Saturday, August 15, 2015
Citi Field
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Charlie Morton (7-4) vs. Jon Niese (7-9)
The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Citi Field on Saturday to play the New York Mets. Charlie Morton is the probable starter for the Pirates and he'll face Jon Niese of the Mets. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at -105 and New York at -105. The over/under was set at 8. The Pirates have a 50-51 over/under record and a 49-63 run line mark, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Mets are 59-55 against the run line and have a 54-55 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.
The Pirates show up with a 66-46 record, including 27-28 on the road. Starting pitcher Charlie Morton holds a 7-4 record with an earned run average of 4.48 and a WHIP of 1.36. He's pitched 82.1 innings thus far while surrendering 85 hits over that time and when he starts, the Pirates are 10-4. Against the over/under, the Pirates are 5-7 in his starts. His teammates are averaging 4.8 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.76 and they have given up 318 base hits on the year. The bullpen has struck out 301 and walked 109 batters this season while opposing teams hit .242 against them. Pittsburgh has a team average of 8.63 hits allowed per game and are averaging 7.91 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.27, they are 3rd in the league.
Pittsburgh ranks 7th in the league in team batting average at .259 while hitting .255 on the road. The Pirates hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which is good for 10th in baseball. With 119 hits, Andrew McCutchen leads the team while his team ranks 6th in hits per game with 8.97.
New York is 42-18 at home while holding a 63-52 overall record on the season. With an earned run average of 3.46, Jon Niese will come into this game holding a 7-9 record and a 1.31 WHIP. He's pitched 135.1 innings thus far while surrendering 140 hits over that time in which the Mets are 9-13. Against the over/under, the Mets are 11-9 when he starts. His teammates score an average of 3.4 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.94 and they have given up 246 base hits on the year. The Mets bullpen has struck out 277 batters and walked 117 this season while opposing teams have hit .220 against them. New York has a team average of 8.02 hits per game and are averaging 7.94 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.18, they are 2nd in the league.
They rank 30th in the league in team batting average with a .238 average while hitting .239 at home. The Mets hold a .373 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .302 which is good for 28th in baseball. With 108 hits, Curtis Granderson leads the team while his team ranks 30th in hits per game with 7.97.
Pittsburgh has a team fielding percentage of .982 after having committed 82 errors with 1,321 assists and 3,071 put outs for the season. Over the course of this season, the Mets have accumlated 61 errors while having 1135 assists and 3,091 put outs leading to a .986 fielding percentage.
Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 50-51 against the over/under so far this season
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 49-63 against the run line so far this season
New York Mets Betting Trends
The New York Mets are 54-55 against the over/under so far this season
The New York Mets are 59-55 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Pittsburgh Pirates
08/13/15 LF Starling Marte Hand "?" Friday vs. New York Mets
08/08/15 P Deolis Guerra Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/7)
08/01/15 P A.J. Burnett Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/31)
07/20/15 SS Jordy Mercer Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/20)
07/19/15 CF Gorkys Hernandez Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/13)
07/06/15 3B Josh Harrison Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/6)
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)
New York Mets
08/13/15 1B Lucas Duda Back "?" Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
08/05/15 P Rafael Montero Rotator Cuff Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/30)
08/03/15 LF Kirk Nieuwenhuis Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/30)
07/29/15 P Jenrry Mejia Suspension out for season
07/09/15 P Steven Matz Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/6)
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
Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates
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