Monday, May 16, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Williams Perez vs. Jon Niese

The Atlanta Braves visit PNC Park on Monday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Williams Perez for the Braves and Jon Niese for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has Atlanta at +150 and Pittsburgh at -175. The over/under was set at 8. The Braves have a 17-14-4 over/under record and a 14-21-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 40% of the time. The Pirates are 16-19-0 against the run line and have a 23-11-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Braves head into this matchup with a 9-26 record, including 7-9 on the road. Starting pitcher Williams Perez has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 3.54 and a WHIP of 1.13. He has 10 strikeouts over his 20.1 innings pitched and he has given up 15 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.71. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.77 and they have given up 114 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the bullpen while being struck out 125 times and walking 63 times this season. As a team, Atlanta has allowed 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.77 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.44. The Braves pitchers have collectively given up 300 base hits and 155 earned runs. They have allowed 38 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Atlanta as a pitching staff has walked 131 batters and struck out 271. They walk 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.31.

As a team, Atlanta is batting .229, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .222 average away from home. The Braves hold a .296 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .293 which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 26th in baseball with 7.69 hits per game. Nick Markakis comes into this game hitting .260 and his on-base percentage is at .364. He has 33 hits this season along with 13 runs scored and 21 runs batted in. He's struck out 24 times and has walked 20 times. Freddie Freeman is hitting .282 and he has an on-base percentage of .386. He has totaled 35 hits so far while scoring 15 runs and he's driven in 10. He has walked 18 times and has struck out 34 times. The Braves have 269 hits, including 51 doubles and 9 home runs. They've stolen 16 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. Atlanta has walked 99 times this season and they've struck out 281 times as a unit. They've left 240 men on base and have a team OPS of .590. They score 3.06 runs per contest and have scored a total of 107 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 7-7 home record and a 18-17 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.63, Jon Niese has a 3-2 record and a 1.60 WHIP. He has 29 strikeouts over the 40 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 49 hits. He has allowed 11 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 6.23. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.16 and they have given up 118 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .249 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 105 times and walking 61 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.98 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.93 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.55. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 316 base knocks and 160 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 46 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 147 hitters and struck out 279. They give up a walk 4.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.75.

As a team, they are batting .275, good for 3rd in the league while putting together a .271 average at home. The Pirates hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .357 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 3rd in baseball with 9.66 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .261 and he has an OBP of .358. He has 36 hits this year along with 25 runs scored and 16 RBI. He's struck out 36 times and has walked on 19 occasions. Starling Marte is hitting .329 and he has an OBP of .377. He has collected 46 hits so far while he's scored 20 runs and drove in 14. He has earned a walk 4 times and has punched out 34 times. The Pirates as a unit have 338 base hits, including 70 doubles and 35 homers. They have 24 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 11 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 139 times this year and they have struck out 277 times. They've had 288 men left on base and have an OPS of .783. They score 4.83 runs per game and have totaled 169 runs so far this season.

Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves are 17-14-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Atlanta Braves are 14-21-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 23-11-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 16-19-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Atlanta Braves

05/11/16 P Jim Johnson Groin 15-day DL (5/9)
04/13/16 2B Hector Olivera Legal problems out indefinitely
04/12/16 P Daniel Winkler Elbow 15-day DL (4/11)
04/04/16 P Andrew McKiraha Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Manuel Banuelos Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Paco Rodrigue Elbow out for season
04/04/16 P Shae Simmons Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)

Pittsburgh Pirates

04/14/16 P Cory Luebke Hamstring 15-day DL (4/14)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates

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