Saturday, September 19, 2015

Dodger Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Francisco Liriano (10-7) vs. Clayton Kershaw (14-6)

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Dodger Stadium on Saturday to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates send Francisco Liriano to the mound to face Clayton Kershaw 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. The Pirates, with a 64-82 run line record, cover the spread 44% of the time. They also have a 69-65 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 come into this game with a 87-59 record, and they are 37-34 away from home. Francisco Liriano has a 10-7 record on the season, an earned run average of 3.45 and a 1.22 WHIP. In his starts, the Pirates are 17-11 over his 167 innings pitched this season while giving up 139 hits during those innings. The Pirates are also 17-7 against the over/under in his starts. The team is averaging 5.3 runs when he starts. The bullpen has given up 417 hits on the season and have an earned run average of 2.69. Teams are hitting .235 against the bullpen while being struck out 418 times and walking 146 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.47 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.03 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.21.

Pittsburgh is batting .259 as a team, which is good for 8th in the league and hitting .257 away from home. The Pirates on-base percentage sits at .322, which puts them at 10th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .395. They rank 8th in baseball with 9.01 hits per game and Andrew McCutchen leads the team with 153.

With a 84-61 overall record, Los Angeles will come into this game 49-22 at home. Clayton Kershaw has a record of 14-6 while sporting an earned run average of 2.12 on the year with a 0.89 WHIP. In his starts, the Dodgers are 17-12 and he has allowed 147 hits over 208 innings pitched this season. The Dodgers are also 11-17 against the over/under in his starts. The team is averaging 3.8 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen has given up 387 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 3.97. Teams are hitting .242 against the Dodgers bullpen while being struck out 466 times and walking 134 times this season. As a team, Los Angeles has allowed 8.54 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.53 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 3.95.

They are batting .243 as a team, which is good for 30th in the league and hitting .243 at home. The Dodgers on-base percentage sits at .305, which puts them at 28th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .390. They rank 30th in baseball with 8.13 hits per game and Adrian Gonzalez leads the team with 147.

In terms of team defense, the Pirates have a fielding percentage of .981 with 113 total errors, 1,696 assists and 4,034 put outs. For the home team, they hold a .988 team fielding percentage while committing 67 errors, accumulating 1,525 assists and compiling 3,882 put outs.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 69-65 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-82 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 C Francisco Cervelli Ankle injured last game, "?" Friday vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
09/17/15 SS Jung Ho Kang Knee out for season
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)
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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