Thursday, June 16, 2016

Citi Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Juan Nicasio vs. Bartolo Colon

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Citi Field on Thursday to take on the New York Mets. The probable pitchers are Juan Nicasio for the Pirates and Bartolo Colon for the Mets. The opening line for this game has Pittsburgh at +108 and New York at -118. The over/under is 8. The Pirates have a 39-24-1 over/under mark and a 30-34-0 run line record, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Mets are 26-37-0 against the run line and have a 30-32-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 41% of the time.

The Pirates head into this game with a 33-31 record, and they are 15-16 on the road. Starting pitcher Juan Nicasio has a 5-5 record with an ERA of 5.34 and a WHIP of 1.44. He has 60 strikeouts during his 59 innings pitched and he has given up 60 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.4. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.04 and they have allowed 201 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the pen while they've been struck out 178 times and walked 95 times this year. As a unit, Pittsburgh has given up 8.86 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.22 hitters per nine. They are 18th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.18. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 570 base hits and 269 earned runs. They have allowed 74 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 234 batters and struck out 465. They walk 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.39 and their FIP as a unit is 4.52.

As a team, Pittsburgh is hitting .271, good for 3rd in the league while putting together a .258 average on the road. The Pirates have a .417 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .346 which is good for 3rd in the league. They rank 2nd in baseball with 9.47 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .237 and his on-base percentage is at .317. He has 59 hits this season along with 37 runs scored and 25 runs batted in. He's struck out 68 times and has walked 27 times. Starling Marte is hitting .335 and he has an on-base percentage of .376. He has totaled 80 hits so far while scoring 35 runs and he's driven in 25. He has walked 7 times and has struck out 55 times. The Pirates have 606 hits, including 119 doubles and 59 home runs. They've stolen 47 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 17 times. Pittsburgh has walked 226 times this season and they've struck out 517 times as a unit. They've left 502 men on base and have a team OPS of .763. They score 4.75 runs per contest and have scored a total of 304 runs so far this year.

New York comes into this game with a 15-13 home mark and a 34-29 overall record. With an ERA of 3.08, Bartolo Colon has a 5-3 record and a 1.22 WHIP. He has 48 strikeouts over the 73 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 76 hits. He has allowed 9.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.63. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.05 and they have given up 152 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the Mets bullpen while being struck out 202 times and walking 74 times this season. As a team, New York has allowed 8.34 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.19. The Mets pitchers as a team have surrendered 519 base knocks and 197 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 50 home runs this year and they give up 0.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. New York as a staff has walked 159 hitters and struck out 549. They give up a walk 2.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.21 while their FIP as a staff is 3.23.

As a team, they are batting .231, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .212 average at home. The Mets hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 29th in baseball with 7.67 hits per contest. Asdrubal Cabrera comes into this matchup batting .262 and he has an OBP of .327. He has 60 hits this year along with 22 runs scored and 21 RBI. He's struck out 50 times and has walked on 16 occasions. Neil Walker is hitting .271 and he has an OBP of .343. He has collected 56 hits so far while he's scored 25 runs and drove in 25. He has earned a walk 22 times and has punched out 52 times. The Mets as a unit have 483 base hits, including 94 doubles and 83 homers. They have 13 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 9 times. New York as a team has walked 208 times this year and they have struck out 569 times. They've had 434 men left on base and have an OPS of .710. They score 3.63 runs per game and have totaled 229 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 39-24-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 30-34-0 against the run line so far this season

New York Mets Betting Trends

The New York Mets are 30-32-1 against the over/under so far this season

The New York Mets are 26-37-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

06/14/16 P Gerrit Cole Tricep 15-day DL (6/9)
06/11/16 C Francisco Cervelli Hand 15-day DL (6/10)
05/24/16 P Ryan Vogelsong Eye 60-day DL (5/24)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

New York Mets

06/14/16 LF Michael Conforto Wrist "?" Wednesday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
06/14/16 2B Neil Walker Back "?" Wednesday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
06/03/16 3B David Wright Neck 15-day DL (5/30)
05/24/16 1B Lucas Duda Back 15-day DL (5/21)
04/26/16 C Travis d'Arnaud Shoulder 15-day DL (4/25)
04/04/16 P Zack Wheeler Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Mets

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