Thursday, April 28, 2016

Chase Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Michael Wacha vs. Rubby De La Rosa

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Chase Field on Thursday to play the Arizona Diamondbacks. The probable starters are Michael Wacha for the Cardinals and Rubby De La Rosa for the Diamondbacks. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -125 and Arizona at +115. The over/under was set at 9. The Cardinals have a 13-7-0 over/under record and a 10-10-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Diamondbacks are 10-12-0 against the run line and have a 12-10-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 11-9 record, including 6-5 on the road. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha has a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 2.82 and a WHIP of 1.43. He has 15 strikeouts over his 22.1 innings pitched and he has given up 25 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.83. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.45 and they have given up 45 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .208 against the bullpen while being struck out 68 times and walking 27 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.17 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.02 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 3.86. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 161 base hits and 76 earned runs. They have allowed 12 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 70 batters and struck out 158. They walk 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 3.50.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .279, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .277 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .504 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .357 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 9.85 hits per game. Matt Carpenter comes into this game hitting .250 and his on-base percentage is at .400. He has 18 hits this season along with 13 runs scored and 14 runs batted in. He's struck out 18 times and has walked 15 times. Yadier Molina is hitting .333 and he has an on-base percentage of .407. He has totaled 24 hits so far while scoring 8 runs and he's driven in 10. He has walked 8 times and has struck out 11 times. The Cardinals have 197 hits, including 42 doubles and 32 home runs. They've stolen 8 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 4 times. St. Louis has walked 75 times this season and they've struck out 163 times as a unit. They've left 152 men on base and have a team OPS of .861. They score 6.3 runs per contest and have scored a total of 126 runs so far this year.

Arizona comes into this matchup with a 4-8 home record and a 11-11 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.94, Rubby De La Rosa has a 2-3 record and a 1.32 WHIP. He has 18 strikeouts over the 16.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 16 hits. He has allowed 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.08. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.36 and they have given up 82 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the Diamondbacks bullpen while being struck out 77 times and walking 36 times this season. As a team, Arizona has allowed 9.28 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.36 batters per nine. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.66. The Diamondbacks pitchers as a team have surrendered 213 base knocks and 107 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 25 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Arizona as a staff has walked 84 hitters and struck out 169. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 4.43.

As a team, they are batting .269, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .281 average at home. The Diamondbacks hold a .472 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 4th in baseball with 9.73 hits per contest. Paul Goldschmidt comes into this matchup batting .247 and he has an OBP of .429. He has 18 hits this year along with 12 runs scored and 15 RBI. He's struck out 20 times and has walked on 22 occasions. Yasmany Tomas is hitting .303 and he has an OBP of .349. He has collected 23 hits so far while he's scored 16 runs and drove in 12. He has earned a walk 6 times and has punched out 16 times. The Diamondbacks as a unit have 214 base hits, including 44 doubles and 32 homers. They have 16 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. Arizona as a team has walked 65 times this year and they have struck out 175 times. They've had 154 men left on base and have an OPS of .801. They score 5.05 runs per game and have totaled 111 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 13-7-0 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 10-10-0 against the run line so far this season

Arizona Diamondbacks Betting Trends

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 12-10-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 10-12-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

04/26/16 LF Matt Holliday Leg "?" Wednesday vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 SS Jhonny Peralta Thumb 15-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
04/04/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 CF Thomas Pham Oblique 15-day DL (4/4)

Arizona Diamondbacks

04/04/16 P Josh Collment Shoulder 15-day DL (3/28)
04/02/16 CF A.J. Pollock Elbow 60-day DL (4/2)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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