Houston Astros vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 4/11/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Astros vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Houston (-170) Pittsburgh (+145)

The Pittsburgh Pirates (6-3) will try to defeat the Houston Astros (4-6) at PNC Park on Tuesday. The odds on this game have the Astros at -170 and the Pirates are priced at +145. The total comes in at 8.5. The starting pitchers will be Cristian Javier and Mitch Keller.

The Astros have accrued 12 doubles as a team and have hit 10 balls out of the stadium. Houston is slugging .363 and have struck out 95 times, while drawing a walk on 34 occasions. As a team, the Houston Astros are scoring 4.7 runs per contest, which is 16th in the league. They have accrued 45 runs batted in and 82 base knocks this year, while their average at the plate sits at .240. They have accumulated 47 runs scored and hold an OBP of .319.

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The Astros have an ERA of 3.95 so far this season (10th in MLB), and the staff has struck out 98 batters. Their pitching staff has walked 28 players from the other team and their FIP is 3.76 as a team for the season. They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.50 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.38. Astros pitchers have given up 10 long balls and 44 runs in total (16th in the league).

The Astros relief pitchers have earned a save percentage of 40.0% and has entered the game in 7 save situations. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 10 base runners for the season with 30.0% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. Astros relief pitchers have entered the game with runners on 7 times in addition to having 12 appearances in high leverage situations. The Astros have dispatched 35 relievers to the mound so far this year. The relief pitchers have recorded 2 holds this season (25th in baseball). They have recorded 2 saves so far this year and have blown 3 of their 5 save chances.

The Houston Astros have a total of 274 putouts on the campaign, as well as 96 assists and 3 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .992 which is 5th in the majors, and they have turned 4 double plays. The Astros have converted 65.0% of balls in play into outs out of their 822 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 28th in baseball.

Javier (21-12 career mark) is the owner of a FIP of 3.82 while he has gone up against 1,269 opposing hitters during his time in the majors. He has conceded 205 base knocks (5.9 hits per nine innings) and has 124 walks. His ERA is 3.05 (107 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.043. Javier has pitched in 315 frames and has accounted for 389 strikeouts during his MLB career.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have compiled an on-base percentage of .315 in addition to a batting average of .243 on the season. They have struck out on 76 occasions (21st in the league) and have tallied 73 base knocks. Pittsburgh has accumulated 11 home runs this season to go along with 40 runs batted in. The Pirates hold a slugging percentage of .419 and they earn 4.67 runs per game (17th in the league). They have 16 two-baggers, while getting a free base 33 times as well as scoring 42 runs.

The Pittsburgh pitching staff have conceded 41 runs so far this season and come in with a team ERA of 4.56 (40 earned runs conceded). They have yielded 13 long balls and they allow 4.67 runs per 9 innings (15th in MLB). The Pirates hold a team WHIP of 1.304 in addition to having a FIP of 4.84 as a team this season. They currently have a K/BB ratio of 2.47 (74 strikeouts against 30 walks). They come in at 9th in MLB as a staff in total hits given up with 73.

With 16 save situations, the Pirates have earned 9 holds and also 0 blown saves. Pittsburgh has called on relievers to step onto the mound in 6 save opportunities and they have tallied 6 saves. Their relievers have taken the field 11 times in high leverage situations and on 8 occasions with runners on base. Pittsburgh relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 23.1% out of 13 inherited base runners. They are currently ranked 7th in the league with a save rate of 100.0%, and they have dispatched 29 relievers to the hill for the year.

In their 711 innings on the field, the Pirates have earned a efficiency on defense of 71.6% (7th in pro baseball). The Pittsburgh Pirates have turned 7 double plays and have earned a fielding percentage of .991 (9th in the majors). The Pirates have recorded 78 assists, 3 errors and have a tally of 237 putouts so far this year.

During his pro baseball career, Keller has allowed 384 base knocks while he has tallied 326 strikeouts in 341 innings pitched. Keller (13-29 record in his career) holds a 4.96 earned run average while surrendering 10.1 hits per 9 innings. He has surrendered a total of 188 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.563 and a FIP of 4.1. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.19 and he has faced 1,520 batters during his career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Houston (-170)

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