Wednesday, August 24, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Collin McHugh vs. Gerrit Cole

The Houston Astros visit PNC Park on Wednesday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Collin McHugh for the Astros and Gerrit Cole for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at +135 and Pittsburgh at -145. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Astros have a 55-63-7 over/under record and a 56-69-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 45% of the time. The Pirates are 58-64-0 against the run line and have a 68-52-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Astros head into this matchup with a 65-60 record, including 31-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Collin McHugh has a 7-10 record with an earned run average of 4.99 and a WHIP of 1.52. He has 137 strikeouts over his 137 innings pitched and he has given up 169 hits so far this season. He has allowed 11.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.15. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have given up 362 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the bullpen while being struck out 451 times and walking 95 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.94 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.61 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.96. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 1,128 base hits and 499 earned runs. They have allowed 145 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 327 batters and struck out 1,088. They walk 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.83.

As a team, Houston is batting .247, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .258 average away from home. The Astros hold a .420 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.52 hits per game. George Springer comes into this game hitting .263 and his on-base percentage is at .362. He has 131 hits this season along with 93 runs scored and 72 runs batted in. He's struck out 126 times and has walked 68 times. Jose Altuve is hitting .364 and he has an on-base percentage of .426. He has totaled 179 hits so far while scoring 90 runs and he's driven in 82. He has walked 51 times and has struck out 55 times. The Astros have 1,065 hits, including 234 doubles and 156 home runs. They've stolen 85 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 35 times. Houston has walked 446 times this season and they've struck out 1,138 times as a unit. They've left 867 men on base and have a team OPS of .742. They score 4.58 runs per contest and have scored a total of 572 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 33-29 home record and a 62-60 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.30, Gerrit Cole has a 7-8 record and a 1.39 WHIP. He has 91 strikeouts over the 109 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 120 hits. He has allowed 9.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.09. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.46 and they have given up 397 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 9.13 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.38 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,112 base knocks and 502 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 132 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 405 hitters and struck out 899. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.38 while their FIP as a staff is 4.31.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .268 average at home. The Pirates hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.75 hits per contest. Jordy Mercer comes into this matchup batting .262 and he has an OBP of .338. He has 106 hits this year along with 50 runs scored and 44 RBI. He's struck out 63 times and has walked on 42 occasions. Starling Marte is hitting .307 and he has an OBP of .364. He has collected 133 hits so far while he's scored 65 runs and drove in 41. He has earned a walk 23 times and has punched out 94 times. The Pirates as a unit have 1,068 base hits, including 212 doubles and 113 homers. They have 91 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 36 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 399 times this year and they have struck out 1,009 times. They've had 860 men left on base and have an OPS of .730. They score 4.51 runs per game and have totaled 550 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 55-63-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 56-69-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 68-52-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 58-64-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

08/23/16 2B Yulieski Gurriel Hamstring "?" Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
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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