Tuesday, May 17, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Aaron Blair vs. Juan Nicasio

The Atlanta Braves visit PNC Park on Tuesday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Aaron Blair for the Braves and Juan Nicasio for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has Atlanta at +162 and Pittsburgh at -172. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Braves have a 17-15-4 over/under record and a 14-22-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 39% of the time. The Pirates are 17-19-0 against the run line and have a 23-12-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Braves head into this matchup with a 9-27 record, including 7-10 on the road. Starting pitcher Aaron Blair has a 0-2 record with an earned run average of 4.05 and a WHIP of 1.50. He has 7 strikeouts over his 20 innings pitched and he has given up 19 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.68. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.71 and they have given up 118 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .249 against the bullpen while being struck out 129 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 4.38. The Braves pitchers have collectively given up 312 base hits and 159 earned runs. They have allowed 39 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 282. They walk 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 4.23.

As a team, Atlanta is batting .228, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .220 average away from home. The Braves hold a .294 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .292 which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 26th in baseball with 7.75 hits per game. Nick Markakis comes into this game hitting .258 and his on-base percentage is at .363. He has 34 hits this season along with 13 runs scored and 21 runs batted in. He's struck out 25 times and has walked 21 times. Freddie Freeman is hitting .277 and he has an on-base percentage of .377. He has totaled 36 hits so far while scoring 15 runs and he's driven in 10. He has walked 18 times and has struck out 37 times. The Braves have 279 hits, including 52 doubles and 9 home runs. They've stolen 16 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. Atlanta has walked 103 times this season and they've struck out 298 times as a unit. They've left 252 men on base and have a team OPS of .587. They score 3.03 runs per contest and have scored a total of 109 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 7-7 home record and a 19-17 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.34, Juan Nicasio has a 3-3 record and a 1.26 WHIP. He has 37 strikeouts over the 37.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 32 hits. He has allowed 7.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.12. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.20 and they have given up 119 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .249 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 105 times and walking 62 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.84 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.45. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 320 base knocks and 161 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 148 hitters and struck out 286. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 4.67.

As a team, they are batting .272, good for 4th in the league while putting together a .271 average at home. The Pirates hold a .423 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .355 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 3rd in baseball with 9.53 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .252 and he has an OBP of .348. He has 36 hits this year along with 25 runs scored and 16 RBI. He's struck out 38 times and has walked on 19 occasions. Starling Marte is hitting .326 and he has an OBP of .374. He has collected 47 hits so far while he's scored 21 runs and drove in 14. He has earned a walk 4 times and has punched out 35 times. The Pirates as a unit have 343 base hits, including 71 doubles and 36 homers. They have 25 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 11 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 145 times this year and they have struck out 289 times. They've had 297 men left on base and have an OPS of .778. They score 4.75 runs per game and have totaled 171 runs so far this season.

Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves are 17-15-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Atlanta Braves are 14-22-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 23-12-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 17-19-0 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

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