Wednesday, April 13, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Shane Greene vs. Francisco Liriano

The Detroit Tigers visit PNC Park on Wednesday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Shane Greene for the Tigers and Francisco Liriano for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has Detroit at +141 and Pittsburgh at -151. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Tigers have a 4-1-0 over/under record and a 2-3-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 40% of the time. The Pirates are 4-3-0 against the run line and have a 3-4-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 57% of the time.

The Tigers head into this matchup with a 3-2 record, including 2-0 on the road. Starting pitcher Shane Greene held a 4-8 record with an earned run average of 6.88 and a WHIP of 1.55 last season. He had 50 strikeouts over his 83.2 innings pitched and he also gave up 103 hits over that time period. He allowed 11.1 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 5.14. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.00 and they have given up 27 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .314 against the bullpen while being struck out 17 times and walking 7 times this season. As a team, Detroit has allowed 10.34 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.32 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.79. The Tigers pitchers have collectively given up 54 base hits and 25 earned runs. They have allowed 3 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 18 batters and struck out 33. They walk 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.53 and their FIP as a unit is 4.04.

As a team, Detroit is batting .280, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .309 average away from home. The Tigers hold a .451 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327 which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 4th in baseball with 10.2 hits per game. Miguel Cabrera comes into this game hitting .263 and his on-base percentage is at .364. He has 5 hits this season along with 3 runs scored and 3 runs batted in. He's struck out 4 times and has walked 3 times. Justin Upton is hitting .227 and he has an on-base percentage of .261. He has totaled 5 hits so far while scoring 2 runs and he's driven in 0. He has walked 1 time and has struck out 10 times. The Tigers have 51 hits, including 7 doubles, 0 triples, and 8 home runs. They've stolen 0 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 1 time. Detroit has walked 13 times this season and they've struck out 47 times as a unit. They've left 32 men on base and have a team OPS of .777. They score 5.4 runs per contest and have scored a total of 27 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 3-0 home record and a 5-2 overall mark. With an earned run average last season of 3.38, Francisco Liriano had a 12-7 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He had 205 strikeouts over the 186.2 innings he pitched during which he gave up 155 hits. He allowed 7.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3.19. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 1.82 and they have given up 15 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .176 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 21 times and walking 8 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 6.68 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.24 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 2.84. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 47 base knocks and 20 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 7 home runs this year and they give up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 24 hitters and struck out 58. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.12 while their FIP as a staff is 4.27.

As a team, they are batting .312, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .300 average at home. The Pirates hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .401 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 3rd in baseball with 10.57 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .296 and he has an OBP of .424. He has 8 hits this year along with 4 runs scored and 1 RBI. He's struck out 2 times and has walked on 5 occasions. Starling Marte is hitting .310 and he has an OBP of .375. He has collected 9 hits so far while he's scored 3 runs and drove in 4. He has earned a walk 1 time and has punched out 6 times. The Pirates as a unit have 74 base hits, including 15 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 homers. They have 3 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 32 times this year and they have struck out 50 times. They've had 67 men left on base and have an OPS of .828. They score 4.29 runs per game and have totaled 30 runs so far this season.

Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 4-1-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Detroit Tigers are 2-3-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 3-4-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 4-3-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Detroit Tigers

04/12/16 C James McCann Ankle Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/12)
04/10/16 P Alex Wilson Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/7)
04/04/16 P Blaine Hardy Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 CF Cameron Maybin Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Daniel Norris Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jeff Ferrell Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/01/16 P Angel Nesbitt Ankle Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)

Pittsburgh Pirates

04/04/16 3B Jung-ho Kang Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/03/16 P Jared Hughes Oblique Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Tigers

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