Friday, April 22, 2016

Chase Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Niese vs. Patrick Corbin

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Chase Field on Friday to play the Arizona Diamondbacks. The probable starters are Jon Niese for the Pirates and Patrick Corbin for the Diamondbacks. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +126 and Arizona at -136. The over/under was set at 9. The Pirates have a 10-5-0 over/under record and a 6-9-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 40% of the time. The Diamondbacks are 7-9-0 against the run line and have a 7-9-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 7-8 record, including 2-5 on the road. Starting pitcher Jon Niese has a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 3.50 and a WHIP of 1.00. He has 15 strikeouts over his 18 innings pitched and he has given up 13 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.54. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.28 and they have given up 45 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the bullpen while being struck out 50 times and walking 30 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.23 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.16 batters per nine. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.42. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 121 base hits and 65 earned runs. They have allowed 18 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 73 batters and struck out 120. They walk 5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.47 and their FIP as a unit is 4.78.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .291, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .285 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .380 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 9.93 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .237 and his on-base percentage is at .348. He has 14 hits this season along with 9 runs scored and 4 runs batted in. He's struck out 14 times and has walked 9 times. Starling Marte is hitting .322 and he has an on-base percentage of .375. He has totaled 19 hits so far while scoring 6 runs and he's driven in 8. He has walked 2 times and has struck out 14 times. The Pirates have 149 hits, including 31 doubles and 7 home runs. They've stolen 11 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 7 times. Pittsburgh has walked 68 times this season and they've struck out 108 times as a unit. They've left 140 men on base and have a team OPS of .788. They score 4.2 runs per contest and have scored a total of 63 runs so far this year.

Arizona comes into this matchup with a 2-5 home record and a 8-8 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.75, Patrick Corbin has a 1-1 record and a 1.22 WHIP. He has 14 strikeouts over the 19.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 20 hits. He has allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.21. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.21 and they have given up 55 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the Diamondbacks bullpen while being struck out 59 times and walking 24 times this season. As a team, Arizona has allowed 9.14 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.75 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.30. The Diamondbacks pitchers as a team have surrendered 151 base knocks and 71 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 17 home runs this year and they give up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Arizona as a staff has walked 59 hitters and struck out 128. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.41 while their FIP as a staff is 4.19.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .260 average at home. The Diamondbacks hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 9 hits per contest. Paul Goldschmidt comes into this matchup batting .218 and he has an OBP of .362. He has 12 hits this year along with 7 runs scored and 10 RBI. He's struck out 17 times and has walked on 11 occasions. Yasmany Tomas is hitting .292 and he has an OBP of .352. He has collected 14 hits so far while he's scored 8 runs and drove in 8. He has earned a walk 5 times and has punched out 11 times. The Diamondbacks as a unit have 144 base hits, including 29 doubles and 19 homers. They have 9 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 3 times. Arizona as a team has walked 40 times this year and they have struck out 134 times. They've had 106 men left on base and have an OPS of .741. They score 4.19 runs per game and have totaled 67 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 10-5-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 6-9-0 against the run line so far this season

Arizona Diamondbacks Betting Trends

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 7-9-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 7-9-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

04/14/16 P Cory Luebke Hamstring 15-day DL (4/14)
04/04/16 3B Jung-ho Kang Knee 15-day DL (3/25)
04/03/16 P Jared Hughes Oblique 15-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)

Arizona Diamondbacks

04/17/16 P Shelby Miller Finger left last game, probable next start
04/04/16 P Josh Collment Shoulder 15-day DL (3/28)
04/02/16 CF A.J. Pollock Elbow 60-day DL (4/2)

Guy's Pick: Take the Diamondbacks

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