Sunday, September 6, 2015

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole (15-8) vs. John Lackey (11-8)

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Busch Stadium on Sunday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Gerrit Cole for the Pirates and John Lackey for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +104 and St. Louis at -114. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Pirates, with a 59-74 run line record, cover the spread 44% of the time. They also have a 60-61 over/under record. The Cardinals are 70-64 against the run line and have a 52-73 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Pirates come into this game with a 80-53 record, and they are 34-32 away from home. Gerrit Cole has an earned run average of 2.64 and is 15-8 so far on the season while having a 1.13 WHIP. The Pirates are 18-9 over his 173.2 innings pitched and he's also given up 158 hits over that time period. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 9-16. He is getting 3.5 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has given up 369 hits on the season and have an earned run average of 2.66. The bullpen has struck out 365 and walked 127 batters this season while opposing teams hit .234 against them. Pittsburgh has a team average of 8.52 hits allowed per game and are averaging 7.86 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.22, they are 2nd in the league.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .260, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .257 average away from home. The Pirates on-base percentage sits at .322, which puts them at 12th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .397. With 140 hits, Andrew McCutchen leads the team while his team ranks 7th in hits per game with 9.04.

With a 86-48 overall record, St. Louis will come into this game 48-21 at home. John Lackey is starting this game 11-8 for the season with an earned run average of 2.87 and a WHIP of 1.20. The Cardinals have a record of 15-12 over the 178.2 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 171 hits. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 12-14. He is getting 4 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has given up 357 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 2.43. The Cardinals bullpen has struck out 364 batters and walked 144 this season while opposing teams have hit .237 against them. St. Louis has a team average of 8.27 hits per game and are averaging 8.02 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 2.72, they are 1st in the league.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .263 average at home. The Cardinals on-base percentage sits at .323, which puts them at 10th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .394. With 140 hits, Jhonny Peralta leads the team while his team ranks 12th in hits per game with 8.74.

In terms of team defense, the Pirates have a fielding percentage of .982 with 97 total errors, 1,570 assists and 3,662 put outs. Over the course of this season, the Cardinals have accumulated 78 errors while having 1,343 assists and 3,662 put outs leading to a .985 fielding percentage.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 60-61 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 59-74 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 52-73 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 70-64 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

09/04/15 P Lance Lynn Ankle missed last start, probable to start in series vs. Chicago Cubs
09/04/15 1B Mark Reynolds Wrist "?" Saturday 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)
07/01/15 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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