Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 7/28/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Friday, July 28, 2023

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Philadelphia (-155) Pittsburgh (+135)

The Philadelphia Phillies (55-47) are hitting the road to PNC Park on Friday where they will go up against the Pittsburgh Pirates (45-57). The odds on this game have the Phillies at -155 while the Pirates open at +135. The betting total is set at 8. The expected starting pitchers will be Zack Wheeler and Osvaldo Bido.

As a team, the Philadelphia Phillies are notching 4.5 runs per outing, which has them sitting at 17th in MLB. They have tallied 458 runs while holding a team OBP of .319. The Phillies have accounted for 184 doubles as a team and have knocked 111 baseballs out of the stadium. They have recorded 440 RBI's and 897 base knocks so far this year, while their average at the plate is sitting at .256. Philadelphia has a slugging percentage of .415 and have struck out 930 times, while drawing a walk on 307 occasions.

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They have a K/BB ratio of 3.16 and their pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.24. Phillies pitchers have conceded 112 long balls and also 448 total runs (14th in MLB). Philadelphia has given up 829 base hits (8.2 per 9 innings) in addition to 406 earned runs. The Phillies have compiled a team earned run average of 4.04 so far this year (12th in MLB), and they have struck out 923 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 292 opposing hitters and their FIP sits at 3.93 as a squad so far this season.

The Phillies have dispatched 330 relievers to the hill for the season. The relievers have inherited 121 runners over the course of the season with 35.5% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. They have earned 29 saves so far this season and have blown 11 of their 40 save opportunities. The Phillies relief pitchers have compiled a save rate of 72.5% and has entered the game in 84 save situations. The bullpen are sitting with 44 holds on the year (25th in the league). Phillies bullpen pitchers have come into the game with runners on 82 times in addition to having 106 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Philadelphia Phillies have 2,716 putouts over the course of the season, as well as 875 assists and 53 errors. Their fielding rate is holding steady at .985 which ranks 17th in pro baseball, and they have twisted 72 double plays. The Phillies have converted 69.2% of baseballs in play into outs out of their 8,148 innings, which has them sitting 15th in pro baseball.

Wheeler (81-62 career record) has earned a FIP of 3.33 and he has faced 5,422 opposing hitters in the major leagues. He has surrendered 1,173 base knocks (8.1 hits per 9 innings) with 389 walks. His ERA is 3.46 (502 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.197. Wheeler has thrown 1,305 innings and is sitting with 1,323 K's so far in his MLB career.

The Pittsburgh Pirates hold an on-base percentage of .312 as well as a batting average of .236 this season. They have struck out on 891 occasions (16th in baseball) and have earned a total of 794 base knocks. Pittsburgh has knocked in 97 home runs on the campaign as well as 401 RBIs. The Pirates have a team slugging percentage of .385 and they average 4.13 runs per outing (25th in the league). They have notched 177 doubles, while getting a free base 352 times as well as scoring 421 runs.

The Pirates have a WHIP of 1.375 in addition to having a FIP of 4.43 as a unit over the course of the season. Their K/BB ratio sits at 8.50 (847 strikeouts against 362 bases on balls). They come in at 20th in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits given up with 870. They have conceded 114 HR's and they surrender 4.96 runs per 9 innings (23rd in baseball). The Pittsburgh pitching staff have yielded 494 runs so far this season while having a team ERA of 4.52 (450 earned runs relinquished).

Pittsburgh has had relievers step onto the hill in 38 save chances and they have tallied 26 saves. They rank 8th in baseball with a save rate of 68.4%, and they have dispatched 320 relievers onto the field for the year. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 95 times in high leverage situations and also on 97 occasions with runners on. Pittsburgh relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 33.3% of 147 inherited runners. With 84 save situations, the Pirates have tallied 44 holds and 12 blown saves.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have turned 81 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .983 (25th in baseball). The Pirates have accrued 844 assists, 60 errors and are sitting with 2,688 putouts so far this season. In their 8,064 innings on the diamond, the Pirates have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 68.6% (18th in the majors).

During his career, Bido has surrendered 33 base hits while tallying 28 punch outs in 30 innings. He has conceded a total of 15 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.533 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.7. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.15 and he has gone up against 141 hitters so far in his career. Bido (2-1 mark in his career) holds a 4.50 ERA while conceding 9.9 hits per nine innings.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Philadelphia (-155)

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