Friday, April 29, 2016
PNC Park
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Dan Straily vs. Juan Nicasio
The Cincinnati Reds visit PNC Park on Friday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Dan Straily for the Reds and Juan Nicasio for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has Cincinnati at +140 and Pittsburgh at -150. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Reds have a 13-7-2 over/under record and a 9-13-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 41% of the time. The Pirates are 12-10-0 against the run line and have a 15-7-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.
The Reds head into this matchup with a 9-13 record, including 1-8 on the road. Starting pitcher Dan Straily has a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 3.50 and a WHIP of 1.00. He has 17 strikeouts over his 18 innings pitched and he has given up 9 hits so far this season. He has allowed 4.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.5. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 6.22 and they have given up 79 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the bullpen while being struck out 66 times and walking 48 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 9.05 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.34 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.45. The Reds pitchers have collectively given up 191 base hits and 115 earned runs. They have allowed 39 home runs this season and they allow 1.8 homers per nine innings as a staff. Cincinnati as a pitching staff has walked 101 batters and struck out 155. They walk 4.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.54 and their FIP as a unit is 5.92.
As a team, Cincinnati is batting .242, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .249 average away from home. The Reds hold a .387 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .297 which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 7.73 hits per game. Joey Votto comes into this game hitting .221 and his on-base percentage is at .311. He has 17 hits this season along with 6 runs scored and 11 runs batted in. He's struck out 21 times and has walked 10 times. Jay Bruce is hitting .265 and he has an on-base percentage of .320. He has totaled 18 hits so far while scoring 9 runs and he's driven in 15. He has walked 5 times and has struck out 16 times. The Reds have 170 hits, including 39 doubles and 19 home runs. They've stolen 17 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 7 times. Cincinnati has walked 53 times this season and they've struck out 165 times as a unit. They've left 115 men on base and have a team OPS of .685. They score 3.86 runs per contest and have scored a total of 85 runs so far this year.
Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 5-3 home record and a 13-9 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.50, Juan Nicasio has a 2-2 record and a 1.35 WHIP. He has 21 strikeouts over the 20 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 16 hits. He has allowed 7.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.61. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.48 and they have given up 77 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .240 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 77 times and walking 43 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.85 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.14 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.38. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 198 base knocks and 98 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 32 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 101 hitters and struck out 182. They give up a walk 4.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.49 while their FIP as a staff is 4.98.
As a team, they are batting .294, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .297 average at home. The Pirates hold a .444 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .378 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10.59 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .247 and he has an OBP of .360. He has 21 hits this year along with 16 runs scored and 10 RBI. He's struck out 22 times and has walked on 13 occasions. Starling Marte is hitting .326 and he has an OBP of .367. He has collected 30 hits so far while he's scored 14 runs and drove in 12. He has earned a walk 3 times and has punched out 20 times. The Pirates as a unit have 233 base hits, including 55 doubles and 18 homers. They have 16 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 8 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 96 times this year and they have struck out 170 times. They've had 193 men left on base and have an OPS of .821. They score 5.41 runs per game and have totaled 119 runs so far this season.
Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends
The Cincinnati Reds are 13-7-2 against the over/under so far this season
The Cincinnati Reds are 9-13-0 against the run line so far this season
Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 15-7-0 against the over/under so far this season
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 12-10-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Cincinnati Reds
04/28/16 2B Brandon Phillips Finger is upgraded to probable Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
04/28/16 P Jon Moscot Shoulder "?" for next scheduled start
04/19/16 P Alfredo Simon Bicep "?" for next scheduled start
04/10/16 CF Yorman Rodriguez Hamstring 15-day DL (3/27)
04/04/16 P Anthony DeSclafa Oblique 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Homer Bailey Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 C Kyle Skipworth Ankle 15-day DL (3/31)
04/03/16 P John Lamb Back 15-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Michael Lorenzen Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
Pittsburgh Pirates
04/28/16 LF Starling Marte Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. Colorado Rockies
04/14/16 P Cory Luebke Hamstring 15-day DL (4/14)
04/04/16 3B Jung-ho Kang Knee 15-day DL (3/25)
04/03/16 P Jared Hughes Oblique 15-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
Guy's Pick: Take the Reds
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 Guy Bruhn
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks