Thursday, July 9, 2015

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Carlos Martinez (9-3) vs. Jeff Locke (5-4)

The Pittsburgh Pirates welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to PNC Park on Thursday. The probable starters are Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals and Jeff Locke for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -108 and Pittsburgh at -102. The over/under was set at 7. The Cardinals, with a 45-39 run line record, cover the spread 54% of the time. They also have a 31-50 over/under record. The Pirates have a 34-41 over/under record and a 36-47 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 43% of the time.

The Cardinals come into this game with a 54-30 record, and they are 23-19 away from home. Carlos Martinez has an earned run average of 2.70 and is 9-3 so far on the season while having a 1.25 WHIP. The Cardinals are 13-3 over his 100 innings pitched and he's also given up 84 hits over that time period. The Cardinals are also 5-9 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 4.4 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.32 and they have given up 215 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the bullpen while being struck out 221 times and walking 81 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.13 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.02 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.62.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .259, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .253 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .391 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.76 hits per game and Jhonny Peralta leads the team with 91.

With a 49-34 overall record, Pittsburgh will come into this game 28-15 at home. Jeff Locke is starting this game 5-4 for the season with an earned run average of 4.15 and a WHIP of 1.41. The Pirates have a record of 9-7 over the 91 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 95 hits. The Pirates are also 8-7 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 3.8 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.50 and they have given up 226 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .237 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 221 times and walking 71 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.23 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.89 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.87.

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .257 average at Safeco Field. The Pirates hold a .381 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317 which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 8.88 hits per game and Andrew McCutchen leads the team with 86.

St. Louis has a team fielding percentage of .984 after having committed 49 errors with 823 assists and 2,276 put outs for the season. For the home team, they hold a .983 team fielding percentage while committing 56 errors, accumulating 994 assists and compiling 2,294 put outs.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 31-50 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 45-39 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 34-41 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 36-47 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

07/08/15 2B Kolten Wong Concussion is downgraded to doubtful Wednesday vs. Chicago Cubs
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

07/07/15 LF Starling Marte Oblique "?" Wednesday vs. San Diego Padres
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 Pirates

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