Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview 04/26/18

The Detroit Tigers will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET and this interleague matchup will be shown on either ATPT or FSDT.

Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates Odds

Pittsburgh (-135) is favored over Detroit (+125) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this game at 8 runs (+100 for the over and -120 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds standing at -170 for the Tigers +1.5 runs and +150 for the Pirates -1.5 runs.

The Tigers are 10-12 SU and have gone 10-10 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 1.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline in this young season, despite having gained 0.4 units ATS. Detroit’s covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Pirates, on the other hand, are 13-11 SU and 12-10 ATS. The team has gained 1.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 3.1 units ATS. Pittsburgh has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven outings and the total has gone under in three of those seven.

Pittsburgh games have an 11-8-3 over/under record so far in 2018. The Tigers have an over/under record of 9-11.

Michael Fulmer is getting the start for the visiting Tigers. The right-handed Fulmer is 1-2 with a 3.47 ERA and 13 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with three strikeouts and a 1.13 ERA against Pittsburgh this year.

The Pirates will turn to righty Ivan Nova (2-1, 4.20 ERA), who’s got 25 strikeouts and four walks as well as a WHIP of 1.10. Nova is 0-0 with four strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA in one start against Detroit this year.

Pittsburgh’s pitchers have yielded 4.7 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The club’s starters have an ERA of 4.10, a WHIP of 1.25 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.2. The bullpen has a 5.03 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 9.3 K/9.

The Pittsburgh offense is putting up 5.1 runs per outing, including 4.2 per game over its last 10 games and 4.6 per game over its last five. The team has hit .269/.333/.403 over its last five matchups and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.

The Pirates’ batters have been led by catcher Francisco Cervelli and outfielder Starling Marte. Cervelli is hitting .292/.390/.554 with three home runs, 18 RBIs and eight runs scored, while Marte’s line is .280/.368/.473 with three homers, 10 RBIs, 18 runs and seven stolen bases.

Compared to his total season slash line of .275/.333/.379, Marte enjoyed hitting against right-handed pitching at home last season, hitting .374/.447/.565 across 132 plate appearances.

In the visiting dugout, Detroit’s pitching staff allowed 4.9 runs per game and its starters own a 4.13 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 6.91 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.52, along with a WHIP of 1.32.

The Tigers offense has slashed .258/.325/.422 on its way to 5.0 runs scored per game this season, including 6.7 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 7.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).

Detroit’s offense has been led by third baseman Jeimer Candelario and first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Candelario is slashing .290/.359/.548 with four home runs, 11 RBIs and 13 runs scored, while Cabrera (.329/.416/.513) is up to two homers, 16 RBIs and 12 runs scored.

Putting up a slash line of .173/.218/.269 across 55 such plate appearances, Candelario did not perform especially well against righty pitching on the road in 2017 (compared to his total season slash line of .283/.359/.425).

The Tigers have lost 0.1 units and are 9-8 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in six of those games, as opposed to 11 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Pirates have netted 2.0 units and are 10-8 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in seven of those games, compared to eight that’ve cashed the under.

Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Prediction

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