Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jameson Taillon vs. Mike Leake

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Busch Stadium on Tuesday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable pitchers are Jameson Taillon for the Pirates and Mike Leake for the Cardinals. The opening line for this game has Pittsburgh at +137 and St. Louis at -147. The over/under is 8. The Pirates have a 50-31-1 over/under mark and a 39-43-0 run line record, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Cardinals are 43-38-0 against the run line and have a 44-33-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Pirates head into this game with a 41-41 record, and they are 19-22 on the road. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has a 2-1 record with an ERA of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.25. He has 21 strikeouts during his 28 innings pitched and he has given up 30 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.17. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.89 and they have allowed 272 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .252 against the pen while they've been struck out 228 times and walked 116 times this year. As a unit, Pittsburgh has given up 9.2 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.11 hitters per nine. They are 18th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.40. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 753 base hits and 360 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 291 batters and struck out 582. 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 4.58.

As a team, Pittsburgh is hitting .265, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .255 average on the road. The Pirates have a .411 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .337 which is good for 3rd in the league. They rank 8th in baseball with 9.16 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this game hitting .322 and his on-base percentage is at .368. He has 93 hits this season along with 45 runs scored and 31 runs batted in. He's struck out 67 times and has walked 11 times. Gregory Polanco is hitting .295 and he has an on-base percentage of .373. He has totaled 83 hits so far while scoring 48 runs and he's driven in 47. He has walked 38 times and has struck out 67 times. The Pirates have 751 hits, including 149 doubles and 76 home runs. They've stolen 60 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 22 times. Pittsburgh has walked 272 times this season and they've struck out 682 times as a unit. They've left 611 men on base and have a team OPS of .748. They score 4.65 runs per contest and have scored a total of 381 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this game with a 18-23 home mark and a 43-38 overall record. With an ERA of 4.13, Mike Leake has a 5-6 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He has 63 strikeouts over the 98 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 102 hits. He has allowed 9.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.39. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.77 and they have given up 193 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 231 times and walking 89 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.51 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.92. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 683 base knocks and 315 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 232 hitters and struck out 610. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 while their FIP as a staff is 3.82.

As a team, they are batting .261, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .254 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .446 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334 which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 9.01 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .298 and he has an OBP of .421. He has 82 hits this year along with 56 runs scored and 51 RBI. He's struck out 58 times and has walked on 57 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .259 and he has an OBP of .327. He has collected 71 hits so far while he's scored 28 runs and drove in 27. He has earned a walk 26 times and has punched out 35 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 731 base hits, including 156 doubles and 108 homers. They have 18 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 15 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 284 times this year and they have struck out 629 times. They've had 578 men left on base and have an OPS of .781. They score 5.25 runs per game and have totaled 425 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 50-31-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 39-43-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 44-33-4 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 43-38-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

07/04/16 CF Andrew McCutchen Heel probable Monday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
07/04/16 C Chris Stewart Knee 15-day DL
07/04/16 RF Gregory Polanco Leg is upgraded to expected to be in the starting lineup Monday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
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

07/02/16 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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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