Friday, September 9, 2016
Busch Stadium
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Jimmy Nelson vs. Carlos Martinez
The Milwaukee Brewers visit Busch Stadium on Friday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Jimmy Nelson for the Brewers and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Milwaukee at +203 and St. Louis at -220. The over/under was set at 8. The Brewers have a 66-66-7 over/under record and a 74-65-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Cardinals are 65-73-0 against the run line and have a 75-57-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.
The Brewers head into this matchup with a 62-77 record, including 23-41 on the road. Starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson has a 7-13 record with an earned run average of 4.36 and a WHIP of 1.52. He has 121 strikeouts over his 157 innings pitched and he has given up 163 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.96. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.76 and they have given up 457 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the bullpen while being struck out 420 times and walking 191 times this season. As a team, Milwaukee has allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.39 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.18. The Brewers pitchers have collectively given up 1,246 base hits and 573 earned runs. They have allowed 160 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Milwaukee as a pitching staff has walked 475 batters and struck out 1,012. They walk 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.40 and their FIP as a unit is 4.50.
As a team, Milwaukee is batting .246, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .242 average away from home. The Brewers hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326 which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 28th in baseball with 8.06 hits per game. Ryan Braun comes into this game hitting .311 and his on-base percentage is at .371. He has 138 hits this season along with 71 runs scored and 79 runs batted in. He's struck out 85 times and has walked 41 times. Jonathan Villar is hitting .299 and he has an on-base percentage of .377. He has totaled 152 hits so far while scoring 78 runs and he's driven in 54. He has walked 65 times and has struck out 151 times. The Brewers have 1,121 hits, including 216 doubles and 160 home runs. They've stolen 156 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 47 times. Milwaukee has walked 534 times this season and they've struck out 1,324 times as a unit. They've left 944 men on base and have a team OPS of .732. They score 4.14 runs per contest and have scored a total of 576 runs so far this year.
St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 30-37 home record and a 73-65 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.07, Carlos Martinez has a 13-7 record and a 1.20 WHIP. He has 143 strikeouts over the 164.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 136 hits. He has allowed 7.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.56. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.55 and they have given up 362 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 421 times and walking 161 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.77 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.98 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.03. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,206 base knocks and 554 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 129 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 403 hitters and struck out 1,097. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 3.82.
As a team, they are batting .256, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .255 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .450 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327 which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.87 hits per contest. Aledmys Diaz comes into this matchup batting .312 and he has an OBP of .376. He has 110 hits this year along with 64 runs scored and 57 RBI. He's struck out 54 times and has walked on 34 occasions. Stephen Piscotty is hitting .277 and he has an OBP of .350. He has collected 138 hits so far while he's scored 77 runs and drove in 75. He has earned a walk 46 times and has punched out 111 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 1,225 base hits, including 261 doubles and 201 homers. They have 32 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 22 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 461 times this year and they have struck out 1,124 times. They've had 972 men left on base and have an OPS of .777. They score 4.94 runs per game and have totaled 682 runs so far this season.
Milwaukee Brewers Betting Trends
The Milwaukee Brewers are 66-66-7 against the over/under so far this season
The Milwaukee Brewers are 74-65-0 against the run line so far this season
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends
The St. Louis Cardinals are 75-57-6 against the over/under so far this season
The St. Louis Cardinals are 65-73-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Milwaukee Brewers
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)
St. Louis Cardinals
09/05/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 60-day DL (8/14)
08/12/16 LF Matt Holliday Thumb 15-day DL (8/12)
08/10/16 P Michael Wacha Shoulder 15-day DL (8/9)
08/03/16 P Tyler Lyons Knee 60-day DL (7/31), out for season
08/02/16 SS Aledmys Diaz Thumb 15-day DL (8/1)
07/27/16 P Trevor Rosenthal Rotator Cuff 15-day DL (7/26)
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 60-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL (3/25); out for season
Tony's Pick: Take the Brewers
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Read more articles by Tony Sink
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks