Pittsburgh Pirates vs Milwaukee Brewers Free MLB Prediction, 8–16–2017
Free MLB Pick by Johnny Pham of BetSheet.com
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Milwaukee Brewers
Odds: Brewers -125, 8.5 | Time: August 16, 2:10 pm EST
Pittsburgh Pirates
(58–61, 26–35 Away)
The Pittsburgh Pirates take on their NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon. The Pirates lost Game 1 of this series on Tuesday night, 3–1.
Pittsburgh will start right hander Gerrit Cole (10–8, 3.96 ERA). Cole was terrific in his previous start, holding the Tigers to only three runs in eight strong innings, and came away with the win. Cole has pitched well in the 2nd half, going 3–1 with 2 no decisions.
The achilles heel for the Pirates this season has been their hitting. As a team, they are batting .245 and average 4.19 runs per game. One of the bright spots has been Josh Bell. Bell continues to shine at the plate, collecting another four RBI’s over his last three games, and owns a .361 average this month. The 24-year old first baseman is having an outstanding season, currently hitting .257 with 20 home runs and 63 RBI’s.
Milwaukee Brewers
(62–59, 34–30 Home)
Jimmy Nelson gets the call for the Brewers today. Nelson is looking to rebound from his last start which was a disastrous outing. Nelson surrendered ten runs (nine earned) in 3.2 innings to the Reds in the loss to bring his record to 9–6.
Travis Shaw has had a solid season from the plate, batting .292 with 25 home runs and 78 RBI’s. Travis Shaw has enjoyed success against the Pirates pitching this season, belting four home runs along with eight RBI’s.
The Brewers are currently averaging 4.62 runs per game, ranking them 19th in the Majors, and own a .251 team batting average. The Milwaukee pitching has been strong, sporting a 4.18 team ERA, placing them 11th in the Major Leagues.
Pirates vs Brewers Prediction
What is Johnny Pham Predicting?
The Pirates are 7–0 in Cole’s last 7 road starts and 6–1 in Coles last 7 starts overall. The Brewers are 1–4 in Nelson’s last 5 starts vs the Pirates and 1–4 in Nelson’s last 5 starts overall.
I am siding with the Pirates in this matchup. Cole has been very steady, posting a dazzling 2.74 ERA over his last seven starts, and he has limited the Brewers to only three runs in three starts this season. Nelson is coming off an outing where he allowed 10 runs which doesn’t provide the confidence needed to back him in this outing. Take the Pirates at plus money.
Pirates vs Brewers Free MLB Pick: Pittsburgh +105
