Pirates vs. Tigers Pick
After a rainout on Thursday, can the Detroit Tigers open up the 2018 MLB Season with a win at home when it hosts the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:10PM ET?
GAME SNAPSHOT
(971) Pittsburgh Pirates at (972) Detroit Tigers
Friday, March 30, 2018
Location: Comerica Park – Detroit, Michigan
Weather: Cloudy, 38 degrees, 11 mph winds
Time: 1:10PM ET
CURRENT ODDS
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, Pittsburgh is favored in this game, as the Pirates are getting odds of -110 to win against Detroit. The Tigers are getting a money line of +100 to prevail. The over/under total is currently listed at 9.5 runs.
PITCHING MATCHUP
The Pirates are sending Ivan Nova to the mound today to face Jordan Zimmerman of the Tigers. Nova is coming off an 11-14 record in 2017 where he posted a 4.14 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Zimmerman was 8-13 last season with a 6.08 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP.
Bet on MLB for Friday, March 30, 2018
PUBLIC BETTING INFORMATION
The public is backing the Tigers today. Detroit is currently getting 59 percent of the wagers for this game as the home underdog against Pittsburgh.
KEY INJURIES
Neither team has anyone new players listed on the injury report for today’s game.
BETTING STRATEGIES
The Pirates have won three of their last four against the Tigers, but the home team has won three of the last four meetings as well.
Pittsburgh is coming off a 75-87 record last season where it went 31-50 on the road. The Pirates scored 668 runs while allowing 731. Detroit went 64-98 last season with a 34-47 record at home. Both teams went through a lot of changes in the offseason and the Tigers went through a bit of a fire sale in the last year.
The home opener is always a big game for the team hosting. While both teams don’t have a lot of aspirations for this season, the Tigers should get a boost from its large crowd. They likely won’t have them often this season as they could be among the worst teams in the MLB. Pittsburgh got rid of the face of the franchise in Andrew McCutchen and I don’t see them having a lot of success this season either. I will take Detroit at home today.
MLB PREDICTIONS: DETROIT TIGERS +100