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Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers Free Pick 05/04/18

Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates will head west to face their division rival Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. The matchup will begin at 8:10 p.m. ET and fans hoping to watch it can tune in to Fox Sports Net Wisconsin.

Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers Odds

Pittsburgh (+110) is hosting this one as the underdog to Milwaukee (-120) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this one at 8.5 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total stand at -105 for the over and -115 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the most recent odds coming in at Pirates +1.5 runs (-190) and Brewers +-1.5 runs (+165).

Pirates vs Brewers

The Pirates have gone 17-15 SU this year and are 17-14 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 2.1 units for moneyline gamblers in this young season and 4.0 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in three of those seven. The Brewers, on the other hand, are 19-13 SU and 18-14 ATS. They’ve gained 6.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 3.3 units ATS. Milwaukee has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven.

Brewers games have a 12-20 over/under record so far in 2018. The Pirates have an over/under record of 16-11-4.

The right-handed Nick Kingham will get the start for the visiting Pirates. Kingham is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and nine strikeouts. He has yet to face the Brewers this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.

The Brewers are putting the ball in the hands of righty Junior Guerra (2-1, 0.82 ERA), who’s got 21 strikeouts and eight walks, as well as a 0.95 WHIP. Guerra made two starts against the Pirates in 2017, putting together a 0-0 record with a 4.26 ERA and 12 strikeouts.

Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 4.6 runs per game and its starters own a 4.08 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 7.07 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.51, along with a K/9 of 9.28.

Pirates hitters have slashed .254/.325/.406 on their way to 4.7 runs scored per game in 2018, including 6.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).

Catcher Francisco Cervelli and left fielder Corey Dickerson have led Pittsburgh’s hitters. Cervelli is hitting .310/.388/.595 with five home runs, 21 RBIs and 11 runs scored, while Dickerson (.315/.355/.523) is up to four homers, 20 RBIs and 17 runs scored.

For the home team, Milwaukee’s pitching staff has allowed 3.6 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have an ERA of 3.77, a WHIP of 1.28 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 6.5. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 2.36, a WHIP of 1.09 and a K/9 of 10.5. In 20 divisional games, Brewers starters have an ERA of 3.76 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.20.

The Milwaukee offense is putting up 3.8 runs per outing, including 2.6 per game against divisional foes and 3.2 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .209/.267/.362 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.

The Brewers’ batters have been led by Lorenzo Cain and Eric Thames. Cain is slashing .279/.397/.462 with four home runs, 10 RBIs, 18 runs and eight steals, and the line for Thames stands at .250/.351/.625 with seven homers, 13 RBIs and 11 runs.

The Pirates have gained 1.5 units and are 14-12 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 11 of those games, as opposed to 11 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Brewers have netted 5.5 units and are 14-9 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in eight of those games, as opposed to 15 that’ve gone under.

Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers Free Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Brewers, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER

Notes

Betting Notes

Milwaukee has recorded 16.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 16.8 over its last five.

The Pirates have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games. The Brewers have hit nine over their last 10.

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Written by GMS Previews

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