Free MLB Picks Today: Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates 8/31/22

Free MLB Picks Today: Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates 8/31/22
Wed 31st August 2022

The Pittsburgh Pirates (49-80) are on the road to face the Milwaukee Brewers (68-60) at American Family Field on Wednesday with the three-game series in the balance. The Pirates evened the series 1-1 after winning 4-2 on Tuesday, their eighth head-to-head victory in 18 games this season. Reliever Manny Banuelos threw 1.1 scoreless innings to get the win, and Chase De Jong pitched 1.2 scoreless innings to pick up his first save of the season. Michael Chavis was 2 for 4 with a home run and two runs in the win. Kolten Wong went 2 for 3 with a home run and a double for the Brewers. He had two RBIs.

ON THE MOUND

Zach Thompson (3-10, 5.33 ERA) is set to get the start for Pittsburgh. The RHP allowed two runs (one earned) in five innings of relief in his last appearance, a 7-4 home defeat against the Phillies on Friday. He yielded four hits while striking out two. Over four previous starts against the Brewers this season, Thompson has allowed 13 earned runs over 17.2 innings (0-2, 6.62). He has struck out 16 and walked nine. For Milwaukee, righty Freddy Peralta (4-3, 3.69 ERA) is on the mound. He has made two appearances against the Pirates this season, both as the starter, giving up two runs over 9.2 innings (0-0, 1.86) with 10 strikeouts and two walks. In his last start on Friday, Peralta took a no-decision at home against the Cubs. He threw six scoreless, no-hit innings, striking out five and walking one in the 4-3 loss.

AT THE PLATE

Over the last five games, Pittsburgh has averaged 3.6 runs a game, equal to their season average. Against right-handed pitchers like Peralta this season, the Bucs have a .650 OPS, the third lowest in the league. Bryan Reynolds is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .818 OPS in 293 at-bats. Milwaukee is averaging 5.6 runs per game in the last five, up from 4.6 for the season, with a higher slash line (.303/.378/.514). The Brew Crew have a .758 OPS against right-handers in 2022, the second highest in MLB. With a .508 SLG over 270 at-bats, Rowdy Tellez has been their best power hitter against right-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Pittsburgh is 23-44 in away games in 2022, scoring 3.4 runs per game while allowing 4.8 runs. Milwaukee has gone 34-26 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 4.0. In the last 10 games at American Family Field between the NL Central rivals, Milwaukee is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.6-3.9.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Pirates are fifth in the NL Central, 25 games behind the division-leading Cardinals. The Brewers are second in the NL Central, six games behind the Cardinals.

SportsTips’ MLB Pick:

Milwaukee Brewers

Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with betmgm image today!

If you need more news, information, and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!

*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.

SportsTips covers all the latest betting, odds, picks & predictions news when it comes to major American sports like NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL. If you want to stay up to date with the latest information, SportsTips has you covered!