Thursday, April 21, 2016

Petco Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs. James Shields

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Petco Park on Thursday to play the San Diego Padres. The probable starters are Gerrit Cole for the Pirates and James Shields for the Padres. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at -143 and San Diego at +133. The over/under was set at 6.5. The Pirates have a 9-5-0 over/under record and a 6-8-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 43% of the time. The Padres are 7-7-0 against the run line and have a 6-7-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 7-7 record, including 2-4 on the road. Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has a 0-2 record with an earned run average of 4.22 and a WHIP of 1.22. He has 9 strikeouts over his 10.2 innings pitched and he has given up 9 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.49. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.71 and they have given up 44 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .237 against the bullpen while being struck out 46 times and walking 30 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 7.89 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.25 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.13. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 109 base hits and 57 earned runs. They have allowed 17 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 69 batters and struck out 114. They walk 5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.43 and their FIP as a unit is 4.79.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .296, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .294 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .384 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 10.07 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .250 and his on-base percentage is at .364. He has 14 hits this season along with 9 runs scored and 4 runs batted in. He's struck out 12 times and has walked 9 times. Starling Marte is hitting .333 and he has an on-base percentage of .390. He has totaled 18 hits so far while scoring 6 runs and he's driven in 8. He has walked 2 times and has struck out 11 times. The Pirates have 141 hits, including 29 doubles and 7 home runs. They've stolen 11 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 7 times. Pittsburgh has walked 63 times this season and they've struck out 97 times as a unit. They've left 129 men on base and have a team OPS of .801. They score 4.36 runs per contest and have scored a total of 61 runs so far this year.

San Diego comes into this matchup with a 2-5 home record and a 5-9 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.05, James Shields has a 0-2 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He has 14 strikeouts over the 20 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 18 hits. He has allowed 8.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.31. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.54 and they have given up 42 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Padres bullpen while being struck out 48 times and walking 18 times this season. As a team, San Diego has allowed 8.65 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.79 batters per nine. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.54. The Padres pitchers as a team have surrendered 122 base knocks and 64 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 16 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. San Diego as a staff has walked 47 hitters and struck out 124. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 3.99.

As a team, they are batting .230, good for 22nd in the league while putting together a .198 average at home. The Padres hold a .347 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .295 which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 8 hits per contest. Matt Kemp comes into this matchup batting .250 and he has an OBP of .259. He has 13 hits this year along with 6 runs scored and 12 RBI. He's struck out 11 times and has walked on 1 occasions. Jon Jay is hitting .250 and he has an OBP of .311. He has collected 14 hits so far while he's scored 5 runs and drove in 6. He has earned a walk 5 times and has punched out 14 times. The Padres as a unit have 112 base hits, including 17 doubles and 12 homers. They have 11 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 5 times. San Diego as a team has walked 44 times this year and they have struck out 137 times. They've had 97 men left on base and have an OPS of .642. They score 3.71 runs per game and have totaled 52 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 9-5-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 6-8-0 against the run line so far this season

San Diego Padres Betting Trends

The San Diego Padres are 6-7-1 against the over/under so far this season

The San Diego Padres are 7-7-0 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)

San Diego Padres

04/11/16 3B Yangervis Solarte Hamstring 15-day DL (4/10)
04/09/16 P Tyson Ross Shoulder 15-day DL (4/5)
04/08/16 P Matt Thornton Achilles 15-day DL (4/4)
04/04/16 P Buddy Baumann Back 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jonathan Edwards Hip 15-day DL (3/25)

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates

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