Monday, April 11, 2016

Comerica Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Niese vs. Shane Greene

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Comerica Park on Monday to play the Detroit Tigers. The probable starters are Jon Niese for the Pirates and Shane Greene for the Tigers. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +115 and Detroit at -125. The over/under was set at 9. The Pirates have a 2-3-0 over/under record and a 3-2-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 60% of the time. The Tigers are 2-2-0 against the run line and have a 3-1-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 4 - 1 record, including 1-1 on the road. Starting pitcher Jon Niese held a 9 - 10 record with an earned run average of 4.13 and a WHIP of 1.40 last season. He had 113 strikeouts over his 176.2 innings pitched and he also gave up 192 hits over that time period. He allowed 9.8 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.41. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 1.86 and they have given up 11 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .164 against the bullpen while being struck out 17 times and walking 7 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 6.07 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.39 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 2.93. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 31 base hits and 15 earned runs. They have allowed 4 home runs this season and they allow 0.8 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 20 batters and struck out 48. They walk 3.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.11 and their FIP as a unit is 3.96.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .284, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .261 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .385 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .382 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 9.6 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .316 and his on-base percentage is at .435. He has 6 hits this season along with 4 runs scored and 1 run batted in. He's struck out 2 times and has walked 3 times. Starling Marte is hitting .263 and he has an on-base percentage of .364. He has totaled 5 hits so far while scoring 2 runs and he's driven in 4. He has walked 1 time and has struck out 4 times. The Pirates have 48 hits, including 8 doubles, 3 triples, and 1 home run. They've stolen 1 base while they've been thrown out stealing 2 times. Pittsburgh has walked 23 times this season and they've struck out 39 times as a unit. They've left 45 men on base and have a team OPS of .767. They score 4.4 runs per contest and have scored a total of 22 runs so far this year.

Detroit comes into this matchup with a 1-1 home record and a 3 - 1 overall mark. With an earned run average last season of 6.88, Shane Greene had a 4 - 8 record and a 1.55 WHIP. He had 50 strikeouts over the 83.2 innings he pitched during which he gave up 103 hits. He allowed 11.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 5.14. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.86 and they have given up 20 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .294 against the Tigers bullpen while being struck out 16 times and walking 6 times this season. As a team, Detroit has allowed 8.76 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.11 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.26. The Tigers pitchers as a team have surrendered 37 base knocks and 18 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 3 home runs this year and they give up 0.7 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Detroit as a staff has walked 15 hitters and struck out 30. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 4.14.

As a team, they are batting .300, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .290 average at home. The Tigers hold a .467 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346 which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 11.25 hits per contest. Miguel Cabrera comes into this matchup batting .313 and he has an OBP of .389. He has 5 hits this year along with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI. He's struck out 3 times and has walked on 2 occasions. Justin Upton is hitting .211 and he has an OBP of .211. He has collected 4 hits so far while he's scored 1 run and drove in 0 runs. He has punched out 8 times. The Tigers as a unit have 45 base hits, including 7 doubles and 6 homers. They have 0 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 1 time. Detroit as a team has walked 11 times this year and they have struck out 39 times. They've had 29 men left on base and have an OPS of .812. They score 5.75 runs per game and have totaled 23 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 2-3-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 3-2-0 against the run line so far this season

Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 3-1-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Detroit Tigers are 2-2-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

04/04/16 3B Jung-ho Kang Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/03/16 P Jared Hughes Oblique Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)

Detroit Tigers

04/04/16 P Alex Wilson Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list
04/04/16 P Blaine Hardy Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 CF Cameron Maybin Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Daniel Norris Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jeff Ferrell Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/01/16 P Angel Nesbitt Ankle Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates

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