Minnesota Twins vs Pittsburgh Pirates Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/5/2020

Game: Minnesota Twins vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: FSN/ATPT

Odds/Point Spread: Twins (-182) Pirates (+155)

Colin Moran and the Pittsburgh Pirates (2-8, 5th in NL Central) host the Minnesota Twins (8-2, 1st in AL Central) at PNC Park on Wednesday. The moneyline on this contest has the Twins coming in at -182 and the Pirates are at +155. The O/U has been set at 9. The pitchers taking the mound are Randy Dobnak and Trevor Williams.

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

8/4/2020 Jake Odorizzi SP Back Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
8/4/2020 Rich Hill SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 12
8/3/2020 Josh Donaldson 3B Calf Expected to be out until at least Aug 5
8/2/2020 Homer Bailey SP Biceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
8/1/2020 Zack Littell RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Aug 11

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

8/4/2020 Michael Feliz RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 15
8/3/2020 JT Riddle SS Abdomen Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
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
7/28/2020 Clay Holmes RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
7/28/2020 Kyle Crick RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
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 Twins have a 8-2 overall record this season. Dobnak (3-2 record in his career) has a FIP of 2.90 and he has faced 154 hitters in the major leagues. His ERA is 1.46 (6 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.132. He has given up 33 hits (8.0 hits per 9 innings) and has had 9 free passes. Dobnak has taken the ball for 37 innings and has tallied 30 strikeouts during his pro baseball career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.45 and they have given up 31 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .178 against the bullpen and they've struck out 54 hitters and walked 16 batters. As a team, Minnesota allows 6.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 2.73. The Twins pitchers collectively have given up 64 base hits and 27 earned runs. They have allowed 11 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 32 batters and struck out 90. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.08 and their FIP as a unit is 3.77.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Minnesota is hitting .232, good for 17th in the league. The Twins hold a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .306, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 7.4 hits per game. Eddie Rosario is hitting .219 with an on-base percentage of .306. He has 7 hits this season in 32 at bats with 6 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .469 and an OPS+ of 118. Jorge Polanco is hitting .289 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .308. He has totaled 11 hits and he has driven in 5 men in 38 at bats. His OPS+ is 99 while his slugging percentage is at .395. The Twins have 74 hits, including 11 doubles and 16 home runs. Minnesota has walked 29 times so far this season and they have struck out 88 times as a unit. They have left 52 men on base and have a team OPS of .723. They score 5.1 runs per contest and have scored a total of 51 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 2-8 overall mark this year. During his pro baseball career, Williams has allowed 481 base hits while he has tallied 376 strikeouts in 488 innings. He has surrendered 230 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.314 and having a FIP of 4.4. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.35 and he has faced 2,079 opposing hitters so far in his pro baseball career. Williams (29-31 career win-loss mark) is the owner of a 4.24 earned run average while allowing 8.9 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.00 and they have given up 44 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 48 batters and walked 29 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.06. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 76 base knocks and 40 earned runs this season. They have given up 11 home runs this year, which ranks 19th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 50 hitters and struck out 90 batters. They give up a walk 5.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.42 while their FIP as a staff is 4.56.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .187, good for 30th in the league. The Pirates hold a .309 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .252, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 28th in MLB with 6.1 hits per contest. Colin Moran comes into this matchup batting .273 with an OBP of .314. He has 9 hits this year along with 7 RBI in 33 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .758 with an OPS+ of 187. Jose Osuna is hitting .158 this season and he has an OBP of .238. He has collected 3 hits in 19 at bats while driving in 4 runs. He has an OPS+ of 53 and a slugging percentage of .316. The Pirates as a unit have 61 base hits, including 10 doubles and 10 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 27 times this year and they have struck out on 90 occasions. They have had 47 men left on base and have an OPS of .561. They have scored 3.4 runs per game and totaled 34 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins (-182)

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