Saturday, August 27, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Zach Neal vs. Mike Leake

The Oakland Athletics head to Busch Stadium on Saturday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable pitchers are Zach Neal for the Athletics and Mike Leake for the Cardinals. The opening line for this game has Oakland at +184 and St. Louis at -195. The over/under is 9. The Athletics have a 57-65-5 over/under mark and a 69-58-0 run line record, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Cardinals are 60-66-0 against the run line and have a 70-50-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Athletics head into this game with a 55-72 record, and they are 25-36 on the road. Starting pitcher Zach Neal has a 2-3 record with an ERA of 5.49 and a WHIP of 1.25. He has 14 strikeouts during his 39.1 innings pitched and he has given up 47 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 10.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.98. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.82 and they have allowed 397 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .239 against the pen while they've been struck out 409 times and walked 150 times this year. As a unit, Oakland has given up 9.27 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.44 hitters per nine. They are 24th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.55. The Athletics pitchers have collectively given up 1,160 base hits and 569 earned runs. They have allowed 151 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 382 batters and struck out 931. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.37.

As a team, Oakland is hitting .250, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .258 average on the road. The Athletics have a .401 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .304 which is good for 28th in the league. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.53 hits per contest. Danny Valencia comes into this game hitting .302 and his on-base percentage is at .350. He has 111 hits this season along with 54 runs scored and 44 runs batted in. He's struck out 88 times and has walked 26 times. Khris Davis is hitting .259 and he has an on-base percentage of .301. He has totaled 115 hits so far while scoring 67 runs and he's driven in 82. He has walked 21 times and has struck out 127 times. The Athletics have 1,083 hits, including 204 doubles and 138 home runs. They've stolen 44 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 18 times. Oakland has walked 319 times this season and they've struck out 877 times as a unit. They've left 809 men on base and have a team OPS of .705. They score 4.01 runs per contest and have scored a total of 509 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this game with a 29-35 home mark and a 67-59 overall record. With an ERA of 4.56, Mike Leake has a 9-9 record and a 1.27 WHIP. He has 108 strikeouts over the 152 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 169 hits. He has allowed 10 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.88. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have given up 323 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 380 times and walking 139 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.76 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.75 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.02. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,102 base knocks and 506 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 119 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 357 hitters and struck out 975. 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 3.85.

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .257 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .451 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 8.96 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 .280 and he has an OBP of .352. He has collected 129 hits so far while he's scored 71 runs and drove in 72. He has earned a walk 42 times and has punched out 96 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 1,130 base hits, including 240 doubles and 181 homers. They have 28 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 20 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 426 times this year and they have struck out 1,012 times. They've had 895 men left on base and have an OPS of .781. They score 5.02 runs per game and have totaled 632 runs so far this season.

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 57-65-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 69-58-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 70-50-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 60-66-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Oakland Athletics

08/24/16 SS Marcus Semien Personal paternity list
08/22/16 DH Billy Butler Concussion 7-day DL (8/22)
08/21/16 P Jesse Hahn Shoulder "?" for next scheduled start
08/17/16 CF Tyler Ladendorf Wrist 15-day DL (8/17)
08/16/16 2B Jed Lowrie Foot 60-day DL (8/4); out for season
08/07/16 P Sonny Gray Arm 15-day DL (8/7)
08/07/16 P Henderson Alvarez Shoulder 60-day DL (4/6), out for season
07/23/16 P Fernando Rodriguez Shoulder 60-day DL (7/4)
07/03/16 C Josh Phegley Knee 60-day DL (7/2)
07/01/16 P Sean Doolittle Shoulder 15-day DL (6/26)
05/11/16 P Chris Bassitt Elbow 60-day DL (4/28); out for season
05/11/16 LF Mark Canha Back 60-day DL (5/9), out for season
04/05/16 P Frankie Montas Ribs 60-day DL (2/20)
04/05/16 P Felix Doubront Elbow 60-day DL (4/4); out for season
04/03/16 2B Eric Sogard Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 CF Sam Fuld Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P R.J. Alvarez Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Jarrod Parker Elbow 60-day DL (3/13), out for season

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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