Friday, September 11, 2015

Great American Ball Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey (11-9) vs. Michael Lorenzen (4-8)

The St. Louis Cardinals head to Great American Ball Park on Friday to take on the Cincinnati Reds. The probable starters are John Lackey for the Cardinals and Michael Lorenzen for the Reds. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -158 and Cincinnati at +148. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Cardinals have a 55-74 over/under record and a 71-68 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Reds are 71-66 against the run line and have a 68-64 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 88-51 record, including 38-27 on the road. John Lackey has an earned run average of 2.90 and is 11-9 so far on the season while having a 1.22 WHIP. The Cardinals are 15-13 over his 186 innings pitched and he's also given up 181 hits over that time period. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 13-14. His teammates are averaging 3.9 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 373 hits on the season and have an earned run average of 2.49. Teams are hitting .236 against the bullpen while being struck out 387 times and walking 150 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.35 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.08 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.81.

St. Louis ranks 12th in the league in team batting average at .254 while hitting .249 on the road. The Cardinals on-base percentage sits at .322, which puts them at 12th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .391. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.64 hits per game and Jhonny Peralta leads the team with 141.

With a 31-39 home record, Cincinnati will hope to improve on their 57-81 overall mark. Michael Lorenzen is starting this game 4-8 for the season with an earned run average of 5.54 and a WHIP of 1.65. The Reds have a record of 8-11 over the 100.2 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 111 hits. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 10-8. His teammates score an average of 4.5 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 410 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 3.80. Teams are hitting .237 against the Reds bullpen while being struck out 390 times and walking 184 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 8.66 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.49 batters per nine. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.21.

They rank 23rd in the league in team batting average with a .249 average while hitting .256 at home. The Reds on-base percentage sits at .314, which puts them at 17th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .397. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.58 hits per game and Joey Votto leads the team with 149.

In terms of team defense, the Cardinals have a fielding percentage of .984 with 83 total errors, 1,390 assists and 3,797 put outs. For the home team, they hold a .987 team fielding percentage while committing 68 errors, accumulating 1,403 assists and compiling 3,726 put outs.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 55-74 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 71-68 against the run line so far this season

Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 68-64 against the over/under so far this season

The Cincinnati Reds are 71-66 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

09/09/15 2B Kolten Wong Calf "?" Thursday vs. Cincinnati Reds
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)
05/03/15 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

Cincinnati Reds

09/10/15 2B Kristopher Negron Shoulder is downgraded to out for season
09/09/15 LF Adam Duvall Knee "?" Thursday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
09/09/15 C Brayan Pena Hamstring injured last game, doubtful Thursday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
06/17/15 P Jon Moscot Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (6/16)
06/11/15 SS Zack Cozart Knee Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (6/11); out for season
05/25/15 C Devin Mesoraco Hip Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/23), out for season
04/28/15 P Homer Bailey Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/26); out for season
04/04/15 P Sean Marshall Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/5)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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