Saturday, April 5, 7:05 PM on FSMW

PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

St Louis - Kelly, J (0-0) vs. Pittsburgh - Liriano, F (0-0)

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Saturday night, the St. Louis Cardinals will give the ball to Joe Kelly as they face Francisco Liriano and the Pittsburgh Pirates.   Kelly is making his first start of the season and Liriano is making his second. 

Joe Kelly is in just his third season in the majors and last season he started 15 games while appearing in 37 overall for the Cardinals.  Kelly won 10 and lost 5 with an ERA of 2.69.  One stat that stands out is that he gave up 124 hits in 124 innings of work.  That number could be slightly better with more experience.

Kelly has seen the Pirates before and they have some success against him.  Overall, the Pirates are batting .299 with 26 hits and 7 RBIs in 87 at-bats.  Pedro Alvarez has faced Kelly the most and has 4 hits (including a home run) and 4 RBIs in 15 at-bats. 

Francisco Liriano appeared to shake off the groin problems he had during the spring as he made his first start of the season on Opening Day.  Liriano didn’t get the decision but he gave the Pirates 6 innings of work, allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 10.  If the groin issues are not a concern, Liriano should continue to impress this season.

Against the Cardinals, Liriano will face some hitters that have given him problems in the past.  St. Louis has 5 hitters that have faced Liriano more than 10 times with Jhonny Peralta having 37 at-bats.  Peralta has 13 hits and 6 RBIs with 13 strikeouts in those at-bats.     

St Louis Betting Trends

St Louis is 0-2-0 against the Over/Under

Run differential for St Louis is 0.0

Pittsburgh Betting Trends

Pittsburgh is 0-1-1 against the Over/Under

Run differential for Pittsburgh is +1.0

Injuries to Watch

St Louis 

03/31/14 2B Mark Ellis Knee 15-day DL (3/27)
03/30/14 P Jaime Garcia Shoulder 15-day DL (3/21)
03/28/14 P Jason Motte Elbow 15-day DL (3/21)

Pittsburgh 

04/03/14 P Charlie Morton Thumb questionable
03/30/14 C Chris Stewart Knee 15-day DL (3/21)
03/30/14 P Jeff Locke Side 15-day DL (3/21)

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh

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