Friday, May 27, 2016

Globe Life Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Niese vs. Cole Hamels

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Globe Life Park on Friday to play the Texas Rangers. The probable starters are Jon Niese for the Pirates and Cole Hamels for the Rangers. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +133 and Texas at -143. The over/under was set at 9. The Pirates have a 30-15-1 over/under record and a 23-23-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Rangers are 26-21-0 against the run line and have a 24-22-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 27-19 record, including 12-10 on the road. Starting pitcher Jon Niese has a 4-2 record with an earned run average of 4.75 and a WHIP of 1.43. He has 39 strikeouts over his 53 innings pitched and he has given up 58 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.51. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.14 and they have given up 155 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the bullpen while being struck out 124 times and walking 71 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.87 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.39 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 401 base hits and 188 earned runs. They have allowed 56 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 171 batters and struck out 334. They walk 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.64.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .283, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .272 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .360 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 .258 and his on-base percentage is at .340. He has 46 hits this season along with 30 runs scored and 20 runs batted in. He's struck out 46 times and has walked 20 times. Starling Marte is hitting .318 and he has an on-base percentage of .359. He has totaled 54 hits so far while scoring 24 runs and he's driven in 17. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 39 times. The Pirates have 447 hits, including 86 doubles and 42 home runs. They've stolen 32 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 13 times. Pittsburgh has walked 165 times this season and they've struck out 346 times as a unit. They've left 364 men on base and have a team OPS of .791. They score 5.02 runs per contest and have scored a total of 226 runs so far this year.

Texas comes into this matchup with a 16-8 home record and a 27-20 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.83, Cole Hamels has a 5-0 record and a 1.26 WHIP. He has 62 strikeouts over the 57.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 51 hits. He has allowed 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.5. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 5.32 and they have given up 159 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .279 against the Rangers bullpen while being struck out 116 times and walking 58 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 8.83 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.95 batters per nine. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.03. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 414 base knocks and 189 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 60 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a staff has walked 155 hitters and struck out 326. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.35 while their FIP as a staff is 4.62.

As a team, they are batting .260, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .277 average at home. The Rangers hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.77 hits per contest. Adrian Beltre comes into this matchup batting .264 and he has an OBP of .313. He has 47 hits this year along with 21 runs scored and 31 RBI. He's struck out 18 times and has walked on 12 occasions. Elvis Andrus is hitting .296 and he has an OBP of .347. He has collected 45 hits so far while he's scored 19 runs and drove in 17. He has earned a walk 12 times and has punched out 19 times. The Rangers as a unit have 412 base hits, including 82 doubles and 46 homers. They have 31 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 9 times. Texas as a team has walked 123 times this year and they have struck out 339 times. They've had 287 men left on base and have an OPS of .726. They score 4.64 runs per game and have totaled 218 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 30-15-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 23-23-0 against the run line so far this season

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 24-22-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 26-21-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

05/26/16 P Arquimedes Caminero Quad 15-day DL (5/25)
05/26/16 2B Josh Harrison Illness "?" Friday vs. Texas Rangers
05/25/16 P Tony Watson Personal expected to miss next 1-3 games
05/24/16 P Ryan Vogelsong Eye 15-day DL (5/24)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Texas Rangers

05/24/16 CF Drew Stubbs Toe 15-day DL (5/23)
05/24/16 RF Shin-Soo Choo Hamstring 15-day DL (5/21)
05/08/16 P AJ Griffin Shoulder 15-day DL (5/8)
04/21/16 P Keone Kela Elbow 15-day DL (4/20)
04/11/16 C Robinson Chirinos Forearm 60-day DL (4/9)
04/10/16 P Tanner Schepper Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Luke Jackson Back 15-day DL (3/25)
04/03/16 P Yu Darvish Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Rangers

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