck out 139 hitters and walked 42 batters. As a team, Milwaukee allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.6 batters per nine innings. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.26. The Brewers pitchers collectively have given up 193 base hits and 102 earned runs. They have allowed 30 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Milwaukee as a pitching staff has walked 87 batters and struck out 253. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.13.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Milwaukee is hitting .214, good for 27th in the league. The Brewers hold a .365 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .294, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 7.2 hits per game. Justin Smoak is hitting .195 with an on-base percentage of .247. He has 16 hits this season in 82 at bats with 9 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .378 and an OPS+ of 66. Keston Hiura is hitting .240 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .302. He has totaled 23 hits and he has driven in 13 men in 96 at bats. His OPS+ is 100 while his slugging percentage is at .448. The Brewers have 173 hits, including 30 doubles and 28 home runs. Milwaukee has walked 79 times so far this season and they have struck out 234 times as a unit. They have left 149 men on base and have a team OPS of .659. They score 3.96 runs per contest and have scored a total of 95 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Brubaker has surrendered 11 base knocks while accumulating 10 punchouts in 11 frames. He has surrendered 6 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.545 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.5. He has a SO/W ratio of 1.67 and he has gone up against 51 batters. Brubaker (0-0 win-loss record) has a 4.91 ERA and has surrendered 9.0 hits per nine innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.52 and they have given up 99 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 116 batters and walked 62 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.2 batters per nine innings. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 5.15. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 182 base knocks and 113 earned runs this season. They have given up 31 home runs this year, which ranks 19th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 104 hitters and struck out 201 batters. They give up a walk 4.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.45 while their FIP as a staff is 4.97.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .219, good for 26th in the league. The Pirates hold a .336 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .275, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 22nd in MLB with 7.4 hits per contest. Kevin Newman comes into this matchup batting .276 with an OBP of .313. He has 21 hits this year along with 6 RBI in 76 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .355 with an OPS+ of 85. Erik Gonzalez is hitting .281 this season and he has an OBP of .281. He has collected 16 hits in 57 at bats while driving in 9 runs. He has an OPS+ of 95 and a slugging percentage of .439. The Pirates as a unit have 163 base hits, including 23 doubles and 20 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 55 times this year and they have struck out on 196 occasions. They have had 119 men left on base and have an OPS of .611. They have scored 3.86 runs per game and totaled 85 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates (+152)

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