Monday, August 22, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Doug Fister vs. Jameson Taillon

The Houston Astros head to PNC Park on Monday to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable pitchers are Doug Fister for the Astros and Jameson Taillon for the Pirates. The opening line for this game has Houston at +140 and Pittsburgh at -150. The over/under is 8. The Astros have a 55-61-7 over/under mark and a 54-69-0 run line record, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Pirates are 58-62-0 against the run line and have a 68-50-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Astros head into this game with a 63-60 record, and they are 29-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Doug Fister has a 11-8 record with an ERA of 3.76 and a WHIP of 1.31. He has 95 strikeouts during his 146 innings pitched and he has given up 142 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.54. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have allowed 359 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the pen while they've been struck out 448 times and walked 95 times this year. As a unit, Houston has given up 8.99 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.62 hitters per nine. They are 10th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.00. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 1,117 base hits and 496 earned runs. They have allowed 143 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 325 batters and struck out 1,072. They walk 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.84.

As a team, Houston is hitting .248, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .260 average on the road. The Astros have a .420 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .323 which is good for 15th in the league. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.54 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this game hitting .366 and his on-base percentage is at .429. He has 177 hits this season along with 89 runs scored and 81 runs batted in. He's struck out 54 times and has walked 51 times. George Springer is hitting .266 and he has an on-base percentage of .366. He has totaled 130 hits so far while scoring 92 runs and he's driven in 72. He has walked 68 times and has struck out 125 times. The Astros have 1,051 hits, including 232 doubles and 153 home runs. They've stolen 84 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 34 times. Houston has walked 442 times this season and they've struck out 1,125 times as a unit. They've left 859 men on base and have a team OPS of .744. They score 4.59 runs per contest and have scored a total of 564 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this game with a 33-27 home mark and a 62-58 overall record. With an ERA of 3.00, Jameson Taillon has a 3-2 record and a 1.09 WHIP. He has 52 strikeouts over the 66 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 63 hits. He has allowed 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.41. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.47 and they have given up 393 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 362 times and walking 167 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.19 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.37 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,101 base knocks and 498 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 129 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 402 hitters and struck out 883. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.39 while their FIP as a staff is 4.32.

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .271 average at home. The Pirates hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.82 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .313 and he has an OBP of .371. He has 133 hits this year along with 65 runs scored and 41 RBI. He's struck out 92 times and has walked on 23 occasions. Jordy Mercer is hitting .264 and he has an OBP of .340. He has collected 106 hits so far while he's scored 50 runs and drove in 44. He has earned a walk 42 times and has punched out 62 times. The Pirates as a unit have 1,058 base hits, including 208 doubles and 113 homers. They have 91 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 36 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 396 times this year and they have struck out 995 times. They've had 850 men left on base and have an OPS of .734. They score 4.56 runs per game and have totaled 547 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 55-61-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 54-69-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 68-50-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 58-62-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

08/21/16 CF Jake Marisnick Groin "?" Sunday vs. Baltimore Orioles
08/13/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11)
08/07/16 LF Colby Rasmus Ear 15-day DL (8/5)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Pittsburgh Pirates

08/21/16 3B Jung-ho Kang Shoulder 15-day DL (8/20)
07/24/16 P Tyler Glasnow Shoulder 15-day DL (7/24)
07/04/16 C Chris Stewart Knee 15-day DL (7/2)

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates

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