Tuesday, August 23, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Joseph Musgrove vs. Ivan Nova

The Houston Astros visit PNC Park on Tuesday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Joseph Musgrove for the Astros and Ivan Nova for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -110 and Pittsburgh at +100. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Astros have a 55-62-7 over/under record and a 55-69-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Pirates are 58-63-0 against the run line and have a 68-51-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Astros head into this matchup with a 64-60 record, including 30-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Joseph Musgrove has a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 4.18 and a WHIP of 1.10. He has 23 strikeouts over his 23.2 innings pitched and he has given up 23 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.78. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.42 and they have given up 360 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the bullpen while being struck out 448 times and walking 95 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.97 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.61 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.99. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 1,123 base hits and 499 earned runs. They have allowed 145 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 326 batters and struck out 1,079. 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 3.85.

As a team, Houston is batting .248, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .260 average away from home. The Astros hold a .420 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.55 hits per game. Jose Altuve comes into this game hitting .365 and his on-base percentage is at .428. He has 178 hits this season along with 90 runs scored and 82 runs batted in. He's struck out 54 times and has walked 51 times. George Springer is hitting .265 and he has an on-base percentage of .365. He has totaled 131 hits so far while scoring 93 runs and he's driven in 72. He has walked 68 times and has struck out 125 times. The Astros have 1,060 hits, including 233 doubles and 154 home runs. They've stolen 85 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 35 times. Houston has walked 445 times this season and they've struck out 1,130 times as a unit. They've left 865 men on base and have a team OPS of .743. They score 4.59 runs per contest and have scored a total of 569 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 33-28 home record and a 62-59 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.83, Ivan Nova has a 9-6 record and a 1.35 WHIP. He has 87 strikeouts over the 113.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 128 hits. He has allowed 10.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.84. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.45 and they have given up 396 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 365 times and walking 167 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.16 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.37 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.13. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,107 base knocks and 499 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 130 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 404 hitters and struck out 891. They give up a walk 3.3 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 4.31.

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .269 average at home. The Pirates hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.79 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .310 and he has an OBP of .368. 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 1,063 base hits, including 209 doubles and 113 homers. They have 91 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 36 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 398 times this year and they have struck out 1,000 times. They've had 856 men left on base and have an OPS of .732. They score 4.54 runs per game and have totaled 549 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 55-62-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 55-69-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 68-51-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 58-63-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros

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