Monday, July 4, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Niese vs. Carlos Martinez

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Busch Stadium on Monday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Jon Niese for the Pirates and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +158 and St. Louis at -168. The over/under was set at 8. The Pirates have a 49-31-1 over/under record and a 38-43-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Cardinals are 43-37-0 against the run line and have a 43-33-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 40-41 record, including 18-22 on the road. Starting pitcher Jon Niese has a 6-6 record with an earned run average of 5.07 and a WHIP of 1.53. He has 65 strikeouts over his 92.1 innings pitched and he has given up 108 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.6. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.95 and they have given up 268 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the bullpen while being struck out 224 times and walking 115 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.19 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.13 batters per nine. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.42. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 743 base hits and 357 earned runs. They have allowed 95 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 289 batters and struck out 576. They walk 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.42 and their FIP as a unit is 4.59.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .264, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .253 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .410 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 9.14 hits per game. Starling Marte comes into this game hitting .327 and his on-base percentage is at .374. He has 93 hits this season along with 45 runs scored and 31 runs batted in. He's struck out 65 times and has walked 11 times. Gregory Polanco is hitting .292 and he has an on-base percentage of .370. He has totaled 81 hits so far while scoring 48 runs and he's driven in 45. He has walked 37 times and has struck out 65 times. The Pirates have 740 hits, including 148 doubles and 75 home runs. They've stolen 60 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 22 times. Pittsburgh has walked 267 times this season and they've struck out 673 times as a unit. They've left 602 men on base and have a team OPS of .746. They score 4.63 runs per contest and have scored a total of 375 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 17-23 home record and a 42-38 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.83, Carlos Martinez has a 7-5 record and a 1.11 WHIP. He has 73 strikeouts over the 95.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 75 hits. He has allowed 7.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.58. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.60 and they have given up 186 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 226 times and walking 86 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.41 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.55 batters per nine. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.87. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 667 base knocks and 307 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 71 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 228 hitters and struck out 599. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.25 while their FIP as a staff is 3.84.

As a team, they are batting .260, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .252 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .445 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .333 which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.99 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .299 and he has an OBP of .422. He has 81 hits this year along with 55 runs scored and 50 RBI. He's struck out 58 times and has walked on 56 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .263 and he has an OBP of .329. He has collected 71 hits so far while he's scored 28 runs and drove in 27. He has earned a walk 25 times and has punched out 35 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 720 base hits, including 153 doubles and 106 homers. They have 18 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 15 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 276 times this year and they have struck out 625 times. They've had 568 men left on base and have an OPS of .778. They score 5.2 runs per game and have totaled 416 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 49-31-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 38-43-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 43-33-4 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 43-37-0 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)

St. Louis Cardinals

07/03/16 3B Matt Carpenter Personal is upgraded to probable Sunday vs. Milwaukee Brewers
07/02/16 P Kevin Siegrist Mononucleosis 15-day DL (6/30)
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates

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