Friday, May 6, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Francisco Liriano vs. Carlos Martinez

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Busch Stadium on Friday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Francisco Liriano for the Pirates and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +115 and St. Louis at -125. The over/under was set at 7. The Pirates have a 19-9-0 over/under record and a 14-14-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Cardinals are 14-15-0 against the run line and have a 17-10-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 15-13 record, including 8-6 on the road. Starting pitcher Francisco Liriano has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.46. He has 29 strikeouts over his 28 innings pitched and he has given up 24 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.35. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.17 and they have given up 96 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the bullpen while being struck out 90 times and walking 51 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.81 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.94 batters per nine. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.23. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 252 base hits and 121 earned runs. They have allowed 34 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 124 batters and struck out 227. They walk 4.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.46 and their FIP as a unit is 4.60.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .282, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .292 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .366 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .229 and his on-base percentage is at .339. He has 25 hits this season along with 19 runs scored and 12 runs batted in. He's struck out 29 times and has walked 16 times. Starling Marte is hitting .315 and he has an on-base percentage of .372. He has totaled 35 hits so far while scoring 16 runs and he's driven in 13. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 25 times. The Pirates have 280 hits, including 58 doubles and 26 home runs. They've stolen 17 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. Pittsburgh has walked 118 times this season and they've struck out 219 times as a unit. They've left 239 men on base and have a team OPS of .797. They score 4.93 runs per contest and have scored a total of 138 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 8-8 home record and a 15-14 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.60, Carlos Martinez has a 4-1 record and a 0.89 WHIP. He has 28 strikeouts over the 34.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 23 hits. He has allowed 6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.73. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.85 and they have given up 65 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 86 times and walking 32 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 7.97 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.97 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 3.88. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 220 base knocks and 107 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 25 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 87 hitters and struck out 220. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.24 while their FIP as a staff is 3.77.

As a team, they are batting .271, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .270 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .473 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .344 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 4th in baseball with 9.46 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .230 and he has an OBP of .366. He has 23 hits this year along with 15 runs scored and 17 RBI. He's struck out 25 times and has walked on 19 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .323 and he has an OBP of .404. He has collected 31 hits so far while he's scored 9 runs and drove in 10. He has earned a walk 12 times and has punched out 13 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 265 base hits, including 56 doubles and 40 homers. They have 9 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 99 times this year and they have struck out 233 times. They've had 208 men left on base and have an OPS of .817. They score 5.64 runs per game and have totaled 158 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 19-9-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 14-14-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 17-10-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 14-15-0 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)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)

St. Louis Cardinals

04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 SS Jhonny Peralta Thumb 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 15-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL; out for season
04/04/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 CF Thomas Pham Oblique 15-day DL (4/4)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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