Pirates vs. Tigers Best Bet 5/17/23

by | Last updated Jun 8, 2023 | mlb

Eduardo Rodriguez Tigers

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers
Date: Wednesday, May 17th, 1:10 ET
Location: Comerica Park
TV: MLBN
Money Line: Pirates +134/Tigers -158
Total Line: 7.5

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the Detroit Tigers and the Pirates on Wednesday, May 17th at Comerica Park. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

ML RL Total
PIT +134 +1.5 O 7.5 (-116)
DET -158 -1.5 U 7.5 (-104)

Pirates vs. Tigers Projected Lineup

 

Batting Order Position
Ke’Bryan Hayes 1 3B
Bryan Reynolds 2 CF
Andrew McCutchen 3 DH
Carlos Santana 4 1B
Connor Joe 5 LF
Rodolfo Castro 6 2B
Tucupita Marcano 7 2B
Ji Hwan Bae 8 2B
Austin Hedges 9 C
Rich Hill – SP

 

Batting Order Position
Matt Vierling 1 CF
Javier Báez 2 SS
Riley Greene 3 CF
Spencer Torkelson 4 1B
Andy Ibáñez 5 3B
Eric Haase 6 C
Miguel Cabrera 7 DH
Jonathan Schoop 8 2B
Jake Rogers 9 C
Eduardo Rodriguez – SP

 

Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

Pittsburgh Pirates: 22-20 SU / OU 19-22 / Runline 22-20
Detroit Tigers: 19-21 SU / OU 19-20 / Runline 23-17

Heading into today’s action, the Pirates’ record of 22-20 has them sitting 2nd in the NL Central. Currently, they are two games out of the division lead. Over their last five games, they are 1-4 and have a road and home record of 12-11 and 10-9, respectively. Pittsburgh’s overall series record sits at 6-6.

 

  • The Pirates have covered the runline in 52.4% of their games and have an average run margin of 0.1
  • The Pirates have been favored in 28.6% of their games and have runline records of 8-11 and 14-9 at home and on the road, respectively
  • So far, the Pirates have an over/under record of just 19-22.

On a record of 19-21, the Tigers are 2nd in the AL Central. Currently, they are 3.5 games out of the division lead. Against the Pirates, they will be seeking their 3rd straight win. On the road, they have a record of 9-12 while going 10-9 at home. Detroit’s overall series record is 7-6.

 

  • The Tigers have covered the runline in two straight games and have a season-long run margin of -1.0.
  • The Tigers have been favored in 5.0% of their games and have runline records of 11-8 and 12-9 at home and on the road, respectively
  • So far, the Tigers have an over/under record of just 19-20.

Pitching Matchup

Pitcher Appearances Started IP Record ERA WHIP HR
Rich Hill 8 8 41 3-3 4.36 1.48 8

 

Across eight appearances, Rich Hill has a slugging percentage allowed of .533 and enters with a WHIP of 1.48. His overall record is 3-3 on an ERA of 4.36. For the season, he has a total of 36 K’s, and is averaging 0.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Hill’s record on the road is 2-1 and 1-2 at home. This includes an ERA of 3.25 (road) and 5.59 (home), respectively.

Rich Hill finished with a no-decision in his last outing against the Rockies. He allowed three runs on four hits over 3 2/3 innings. The Pirates went on to lose the game by a score of 4-3.

Pitcher Appearances Started IP Record ERA WHIP HR
Eduardo Rodriguez 8 8 51 4-2 1.57 .81 4

 

Eduardo Rodriguez gets the start for Detroit and has picked up a win in three straight games. He comes into the matchup carrying an ERA of 1.57. His season-long strikeout total sits at 47, with a batting average allowed .of 180. Rodriguez’s slugging percentage allowed currently sits at .270 coming on a WHIP of .81.

Detroit is hoping that Eduardo Rodriguez can help guide them to another win, as they defeated the Guardians (5-0) the last time he pitched. He finished the game with zero earned runs on four hits across seven innings.

Pirates vs. Tigers Offense Outlook

With 40 home runs, Pittsburgh ranks just 23rd in terms of total home runs. Their batting average is 21st in the league at .239. The team’s OPS of .717 comes in ranked 16th in the league.

Pittsburgh Pirates Top Hitters On The Road

Player BA HR SLG WOBA
Bryan Reynolds .318 4 .545 .384
Carlos Santana .269 1 .410 .338
Ke’Bryan Hayes .216 1 .318 .261
Connor Joe .261 3 .551 .372
Ji Hwan Bae .242 1 .303 .277

 

Pittsburgh Pirates Top Hitters: Last Five Games

Player BA H R HR SLG
Andrew McCutchen .362 5 3 1 .613
Bryan Reynolds .217 4 2 0 .283
Tucupita Marcano .450 4 1 1 .950
Ji Hwan Bae .350 4 1 0 .550
Connor Joe .062 1 1 1 .250

 

The Tigers come into the game ranked 30th in the league on an average of 3.6 runs per game. When it comes to home runs, Detroit is 28th, having hit the ball out of the park 31 times. Their overall batting average stands at .233. On the road, they are hitting .217 while .228 at home.

Detroit Tigers Team Hitting Stats

Team Games Runs HR BA OBP SLG
Tigers 41 3.6 (30th) 31 (28th) .233 (23rd) .297 (29th) .297 (29th)

 

Detroit Tigers Top Hitters: Last Five Games

Player BA H R HR SLG
Riley Greene .420 9 2 0 .570
Javier Báez .323 6 3 0 .390
Jake Rogers .150 2 2 1 .400
Andy Ibáñez .233 4 2 0 .350
Spencer Torkelson .217 4 2 0 .317

 

Free MLB Pick

The Pirates have been shutout in two of their last three games and lost five of their last six. Tigers starter Eduardo Rodriguez is on a ridiculous tear where he’s allowed only two earned runs in his last 42.2 innings. The line on this game should be closer to -200 so I’m happy to lay -155. Bet your MLB predictions for FREE this week by scoring a 100% real cash bonus up to $500 when you use bonus code PREDICTEM at Betnow!

MLB Baseball Picks