Red Sox vs. Pirates Prediction, Computer Picks, Odds & Pitching Matchup 8/17/2022

The Boston Red Sox (58-59) will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (45-71) on Wednesday at 7:05 PM ET. Tommy Pham will be looking for his 98th hit of the season for the favored Red Sox (-154) when the game gets underway at PNC Park. Rich Hill will get the ball for Boston while Pittsburgh counter with Roansy Contreras.

Red Sox vs. Pirates Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Red Sox vs. Pirates

Our best bet is the Pirates on the moneyline at +131 after looking at all of the key trends and statistics for this matchup. Our computer projects the total score will over the total of 8.5 runs.

Our computer pick: Pittsburgh Pirates (+131) and Over (8.5)

Red Sox vs. Pirates Game Info

• Boston Red Sox probable starting pitcher: Rich Hill
• Pittsburgh Pirates probable starting pitcher: Roansy Contreras
• Game Day: Wednesday, August 17, 2022
• Game Time: 7:05 PM ET
• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Stadium: PNC Park

Boston Red Sox vs Pittsburgh Pirates Pitching Matchup

Red Sox Starter Rich Hill

• Hill (4-5 with a 4.75 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Red Sox, his 18th of the season.
• His most recent time out was on Tuesday, Aug. 9 against the Atlanta Braves, when the lefty went four innings, surrendering four earned runs while giving up seven hits.
• In 17 games this season, the 42-year-old has put up an ERA of 4.75, with 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are hitting .266 against him.
• Hill has three quality starts under his belt this season.
• Hill has put up seven starts this season in which he pitched five or more innings.
• The opposing Pirates offense has the 28th-ranked slugging percentage (.362) and ranks 18th in MLB play with 114 home runs. It has a collective .220 batting average, and is 29th in MLB with 839 total hits and 28th in MLB play scoring 418 runs.

Pirates Starter Roansy Contreras

• Contreras (3-2) will take to the mound for the Pirates and make his 10th start of the season.
• The right-hander last pitched on Thursday, July 7, when he threw six innings against the Cincinnati Reds, giving up one earned run.
• The 22-year-old has an ERA of 3.78, a 2.273 strikeout to walk ratio and a WHIP of 1.380 in 12 games this season.
• In nine starts this season, he’s earned a quality start in one of them.
• Contreras has six starts of five or more innings this season in nine chances. He averages 4.1 innings per outing.
• The Red Sox have scored 521 runs this season, which ranks 12th in MLB. They are batting .252 for the campaign with 112 home runs, 19th in the league.

Red Sox Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the Red Sox have been favored 59 times and won 34, or 57.6%, of those games.
• Boston has entered 19 games this season favored by -154 or more and is 11-8 in those contests.
• The sportsbooks’ moneyline implies a 60.6% chance of a victory for the Red Sox.
• Boston’s games have gone over the total in 51 of their 117 chances.
• The Red Sox have an ATS record of 60-57-0 in 117 games with a spread this season.

Pirates Betting Picks & Insights

• The Pirates have won in 36, or 36%, of the 100 contests they have been named as odds-on underdogs in this year.
• Pittsburgh has a win-loss record of 24-47 when favored by +131 or worse by oddsmakers this year.
• The Pirates have an implied victory probability of 43.3% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• Pittsburgh and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 51 of their 117 opportunities.
• The Pirates are 60-57-0 against the spread in their 117 games that had a posted line this season.

Red Sox Leaders & Batting Stats

• Rafael Devers paces the Red Sox in home runs (25) and runs batted in (62).
• Devers’ home runs rank him 14th in the majors, and he ranks 29th in RBI.
• Xander Bogaerts’ .303 batting average is a team-high mark.
• Bogaerts ranks 153rd in home runs and 73rd in RBI on the year.
• Alex Verdugo is batting .275 with 29 doubles, seven home runs and 27 walks.
• Pham is hitting .244 with 16 doubles, a triple, 14 home runs and 44 walks.
• Pham is riding an eight-game hitting streak into this one. In his last 10 outings he is batting .289 with three doubles, three home runs, two walks and nine RBI.

Pirates Leaders & Batting Stats

• Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates in home runs (17), runs batted in (40) and has posted a team-high batting average of .257.
• Reynolds is 41st in home runs and 136th in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Ben Gamel has 17 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 34 walks while hitting .240.
• Gamel ranks 241st in home runs and 181st in RBI among all MLB hitters this year.
• Michael Chavis is hitting .245 with 11 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 13 walks.
• Kevin Newman has 13 doubles, two triples and 10 walks while batting .266.