Sunday, July 17, 2016

Nationals Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Chad Kuhl vs. Max Scherzer

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Nationals Park on Sunday to take on the Washington Nationals. The probable pitchers are Chad Kuhl for the Pirates and Max Scherzer for the Nationals. The opening line for this game has Pittsburgh at +213 and Washington at -231. The over/under is 8. The Pirates have a 54-35-1 over/under mark and a 45-45-0 run line record, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Nationals are 48-43-0 against the run line and have a 44-41-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Pirates head into this game with a 46-44 record, and they are 22-24 on the road. Starting pitcher Chad Kuhl has a 1-0 record with an ERA of 6.08 and a WHIP of 1.73. He has 8 strikeouts during his 13.1 innings pitched and he has given up 18 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 12.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.05. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.70 and they have allowed 302 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the pen while they've been struck out 258 times and walked 126 times this year. As a unit, Pittsburgh has given up 9.25 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.14 hitters per nine. They are 17th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.36. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 829 base hits and 391 earned runs. They have allowed 103 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 317 batters and struck out 640. They walk 3.5 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 hitting .263, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .253 average on the road. The Pirates have a .412 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .335 which is good for 3rd in the league. They rank 9th in baseball with 9.09 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this game hitting .315 and his on-base percentage is at .362. He has 100 hits this season along with 49 runs scored and 32 runs batted in. He's struck out 71 times and has walked 12 times. Gregory Polanco is hitting .287 and he has an on-base percentage of .362. He has totaled 86 hits so far while scoring 50 runs and he's driven in 50. He has walked 38 times and has struck out 71 times. The Pirates have 818 hits, including 160 doubles and 88 home runs. They've stolen 70 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 22 times. Pittsburgh has walked 295 times this season and they've struck out 757 times as a unit. They've left 659 men on base and have a team OPS of .747. They score 4.71 runs per contest and have scored a total of 424 runs so far this year.

Washington comes into this game with a 28-15 home mark and a 55-36 overall record. With an ERA of 3.03, Max Scherzer has a 10-6 record and a 0.96 WHIP. He has 164 strikeouts over the 127.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 88 hits. He has allowed 6.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.62. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.09 and they have given up 210 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the Nationals bullpen while being struck out 269 times and walking 81 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 7.62 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.45 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.26. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 696 base knocks and 298 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 87 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a staff has walked 255 hitters and struck out 863. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.16 while their FIP as a staff is 3.49.

As a team, they are batting .252, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .254 average at home. The Nationals hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327 which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.49 hits per contest. Bryce Harper comes into this matchup batting .253 and he has an OBP of .398. He has 74 hits this year along with 50 runs scored and 52 RBI. He's struck out 58 times and has walked on 71 occasions. Daniel Murphy is hitting .348 and he has an OBP of .387. He has collected 117 hits so far while he's scored 53 runs and drove in 66. He has earned a walk 18 times and has punched out 38 times. The Nationals as a unit have 773 base hits, including 143 doubles and 125 homers. They have 55 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 24 times. Washington as a team has walked 328 times this year and they have struck out 690 times. They've had 621 men left on base and have an OPS of .756. They score 4.69 runs per game and have totaled 427 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 54-35-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 45-45-0 against the run line so far this season

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 44-41-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 48-43-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

07/15/16 RF Gregory Polanco Hamstring "?" Saturday vs. Washington Nationals
07/14/16 P Gerrit Cole Tricep 15-day DL (6/9); expected to be activated & start Saturday vs. Washington Nationals
07/04/16 C Chris Stewart Knee 15-day DL (7/2)
07/04/16 P Jameson Taillon Shoulder 15-day DL (6/30)
06/11/16 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)

Washington Nationals

07/15/16 2B Daniel Murphy Hamstring "?" Saturday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
07/08/16 1B Ryan Zimmerman Ribs 15-day DL (7/7)
07/03/16 P Joe Ross Shoulder 15-day DL (7/3)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

Tony's Pick: Take the Nationals

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