Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jeff Locke vs. Jaime Garcia

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Busch Stadium on Wednesday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Jeff Locke for the Pirates and Jaime Garcia for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +153 and St. Louis at -163. The over/under was set at 8. The Pirates have a 50-32-1 over/under record and a 40-43-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Cardinals are 43-39-0 against the run line and have a 44-34-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 42-41 record, including 20-22 on the road. Starting pitcher Jeff Locke has a 8-5 record with an earned run average of 5.13 and a WHIP of 1.36. He has 49 strikeouts over his 94.2 innings pitched and he has given up 98 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.93. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.88 and they have given up 274 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the bullpen while being struck out 232 times and walking 118 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.11 batters per nine. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.37. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 762 base hits and 362 earned runs. They have allowed 95 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 294 batters and struck out 589. 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 4.55.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .265, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .256 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .337 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 9.18 hits per game. Starling Marte comes into this game hitting .321 and his on-base percentage is at .366. He has 94 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 .297 and he has an on-base percentage of .374. He has totaled 85 hits so far while scoring 50 runs and he's driven in 50. He has walked 38 times and has struck out 68 times. The Pirates have 762 hits, including 150 doubles and 78 home runs. They've stolen 61 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 22 times. Pittsburgh has walked 274 times this season and they've struck out 692 times as a unit. They've left 618 men on base and have a team OPS of .749. They score 4.64 runs per contest and have scored a total of 385 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 18-24 home record and a 43-39 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.84, Jaime Garcia has a 6-6 record and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 81 strikeouts over the 96 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 96 hits. He has allowed 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.69. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.78 and they have given up 195 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 234 times and walking 90 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.54 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.63 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 694 base knocks and 319 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 73 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 234 hitters and struck out 620. 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 3.83.

As a team, they are batting .260, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .254 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .444 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 9.01 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .305 and he has an OBP of .427. He has 85 hits this year along with 56 runs scored and 53 RBI. He's struck out 58 times and has walked on 58 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .259 and he has an OBP of .326. He has collected 72 hits so far while he's scored 28 runs and drove in 27. He has earned a walk 26 times and has punched out 36 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 740 base hits, including 158 doubles and 108 homers. They have 18 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 16 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 287 times this year and they have struck out 636 times. They've had 588 men left on base and have an OPS of .779. They score 5.21 runs per game and have totaled 427 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 50-32-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 40-43-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 44-34-4 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 43-39-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

07/04/16 C Chris Stewart Knee 15-day DL (7/2)
07/04/16 P Jameson Taillon Shoulder 15-day DL (6/30)
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

07/04/16 CF Thomas Pham Undisclosed "?" Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
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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