Saturday, July 11, 2015

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey (7-5) vs. A.J. Burnett (7-3)

The Pittsburgh Pirates welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to PNC Park on Saturday. John Lackey is the probable starter for the Cardinals and he'll face A.J. Burnett of the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +112 and Pittsburgh at -122. The over/under was set at 6.5. The Cardinals have a 32-51 over/under record and a 47-39 run line mark, meaning they cover 55% of the time. The Pirates are 37-48 against the run line and have a 34-42 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Cardinals show up with a 56-30 record, including 25-19 on the road. Starting pitcher John Lackey holds a 7-5 record with an earned run average of 3.09 and a WHIP of 1.23. The Cardinals are 10-7 over his 110.2 innings pitched and he's also given up 109 hits over that time period. The Cardinals are also 6-11 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates are averaging 3.6 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen's earned run average is currently 2.32 and they've given up 218 hits on the season. The bullpen has struck out 227 and walked 82 batters this season while opposing teams hit .234 against them. St. Louis has a team average of 8.1 hits allowed per game and are averaging 8.07 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 2.63, they are 1st in the league.

St. Louis ranks 7th in the league in team batting average at .258 while hitting .251 on the road. Ranked at 7th in the league in on-base percentage, the Cardinals sit at .323 and they hold a .389 team slugging percentage. With 93 hits, Jhonny Peralta leads the team while his team ranks 10th in hits per game with 8.72.

Pittsburgh is 29-16 at home while holding a 50-35 overall record on the season. With an earned run average of 1.99, A.J. Burnett will come into this game holding a 7-3 record and a 1.21 WHIP. The Pirates have a record of 10-7 over the 113 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 107 hits. The Pirates are also 7-9 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates score an average of 3.9 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen's earned run average is currently at 2.43 and they have given up 227 hits on the season. The Pirates bullpen has struck out 229 batters and walked 72 this season while opposing teams have hit .233 against them. Pittsburgh has a team average of 8.16 hits per game and are averaging 7.91 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 2.84, they are 2nd in the league.

They rank 12th in the league in team batting average with a .255 average while hitting .254 at home. Ranked at 16th in the league in on-base percentage, the Pirates sit at .316 and they hold a .379 team slugging percentage. With 90 hits, Andrew McCutchen leads the team while his team ranks 9th in hits per game with 8.79.

The Cardinals have committed 49 errors and have combined for 844 assists and 2,330 put outs leading to a .985 team fielding percentage. Over the course of this season, the Pirates have accumlated 59 errors while having 1018 assists and 2,348 put outs leading to a .983 fielding percentage.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 32-51 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 47-39 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 34-42 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 37-48 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

07/06/15 P Jaime Garcia Groin Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/1)
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 15 day disabled list (6/26)
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 60 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

Pittsburgh Pirates

07/09/15 LF Starling Marte Oblique doubtful Friday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
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 15 day disabled list (6/22)
06/04/15 LF Jaff Decker Calf Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/30)
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)
04/06/15 SS Justin Sellers Heel Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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