Saturday, May 2, 2015

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Francisco Liriano (1-1) vs. John Lackey (1-1)

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Busch Stadium on Saturday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Francisco Liriano for the Pirates and John Lackey for the Cardinals. The opening line has Pittsburgh at +111 and St. Louis at -121. The over/under for this matchup is 7. So far this season Pittsburgh is 9-8 against the over/under while the Cardinals are 9-11.

The Pirates come into this game with a 12-10 record, including 6-6 on the road. Francisco Liriano has a 1-1 record and an earned run average of 2.22. He's given up 11 hits in 24.1 innings pitched so far and Pittsburgh is currently averaging 4.5 runs in his starts. As a team, they are batting .230, good for 26th in the league. They also rank 28th in the league in on base percentage at .280 with Neil Walker leading the way at .333.

The Cardinals overall record is 15-6 and they are 8-2 at home. John Lackey is currently 1-1 with an ERA of 4.21. He's pitched 25.2 innings thus far and given up 26 hits. St. Louis has averaged 4.0 runs in his starts this year. The Cardinals are 1st in the league in team ERA at 2.43 and 4th in the league in hits allowed per 9 innings at 7.49. They come into this game batting .274 as a team with an OBP of .339, good for 5th in the league.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 9-8 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 9-13 against the run line

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 9-11 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 15-6 against the run line

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

04/06/15 P Brandon Cumpton Elbow 15-day DL (3/27)
04/06/15 P Charlie Morton Hip 15-day DL (4/6)
04/06/15 SS Justin Sellers Heel 15-day DL (3/27)

St. Louis Cardinals

04/28/15 P Adam Wainwright Achilles 15-day DL (4/25); out for season
04/19/15 CF Randal Grichuk Back 15-day DL (4/17)
04/04/15 P Jaime Garcia Shoulder 15-day DL (3/27)
04/04/15 LF Tommy Pham Quad 15-day DL (3/27)

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates

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