Saturday, June 20, 2015

Citizens Bank Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey (5-4) vs. Aaron Harang (4-8)

The Philadelphia Phillies welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to Citizens Bank Park on Saturday. The probable starters are John Lackey for the Cardinals and Aaron Harang for the Phillies. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -171 and Philadelphia at +161. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Cardinals have a 22-42 over/under record and a 36-30 run line mark, meaning they cover 55% of the time. The Phillies have a 32-30 over/under record and a 32-36 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 47% of the time.

The Cardinals come into this game with a 43-23 record, and they are 17-16 away from home. Starting pitcher John Lackey holds a 5-4 record with an earned run average of 3.59 and a WHIP of 1.23. The Cardinals are 7-6 over his 82.2 innings pitched and he's also given up 83 hits over that time period. Against the over/under, the Cardinals are 4-9 in his starts. The team is averaging 3.2 runs when he starts. The bullpen's earned run average is currently 1.99 and they've given up 166 hits on the season. Opposing teams are hitting .232 against the Cardinals bullpen while walking 62 times and striking out 177 times. St. Louis is averaging 8.1 strikeouts per game while getting 8.11 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 1st in baseball in team earned run average at 2.62.

St. Louis is batting .261 as a team, which is good for 7th in the league and hitting .245 away from home. Ranked at 6th in the league in on-base percentage, the Cardinals sit at .324 and they hold a .393 team slugging percentage. Jhonny Peralta leads the team in hits with 75 while the team ranks 11th in baseball with 8.8 hits per game.

With a 23-45 overall record, Philadelphia will come into this game 16-17 at home. With an earned run average of 3.24, Aaron Harang will come into this game holding a 4-8 record and a 1.10 WHIP. The Phillies have a record of 5-9 over the 89 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 74 hits. Against the over/under, the Phillies are 4-8 when he starts. The team is averaging 2.6 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen's earned run average is currently at 3.34 and they have given up 207 hits on the season. Opposing teams are hitting .248 against the Phillies bullpen while walking 101 times and striking out 208 times. Philadelphia is averaging 7.37 strikeouts per game while getting 9.38 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 27th in the league in team earned run average at 4.27.

They are batting .236 as a team, which is good for 27th in the league and hitting .232 at home. Ranked at 29th in the league in on-base percentage, the Phillies sit at .285 and they hold a .348 team slugging percentage. Ben Revere leads the team in hits with 73 while the team ranks 27th in baseball with 7.91 hits a game.

The Cardinals have committed 38 errors and have combined for 652 assists and 1,784 put outs leading to a .985 team fielding percentage. The Phillies have committed 52 errors on the season with 656 assists and 1,791 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .979 on the year.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 22-42 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 36-30 against the run line so far this season

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 32-30 against the over/under so far this season

The Philadelphia Phillies are 32-36 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

06/12/15 P Lance Lynn Forearm Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/8)
06/09/15 LF Matt Holliday Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (06/10)
05/27/15 1B Matt Adams Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (05/26), out for regular season
05/03/15 P Jordan Walden Bicep Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/30)
04/28/15 P Adam Wainwright Achilles Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/25); out for season
04/04/15 LF Tommy Pham Quad Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)

Philadelphia Phillies

06/18/15 P Cole Hamels Hamstring expected to miss start Friday vs St. Louis Cardinals
06/17/15 P Jerome Williams Hamstring Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/17)
05/18/15 P Chad Billingsley Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/17)
04/06/15 P Jonathan Pettibone Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)
04/06/15 P Mario Hollands Arch Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6)
04/04/15 P Cliff Lee Arm Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/16)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald