Thursday, June 23, 2016

PNC Park

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Probable Pitchers: Albert Suarez vs. Jon Niese

The San Francisco Giants visit PNC Park on Thursday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Albert Suarez for the Giants and Jon Niese for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has San Francisco at +105 and Pittsburgh at -115. The over/under was set at 8. The Giants have a 35-36-1 over/under record and a 37-35-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Pirates are 32-39-0 against the run line and have a 43-27-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Giants head into this matchup with a 45-27 record, including 23-14 on the road. Starting pitcher Albert Suarez has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 3.69 and a WHIP of 1.11. He has 17 strikeouts over his 31.2 innings pitched and he has given up 28 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.13. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.84 and they have given up 189 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the bullpen while being struck out 162 times and walking 65 times this season. As a team, San Francisco has allowed 8.31 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.7 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.39. The Giants pitchers have collectively given up 601 base hits and 244 earned runs. They have allowed 62 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. San Francisco as a pitching staff has walked 179 batters and struck out 557. They walk 2.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.20 and their FIP as a unit is 3.58.

As a team, San Francisco is batting .259, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .258 average away from home. The Giants hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.85 hits per game. Brandon Belt comes into this game hitting .305 and his on-base percentage is at .414. He has 72 hits this season along with 37 runs scored and 35 runs batted in. He's struck out 48 times and has walked 44 times. Hunter Pence is hitting .298 and he has an on-base percentage of .375. He has totaled 54 hits so far while scoring 27 runs and he's driven in 36. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 39 times. The Giants have 637 hits, including 119 doubles and 61 home runs. They've stolen 42 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 18 times. San Francisco has walked 261 times this season and they've struck out 476 times as a unit. They've left 515 men on base and have a team OPS of .734. They score 4.57 runs per contest and have scored a total of 329 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 19-16 home record and a 34-37 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.74, Jon Niese has a 6-4 record and a 1.48 WHIP. He has 59 strikeouts over the 81.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 92 hits. He has allowed 10.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.56. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.37 and they have given up 241 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 194 times and walking 109 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.28 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.2 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.53. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 657 base knocks and 321 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 90 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 263 hitters and struck out 510. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 4.73.

As a team, they are batting .267, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .280 average at home. The Pirates hold a .413 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .340 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 9.28 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .331 and he has an OBP of .373. He has 83 hits this year along with 36 runs scored and 27 RBI. He's struck out 58 times and has walked on 8 occasions. Gregory Polanco is hitting .295 and he has an OBP of .379. He has collected 74 hits so far while he's scored 45 runs and drove in 39. He has earned a walk 36 times and has punched out 55 times. The Pirates as a unit have 659 base hits, including 133 doubles and 65 homers. They have 50 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 19 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 239 times this year and they have struck out 590 times. They've had 548 men left on base and have an OPS of .753. They score 4.55 runs per game and have totaled 323 runs so far this season.

San Francisco Giants Betting Trends

The San Francisco Giants are 35-36-1 against the over/under so far this season

The San Francisco Giants are 37-35-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 43-27-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 32-39-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

San Francisco Giants

06/21/16 3B Matt Duffy Achilles 15-day DL (6/19)
06/15/16 P Matt Cain Hamstring 15-day DL (6/14)
06/11/16 2B Kelby Tomlinson Thumb 15-day DL (6/9)
06/01/16 RF Hunter Pence Hamstring 15-day DL (6/2)
04/22/16 SS Ehire Adrianza Foot 60-day DL (4/15)
04/15/16 P Sergio Romo Elbow 60-day DL (4/11)

Pittsburgh Pirates

06/22/16 CF Andrew McCutchen Thumb probable Wednesday vs. San Francisco Giants
06/21/16 C Chris Stewart Knee "?" Wednesday vs. San Francisco Giants
06/21/16 P Juan Nicasio Personal out indefinitely
06/21/16 LF Starling Marte Foot left last game, "?" Wednesday vs. San Francisco Giants
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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Giants

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