Pittsburgh Pirates vs Minnesota Twins Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/3/2020

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Minnesota Twins

Date: Monday, August 3, 2020

Location: Target Field in Minneapolis, MN

TV: FSN/ATPT

Odds/Point Spread: Pirates (+207) Twins (-250)

Target Field is the site where Luis Arraez and the Minnesota Twins (6-2, 1st in AL Central) will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (2-6, 5th in NL Central) on Monday. The line on this contest has the Pirates priced at +207 and the Twins are at -250. The total has been set at 9.5. The pitchers taking the mound are Derek Holland and Rich Hill.

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

8/2/2020 Michael Feliz RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Aug 12
8/2/2020 Mitch Keller SP Side Expected to be out until at least Aug 12
8/2/2020 JT Riddle SS Abdomen Expected to be out until at least Aug 3
8/2/2020 Keone Kela RP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
8/2/2020 Chad Kuhl RP Finger 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

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

8/2/2020 Josh Donaldson 3B Calf Expected to be out until at least Aug 3
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
7/30/2020 Jake Odorizzi SP Back Expected to be out until at least Aug 5

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 2-6 overall record this season. Holland (78-78 win-loss record in his career) has a FIP of 4.63 while he has gone up against 5,932 hitters during his time in the majors. His ERA is 4.54 (696 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.370. He has surrendered 1,391 base hits (9.1 hits per 9 innings) and has 501 free passes. Holland has pitched in 1,381 innings and has earned 1,150 strikeouts in his MLB career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.63 and they have given up 37 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the bullpen and they've struck out 38 hitters and walked 20 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.37. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 65 base hits and 34 earned runs. They have allowed 11 home runs this season, ranking them 11th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 39 batters and struck out 71. They have walked 5 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.49 and their FIP as a unit is 5.06.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .178, good for 30th in the league. The Pirates hold a .306 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .242, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 30th in MLB with 5.8 hits per game. Jose Osuna is hitting .250 with an on-base percentage of .250. He has 3 hits this season in 12 at bats with 4 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .500 and an OPS+ of 104. Adam Frazier is hitting .161 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .235. He has totaled 5 hits and he has driven in 2 men in 31 at bats. His OPS+ is 46 while his slugging percentage is at .290. The Pirates have 46 hits, including 9 doubles and 8 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 20 times so far this season and they have struck out 76 times as a unit. They have left 34 men on base and have a team OPS of .548. They score 3.62 runs per contest and have scored a total of 29 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

During his career, Hill has surrendered 777 hits while he has accumulated 1,006 punchouts in 942 innings. He has given up a total of 398 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.222 and a FIP of 4.0. He has a SO/W ratio of 2.69 and he has gone up against 3,954 batters so far in his career. Hill (66-42 win-loss record in his career) has a 3.80 ERA while giving up 7.4 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.09 and they have given up 26 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .197 against the Twins bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 41 batters and walked 14 opposing hitters. As a team, Minnesota allows 6.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.3 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 2.92. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 53 base knocks and 23 earned runs this season. They have given up 10 home runs this year, which ranks 15th in Major League Baseball. Minnesota as a staff has walked 26 hitters and struck out 73 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.11 while their FIP as a staff is 4.03.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .233, good for 18th in the league. The Twins hold a .440 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 7.5 hits per contest. Luis Arraez comes into this matchup batting .292 with an OBP of .346. He has 7 hits this year along with 3 RBI in 24 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .292 with an OPS+ of 85. Nelson Cruz is hitting .333 this season and he has an OBP of .394. He has collected 10 hits in 30 at bats while driving in 11 runs. He has an OPS+ of 211 and a slugging percentage of .733. The Twins as a unit have 60 base hits, including 8 doubles and 15 homers. Minnesota has walked 22 times this year and they have struck out on 66 occasions. They have had 40 men left on base and have an OPS of .746. They have scored 5.38 runs per game and totaled 43 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates (+207)

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