Friday, June 17, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lamb vs. Lance McCullers

The Cincinnati Reds visit Minute Maid Park on Friday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are John Lamb for the Reds and Lance McCullers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Cincinnati at +207 and Houston at -225. The over/under was set at 9. The Reds have a 37-24-5 over/under record and a 35-31-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Astros are 30-37-0 against the run line and have a 31-31-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Reds head into this matchup with a 26-40 record, including 9-21 on the road. Starting pitcher John Lamb has a 1-4 record with an earned run average of 5.14 and a WHIP of 1.55. He has 22 strikeouts over his 42 innings pitched and he has given up 48 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.54. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 6.28 and they have given up 261 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .275 against the bullpen while being struck out 209 times and walking 133 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 9.66 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.02 batters per nine. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 5.42. The Reds pitchers have collectively given up 626 base hits and 351 earned runs. They have allowed 108 home runs this season and they allow 1.7 homers per nine innings as a staff. Cincinnati as a pitching staff has walked 288 batters and struck out 455. They walk 4.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.57 and their FIP as a unit is 5.64.

As a team, Cincinnati is batting .240, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .239 average away from home. The Reds hold a .411 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .298 which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 27th in baseball with 7.91 hits per game. Zack Cozart comes into this game hitting .278 and his on-base percentage is at .311. He has 59 hits this season along with 34 runs scored and 25 runs batted in. He's struck out 31 times and has walked 10 times. Jay Bruce is hitting .273 and he has an on-base percentage of .329. He has totaled 62 hits so far while scoring 40 runs and he's driven in 51. He has walked 18 times and has struck out 52 times. The Reds have 521 hits, including 115 doubles and 78 home runs. They've stolen 44 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 23 times. Cincinnati has walked 165 times this season and they've struck out 557 times as a unit. They've left 349 men on base and have a team OPS of .708. They score 4.41 runs per contest and have scored a total of 291 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 17-14 home record and a 32-35 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.54, Lance McCullers has a 3-2 record and a 1.69 WHIP. He has 44 strikeouts over the 33.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 34 hits. He has allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.96. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.13 and they have given up 189 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 247 times and walking 53 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.99 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.43 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 611 base knocks and 278 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 72 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 182 hitters and struck out 573. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 3.76.

As a team, they are batting .237, good for 26th in the league while putting together a .232 average at home. The Astros hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.09 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .346 and he has an OBP of .421. He has 91 hits this year along with 47 runs scored and 38 RBI. He's struck out 27 times and has walked on 32 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .257 and he has an OBP of .351. He has collected 62 hits so far while he's scored 29 runs and drove in 32. He has earned a walk 32 times and has punched out 70 times. The Astros as a unit have 542 base hits, including 114 doubles and 81 homers. They have 56 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 18 times. Houston as a team has walked 255 times this year and they have struck out 646 times. They've had 463 men left on base and have an OPS of .719. They score 4.19 runs per game and have totaled 281 runs so far this season.

Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 37-24-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Cincinnati Reds are 35-31-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 31-31-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 30-37-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Cincinnati Reds

06/16/16 RF Jay Bruce Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. Atlanta Braves
06/16/16 3B Eugenio Suarez Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. Atlanta Braves
06/14/16 C Jordan Pacheco Shoulder 15-day DL (6/13)
06/10/16 CF Billy Hamilton Concussion 7-day DL (6/9)
06/01/16 P Caleb Cotham Shoulder 15-day DL (5/29)
05/20/16 P Tim Adleman Oblique 15-day DL (5/20)
05/02/16 C Devin Mesoraco Shoulder 60-day DL (5/1); out for season
05/01/16 P Raisel Iglesias Shoulder 15-day DL (4/26)
04/10/16 CF Yorman Rodriguez Hamstring 60-day DL (3/27)
04/04/16 P Homer Bailey Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Michael Lorenzen Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Houston Astros

No key injuries to report

Josh's Pick: Take the Reds

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