Friday, September 18, 2015

Dodger Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jeff Locke (8-10) vs. Zack Greinke (17-3)

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Dodger Stadium on Friday to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jeff Locke is the probable starter for the Pirates and he'll face Zack Greinke of the Dodgers. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +185 and Los Angeles at -200. The over/under was set at 6.5. The Pirates, with a 64-81 run line record, cover the spread 44% of the time. They also have a 68-65 over/under record. The Dodgers are 66-79 against the run line and have a 69-71 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 87-58 record, including 37-34 on the road. Jeff Locke has a 8-10 record on the season, an earned run average of 4.43 and a 1.41 WHIP. The Pirates are 15-13 over his 156.1 innings pitched and he's also given up 164 hits over that time period. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 15-10. His teammates are averaging 4.2 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.68 and they have given up 409 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .233 against the Pirates bullpen while walking 144 times and striking out 416 times. Pittsburgh is averaging 8.03 strikeouts per game while getting 8.42 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 2nd in baseball in team earned run average at 3.19.

Pittsburgh ranks 8th in the league in team batting average at .259 while hitting .257 on the road. The Pirates hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 10th in baseball. Andrew McCutchen leads the team in hits with 153 while the team ranks 8th in baseball with 9 hits per game.

With a 49-22 home record, Los Angeles will hope to improve on their 84-61 overall mark. Zack Greinke has a record of 17-3 while sporting an earned run average of 1.61 on the year with a 0.85 WHIP. The Dodgers have a record of 21-8 over the 200.2 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 136 hits. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 12-17. His teammates score an average of 3.9 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.97 and they have given up 387 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .242 against the Dodgers bullpen while walking 134 times and striking out 466 times. Los Angeles is averaging 7.51 strikeouts per game while getting 8.51 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 14th in the league in team earned run average at 3.92.

They rank 30th in the league in team batting average with a .242 average while hitting .243 at home. The Dodgers hold a .387 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .303 which is good for 28th in baseball. Adrian Gonzalez leads the team in hits with 147 while the team ranks 30th in baseball with 8.08 hits a game.

Pittsburgh has a team fielding percentage of .981 after having committed 111 errors with 1,685 assists and 4,007 put outs for the season. The Dodgers have committed 67 errors on the season with 1,525 assists and 3,882 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .988 on the year.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 68-65 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-81 against the run line so far this season

Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 69-71 against the over/under so far this season

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 66-79 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

09/17/15 SS Jung Ho Kang Knee injured last game, "?" Friday vs Los Angeles Dodgers
09/02/15 P Casey Sadler Forearm Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (9/1)
08/08/15 P Deolis Guerra Knee Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (8/7)
07/19/15 CF Gorkys Hernandez Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/13)
06/24/15 RF Corey Hart Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (6/22)
05/07/15 LF Andrew Lambo Plantar Fasciitis Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/4)
04/06/15 P Brandon Cumpton Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)

Los Angeles Dodgers

09/16/15 LF Carl Crawford Back "?" Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
09/16/15 SS Jimmy Rollins Finger out indefinitely
09/16/15 LF Scott Van Slyke Hand "?" Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
09/15/15 2B Jose Peraza Hamstring out indefinitely
09/01/15 SS Enrique Hernandez Hamstring Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/31)
08/28/15 RF Yasiel Puig Hamstring Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/28)
08/27/15 2B Howie Kendrick Hamstring Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/10)
08/11/15 P Carlos Frias Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/2)
04/28/15 P Brandon McCarthy Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/26), out for season
04/06/15 P Bronson Arroyo Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6), out for season
04/06/15 P Hyun-Jin Ryu Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27), out for season

Josh's Pick: Take the Dodgers

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