Saturday, July 18, 2015

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Bartolo Colon (9-7) vs. John Lackey (7-5)

The New York Mets take on the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday at Busch Stadium. Bartolo Colon is the probable starter for the Mets and he'll face John Lackey of the Cardinals. The Mets have a 40-44 over/under record and a 43-45 run line mark, meaning they cover 49% of the time. The Cardinals are 49-40 against the run line and have a 35-51 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Mets come into this game with a 47-42 record, and they are 15-28 away from home. Bartolo Colon has a 9-7 record on the season, an earned run average of 4.46 and a 1.23 WHIP. The Mets are 9-8 over his 105 innings pitched and he's also given up 118 hits over that time period. The Mets are also 7-9 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates are averaging 2.8 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen's earned run average is currently 2.77 and they've given up 177 hits on the season. The bullpen has struck out 211 and walked 94 batters this season while opposing teams hit .211 against them. New York has a team average of 8.08 hits allowed per game and are averaging 8 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.23, they are 3rd in the league.

New York ranks 30th in the league in team batting average at .233 while hitting .228 on the road. Ranked at 26th in the league in on-base percentage, the Mets sit at .298 and they hold a .363 team slugging percentage. With 81 hits, Juan Lagares leads the team while his team ranks 30th in hits per game with 7.71.

With a 56-33 overall record, St. Louis will come into this game 31-11 at home. John Lackey has a record of 7-5 while sporting an earned run average of 2.99 on the year with a 1.22 WHIP. The Cardinals have a record of 10-8 over the 117.1 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 114 hits. The Cardinals are also 7-11 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates score an average of 3.7 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen's earned run average is currently at 2.43 and they have given up 231 hits on the season. The Cardinals bullpen has struck out 239 batters and walked 90 this season while opposing teams have hit .234 against them. St. Louis has a team average of 8.16 hits per game and are averaging 8.06 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 2.71, they are 1st in the league.

They rank 7th in the league in team batting average with a .257 average while hitting .265 at home. Ranked at 8th in the league in on-base percentage, the Cardinals sit at .323 and they hold a .389 team slugging percentage. With 100 hits, Jhonny Peralta leads the team while his team ranks 11th in hits per game with 8.74.

The Mets have committed 53 errors and have combined for 879 assists and 2,368 put outs leading to a .984 team fielding percentage. Over the course of this season, the Cardinals have accumlated 52 errors while having 875 assists and 2,422 put outs leading to a .984 fielding percentage.

New York Mets Betting Trends

The New York Mets are 40-44 against the over/under so far this season

The New York Mets are 43-45 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 35-51 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 49-40 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

New York Mets

07/09/15 P Steven Matz Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/6)
06/23/15 C Travis d'Arnaud Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/21)
06/04/15 RF Cesar Puello Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6)
05/14/15 P Buddy Carlyle Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/12)
04/16/15 3B David Wright Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/15)
04/06/15 P Joshua Edgin Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27), out for season
04/06/15 P Zack Wheeler Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27), out for season

St. Louis Cardinals

07/17/15 LF Matt Holliday Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (06/10), expected to be activated & in the starting lineup Friday vs. New York Mets
07/06/15 P Jaime Garcia Groin Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/1)
07/03/15 CF Jon Jay Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/1)
07/01/15 P Matt Belisle Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/26)
05/27/15 1B Matt Adams Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (05/26), out for regular season
05/03/15 P Jordan Walden Bicep Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/30)
04/28/15 P Adam Wainwright Achilles Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/25); out for season

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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