Saturday, September 3, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jimmy Nelson vs. Ivan Nova

The Milwaukee Brewers head to PNC Park on Saturday to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable pitchers are Jimmy Nelson for the Brewers and Ivan Nova for the Pirates. The opening line for this game has Milwaukee at +155 and Pittsburgh at -165. The over/under is 8.5. The Brewers have a 62-64-7 over/under mark and a 69-64-0 run line record, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Pirates are 64-67-0 against the run line and have a 72-56-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 49% of the time.

The Brewers head into this game with a 57-76 record, and they are 20-41 on the road. Starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson has a 7-13 record with an ERA of 4.45 and a WHIP of 1.51. He has 117 strikeouts during his 151.2 innings pitched and he has given up 159 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.95. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.78 and they have allowed 443 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the pen while they've been struck out 410 times and walked 187 times this year. As a unit, Milwaukee has given up 9.19 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.48 hitters per nine. They are 19th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.26. The Brewers pitchers have collectively given up 1,203 base hits and 558 earned runs. They have allowed 154 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Milwaukee as a pitching staff has walked 458 batters and struck out 979. They walk 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.49.

As a team, Milwaukee is hitting .244, good for 26th in the league while putting together a .241 average on the road. The Brewers have a .400 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .325 which is good for 13th in the league. They rank 28th in baseball with 8.02 hits per contest. Jonathan Villar comes into this game hitting .297 and his on-base percentage is at .377. He has 146 hits this season along with 73 runs scored and 47 runs batted in. He's struck out 146 times and has walked 64 times. Ryan Braun is hitting .312 and he has an on-base percentage of .374. He has totaled 132 hits so far while scoring 67 runs and he's driven in 74. He has walked 40 times and has struck out 79 times. The Brewers have 1,066 hits, including 207 doubles and 149 home runs. They've stolen 147 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 43 times. Milwaukee has walked 511 times this season and they've struck out 1,277 times as a unit. They've left 907 men on base and have a team OPS of .725. They score 4.08 runs per contest and have scored a total of 542 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this game with a 34-30 home mark and a 67-64 overall record. With an ERA of 4.41, Ivan Nova has a 11-6 record and a 1.27 WHIP. He has 97 strikeouts over the 128.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 137 hits. He has allowed 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.63. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.36 and they have given up 421 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .242 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 406 times and walking 183 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.03 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.48 batters per nine. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,183 base knocks and 536 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 143 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 438 hitters and struck out 980. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.5 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 16th in the league while putting together a .269 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 8.77 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .306 and he has an OBP of .360. He has 144 hits this year along with 69 runs scored and 45 RBI. He's struck out 100 times and has walked on 23 occasions. Jordy Mercer is hitting .260 and he has an OBP of .337. He has collected 114 hits so far while he's scored 56 runs and drove in 51. He has earned a walk 47 times and has punched out 71 times. The Pirates as a unit have 1,149 base hits, including 227 doubles and 123 homers. They have 100 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 40 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 435 times this year and they have struck out 1,087 times. They've had 931 men left on base and have an OPS of .729. They score 4.53 runs per game and have totaled 593 runs so far this season.

Milwaukee Brewers Betting Trends

The Milwaukee Brewers are 62-64-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Milwaukee Brewers are 69-64-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 72-56-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-67-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Milwaukee Brewers

08/30/16 P Junior Guerra Elbow 15-day DL (8/4), expected to be activated & start Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
08/17/16 P Michael Blazek Forearm 15-day DL (8/14)
05/27/16 P Chris Capuano Elbow 60-day DL (4/2)
04/04/16 LF Rymer Liriano Facial 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Zach Jones Shoulder 60-day DL (3/31)
04/02/16 P Yhonathan Barrios Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Sean Nolin Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Pittsburgh Pirates

08/31/16 P Ivan Nova Hamstring expected to start Saturday vs. Milwaukee Brewers
08/29/16 P Gerrit Cole Elbow 15-day DL (8/25)
08/21/16 3B Jung-ho Kang Shoulder 15-day DL (8/20)
07/04/16 C Chris Stewart Knee 15-day DL (7/2)

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates

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