Thursday, August 13, 2015

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Francisco Liriano (7-6) vs. Lance Lynn (9-6)

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Busch Stadium on Thursday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Francisco Liriano for the Pirates and Lance Lynn for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +105 and St. Louis at -115. The over/under was set at 6.5. The Pirates have a 49-50 over/under record and a 48-62 run line mark, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Cardinals are 57-55 against the run line and have a 40-67 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 65-45 record, including 26-27 on the road. Starting pitcher Francisco Liriano holds a 7-6 record with an earned run average of 3.13 and a WHIP of 1.11. In his starts, the Pirates are 11-10 over his 129.1 innings pitched this season while giving up 99 hits during those innings. Against the over/under, the Pirates are 11-7 in his starts. He is getting 4.9 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.75 and they have given up 313 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .242 against the bullpen while being struck out 296 times and walking 108 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.62 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.25.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .259, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .254 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .392 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 8.94 hits per game and Andrew McCutchen leads the team with 116.

With a 41-16 home record, St. Louis will hope to improve on their 72-40 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.76, Lance Lynn will come into this game holding a 9-6 record and a 1.27 WHIP. In his starts, the Cardinals are 13-8 and he has allowed 118 hits over 127.1 innings pitched this season. Against the over/under, the Cardinals are 5-16 when he starts. He is getting 3 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.26 and they have given up 290 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 300 times and walking 118 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 7.98 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.06 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.61.

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .263 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.66 hits per game and Jhonny Peralta leads the team with 116.

Pittsburgh has a team fielding percentage of .982 after having committed 81 errors with 1,305 assists and 3,020 put outs for the season. For the home team, they hold a .985 team fielding percentage while committing 62 errors, accumulating 1123 assists and compiling 3,076 put outs.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 49-50 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 48-62 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 40-67 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 57-55 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

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)

St. Louis Cardinals

07/30/15 LF Matt Holliday Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/29)
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 60 day disabled list (6/26)
05/27/15 1B Matt Adams Quad Injury is on the 60 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 60 day disabled list (4/25); out for season

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates

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