Sunday, May 8, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs. Michael Wacha

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Busch Stadium on Sunday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Gerrit Cole for the Pirates and Michael Wacha for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +108 and St. Louis at -118. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Pirates have a 19-10-0 over/under record and a 15-14-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Cardinals are 14-16-0 against the run line and have a 17-11-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 16-13 record, including 9-6 on the road. Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has a 2-3 record with an earned run average of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.35. He has 25 strikeouts over his 27.1 innings pitched and he has given up 27 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.93. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.10 and they have given up 98 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the bullpen while being struck out 92 times and walking 51 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.75 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.08 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 259 base hits and 123 earned runs. They have allowed 34 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 126 batters and struck out 239. They walk 4.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.45 and their FIP as a unit is 4.50.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .280, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .289 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .364 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 9.93 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .230 and his on-base percentage is at .336. He has 26 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 .322 and he has an on-base percentage of .376. He has totaled 37 hits so far while scoring 17 runs and he's driven in 13. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 26 times. The Pirates have 288 hits, including 58 doubles and 28 home runs. They've stolen 19 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. Pittsburgh has walked 121 times this season and they've struck out 229 times as a unit. They've left 245 men on base and have a team OPS of .794. They score 4.9 runs per contest and have scored a total of 142 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 8-9 home record and a 15-15 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.65, Michael Wacha has a 2-2 record and a 1.26 WHIP. He has 32 strikeouts over the 37.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 35 hits. He has allowed 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.45. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.98 and they have given up 70 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .218 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 94 times and walking 32 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 7.87 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.97 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.75. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 233 base knocks and 111 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 27 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 90 hitters and struck out 236. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.21 while their FIP as a staff is 3.74.

As a team, they are batting .268, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .266 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .465 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 9.3 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .239 and he has an OBP of .364. He has 26 hits this year along with 15 runs scored and 17 RBI. He's struck out 27 times and has walked on 19 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .320 and he has an OBP of .402. He has collected 33 hits so far while he's scored 10 runs and drove in 10. He has earned a walk 13 times and has punched out 13 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 279 base hits, including 60 doubles and 41 homers. They have 9 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 105 times this year and they have struck out 249 times. They've had 221 men left on base and have an OPS of .807. They score 5.47 runs per game and have totaled 164 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 19-10-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 15-14-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 17-11-2 against the over/under so far this season

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

St. Louis Cardinals

05/07/16 P Carlos Martinez Illness "?" for next scheduled start
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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