Friday, September 4, 2015

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: J.A. Happ (3-1) vs. Carlos Martinez (13-6)

The St. Louis Cardinals host the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium on Friday. The probable starters are J.A. Happ for the Pirates and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +141 and St. Louis at -151. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Pirates, with a 58-73 run line record, cover the spread 44% of the time. They also have a 58-61 over/under record. The Cardinals have a 51-73 over/under record and a 70-63 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 53% of the time.

The Pirates come into this game with a 79-52 record, and they are 33-31 away from home. Starting pitcher J.A. Happ holds a 3-1 record with an earned run average of 1.98 and a WHIP of 1.24. In his starts, the Pirates are 4-1 over his 27.1 innings pitched this season while giving up 27 hits during those innings. Against the over/under, the Pirates are 0-5 in his starts. He is getting 3.2 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.61 and they have given up 361 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the bullpen while being struck out 359 times and walking 126 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.84 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.21.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .259, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .255 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .396 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 8.98 hits per game and Andrew McCutchen leads the team with 140.

With a 86-47 overall record, St. Louis will come into this game 48-20 at home. With an earned run average of 2.91, Carlos Martinez will come into this game holding a 13-6 record and a 1.27 WHIP. In his starts, the Cardinals are 19-5 and he has allowed 142 hits over 154.2 innings pitched this season. Against the over/under, the Cardinals are 8-12 when he starts. He is getting 4.2 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.34 and they have given up 347 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 358 times and walking 144 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.67.

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .264 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .395 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.74 hits per game and Jhonny Peralta leads the team with 137.

Pittsburgh has a team fielding percentage of .982 after having committed 97 errors with 1,551 assists and 3,611 put outs for the season. For the home team, they hold a .985 team fielding percentage while committing 78 errors, accumulating 1,332 assists and compiling 3,635 put outs.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 58-61 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 58-73 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 51-73 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 70-63 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

09/02/15 P Casey Sadler Forearm Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (9/1)
08/24/15 1B Travis Ishikawa Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/20)
08/08/15 P Deolis Guerra Knee Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (8/7)
08/01/15 P A.J. Burnett Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/31)
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)

St. Louis Cardinals

09/03/15 P Carlos Martinez Back is upgraded to expected to start Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
09/03/15 P Lance Lynn Ankle is downgraded to expected to miss start Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
09/02/15 1B Mark Reynolds Wrist "?" Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
08/18/15 LF Randal Grichuk Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/16)
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)
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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