Thursday, September 15, 2016

Citizens Bank Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Chad Kuhl vs. Jerad Eickhoff

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Citizens Bank Park on Thursday to play the Philadelphia Phillies. The probable starters are Chad Kuhl for the Pirates and Jerad Eickhoff for the Phillies. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at -107 and Philadelphia at -103. The over/under was set at 8. The Pirates have a 78-62-3 over/under record and a 66-77-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Phillies are 74-71-0 against the run line and have a 69-70-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 70-73 record, including 34-35 on the road. Starting pitcher Chad Kuhl has a 3-3 record with an earned run average of 4.09 and a WHIP of 1.26. He has 34 strikeouts over his 50.2 innings pitched and he has given up 48 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.46. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.55 and they have given up 483 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the bullpen while being struck out 449 times and walking 205 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.15 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.49 batters per nine. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.18. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 1,308 base hits and 598 earned runs. They have allowed 158 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 479 batters and struck out 1,070. They walk 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.39 and their FIP as a unit is 4.33.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .257, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .242 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.78 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .245 and his on-base percentage is at .327. He has 129 hits this season along with 71 runs scored and 62 runs batted in. He's struck out 132 times and has walked 60 times. Starling Marte is hitting .311 and he has an on-base percentage of .362. He has totaled 151 hits so far while scoring 71 runs and he's driven in 46. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 103 times. The Pirates have 1,256 hits, including 249 doubles and 132 home runs. They've stolen 101 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 42 times. Pittsburgh has walked 481 times this season and they've struck out 1,167 times as a unit. They've left 1,028 men on base and have a team OPS of .731. They score 4.44 runs per contest and have scored a total of 635 runs so far this year.

Philadelphia comes into this matchup with a 31-40 home record and a 64-81 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.73, Jerad Eickhoff has a 10-13 record and a 1.22 WHIP. He has 143 strikeouts over the 173.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 171 hits. He has allowed 8.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.97. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.52 and they have given up 473 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .260 against the Phillies bullpen while being struck out 451 times and walking 176 times this season. As a team, Philadelphia has allowed 9.12 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.45. The Phillies pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,301 base knocks and 635 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 188 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Philadelphia as a staff has walked 402 hitters and struck out 1,170. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 4.25.

As a team, they are batting .236, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .223 average at home. The Phillies hold a .381 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .296 which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 30th in baseball with 7.86 hits per contest. Cesar Hernandez comes into this matchup batting .289 and he has an OBP of .361. He has 139 hits this year along with 58 runs scored and 36 RBI. He's struck out 102 times and has walked on 54 occasions. Odubel Herrera is hitting .277 and he has an OBP of .357. He has collected 144 hits so far while he's scored 73 runs and drove in 42. He has earned a walk 60 times and has punched out 119 times. The Phillies as a unit have 1,140 base hits, including 208 doubles and 143 homers. They have 82 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 40 times. Philadelphia as a team has walked 371 times this year and they have struck out 1,214 times. They've had 911 men left on base and have an OPS of .677. They score 3.65 runs per game and have totaled 529 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 78-62-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 66-77-0 against the run line so far this season

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 69-70-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Philadelphia Phillies are 74-71-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

09/14/16 C Chris Stewart Knee 60-day DL (9/13)
09/14/16 C Elias Diaz Knee 60-day DL (9/13), out for season
09/14/16 P Gerrit Cole Elbow 60-day DL (9/13), out for season
09/13/16 LF Starling Marte Back "?" Wednesday vs. Philadelphia Phillies
09/12/16 2B Josh Harrison Groin 15-day DL (9/10), out for season

Philadelphia Phillies

09/04/16 P Vincent Velasquez None out for season
08/17/16 P Aaron Nola Elbow 60-day DL (7/29); out for season
08/09/16 P Zach Eflin Knee 60-day DL (8/9); out for season
05/01/16 P Dalier Hinojosa Hand 15-day DL (4/29)
04/24/16 P Charlie Morton Hamstring 60-day DL (4/24); out for season
03/31/16 P Matt Harrison Back 60-day DL (4/2)

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates

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