Thursday, August 25, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Seth Lugo vs. Adam Wainwright

The New York Mets head to Busch Stadium on Thursday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable pitchers are Seth Lugo for the Mets and Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals. The opening line for this game has New York at +165 and St. Louis at -175. The over/under is 8.5. The Mets have a 57-65-3 over/under mark and a 55-70-0 run line record, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Cardinals are 59-65-0 against the run line and have a 68-50-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Mets head into this game with a 63-62 record, and they are 32-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Seth Lugo has a 0-2 record with an ERA of 3.04 and a WHIP of 1.01. He has 19 strikeouts during his 23.2 innings pitched and he has given up 17 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 6.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.68. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.61 and they have allowed 336 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the pen while they've been struck out 409 times and walked 149 times this year. As a unit, New York has given up 8.69 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.66 hitters per nine. They are 3rd in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.63. The Mets pitchers have collectively given up 1,072 base hits and 446 earned runs. They have allowed 114 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. New York as a pitching staff has walked 330 batters and struck out 1,069. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 3.53.

As a team, New York is hitting .240, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .250 average on the road. The Mets have a .408 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .308 which is good for 27th in the league. They rank 29th in baseball with 8.02 hits per contest. Yoenis Cespedes comes into this game hitting .295 and his on-base percentage is at .365. He has 103 hits this season along with 52 runs scored and 64 runs batted in. He's struck out 88 times and has walked 37 times. Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .260 and he has an on-base percentage of .310. He has totaled 101 hits so far while scoring 43 runs and he's driven in 35. He has walked 22 times and has struck out 84 times. The Mets have 1,002 hits, including 177 doubles and 164 home runs. They've stolen 31 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 16 times. New York has walked 377 times this season and they've struck out 1,026 times as a unit. They've left 846 men on base and have a team OPS of .716. They score 3.81 runs per contest and have scored a total of 476 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this game with a 28-34 home mark and a 66-58 overall record. With an ERA of 4.71, Adam Wainwright has a 9-7 record and a 1.36 WHIP. He has 119 strikeouts over the 151 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 163 hits. He has allowed 9.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.63. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.38 and they have given up 316 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 376 times and walking 137 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.74 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.78 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.04. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,082 base knocks and 500 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 118 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 350 hitters and struck out 963. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.86.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .252 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .446 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328 which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.86 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 .275 and he has an OBP of .347. He has collected 124 hits so far while he's scored 68 runs and drove in 68. He has earned a walk 41 times and has punched out 94 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 1,100 base hits, including 237 doubles and 174 homers. They have 28 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 19 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 420 times this year and they have struck out 997 times. They've had 877 men left on base and have an OPS of .774. They score 4.98 runs per game and have totaled 618 runs so far this season.

New York Mets Betting Trends

The New York Mets are 57-65-3 against the over/under so far this season

The New York Mets are 55-70-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 68-50-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 59-65-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

New York Mets

08/23/16 P Steven Matz Shoulder 15-day DL (8/15)
08/23/16 P Jon Niese Knee 15-day DL (8/24)
08/22/16 2B Neil Walker Personal expected to miss series vs. St. Louis Cardinals
07/31/16 CF Juan Lagares Thumb 15-day DL (7/29)
07/06/16 P Matt Harvey Shoulder 60-day DL (7/6), out for season
06/03/16 3B David Wright Neck 60-day DL (5/30), out for season
05/24/16 1B Lucas Duda Back 60-day DL (5/21)
04/04/16 P Zack Wheeler Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

St. Louis Cardinals

08/17/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 15-day DL (8/14)
08/12/16 LF Matt Holliday Thumb 15-day DL (8/12)
08/11/16 1B Matt Adams Shoulder 15-day DL (8/10)
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)
07/07/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 60-day DL (7/7)
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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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 Guy Bruhn