Saturday, April 9, 2016

Turner Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Carlos Martinez vs. Julio Teheran

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Turner Field on Saturday to play the Atlanta Braves. The probable starters are Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals and Julio Teheran for the Braves. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -145 and Atlanta at +135. The over/under was set at 7. The Cardinals had a 69-86-11 over/under record last season and a 82-84-0 run line mark, meaning they covered 49% of the time. The Braves were 76-86-0 against the run line and had a 81-72-9 over/under record. They covered the spread 47% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup coming off a 100 - 62 season, including 45-36 on the road. Starting pitcher Carlos Martinez had a 14 - 7 record with an earned run average of 3.01 and a WHIP of 1.29. He had 184 strikeouts over his 179.2 innings pitched and he also gave up 168 hits over that time period. He allowed 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.21. The bullpen had an earned run average of 2.82 and they gave up 442 base hits on the year. Teams hit .238 against the bullpen while being struck out 466 times and walking 183 times last season. As a team, St. Louis allowed 8.34 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.21 batters per nine. They were 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.96. The Cardinals pitchers collectively gave up 1,359 base hits and 478 earned runs last year. They allowed 123 home runs last season and they allowed 0.8 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff walked 477 batters and struck out 1,329. They walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.25 and their FIP as a unit was 3.47.

As a team, St. Louis batted .252, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .243 average away from home. The Cardinals held a .395 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which was good for 13th in baseball. They ranked 17th in baseball with 8.52 hits per game. Matt Carpenter hit .272 last season and his on-base percentage was at .365. He had 156 hits last season along with 101 runs scored and 84 runs batted in. He struck out 151 times and walked 81 times. Kolten Wong hit .262 and he had an on-base percentage of .321 last year. He totaled 146 hits while scoring 71 runs and he drove in 61. He walked 36 times and struck out 95 times. The Cardinals had 1,386 hits, including 288 doubles, 39 triples, and 137 home runs. They stole 69 bases while they were thrown out stealing 38 times. St. Louis walked 506 times last season and they struck out 1,267 times as a unit. They left 1,152 men on base and had a team OPS of .716. They scored 3.99 runs per contest and scored a total of 647 runs last season.

Atlanta comes into this matchup after having a 42-39 home record and a 67 - 95 overall mark last year. With an earned run average last season of 4.04, Julio Teheran will come into this game after holding a 11 - 8 record and a 1.31 WHIP. He had 171 strikeouts over the 200.2 innings he pitched during which he gave up 189 hits. He allowed 8.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.4. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.69 and they gave up 491 base hits last year. Teams hit .260 against the Braves bullpen while being struck out 430 times and walking 217 times last season. As a team, Atlanta allowed 9.23 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.25 batters per nine. They were 27th in the league in team earned run average at 4.41. The Braves pitchers as a team surrendered 1,462 base knocks and 698 earned runs last season. They gave up 170 home runs last year and they gave up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Atlanta as a staff walked 550 hitters and struck out 1,148. They gave up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.2 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.41 while their FIP as a staff was 4.34.

As a team, they hit .251, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .248 average at home. The Braves held a .359 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314 which was good for 17th in baseball. They ranked 23rd in baseball with 8.4 hits per contest. Freddie Freeman batted .276 last season and he had an OBP of .370. He had 115 hits last year along with 62 runs scored and 66 RBI. He struck out 98 times and walked on 56 occasions. Michael Bourn hit .238 and he had an OBP of .310. He collected 101 hits last year while he scored 39 runs and drove in 30. He earned a walk 46 times and punched out 107 times. The Braves as a unit had 1,361 base hits last year, including 251 doubles, 18 triples, and 100 homers. They had 69 stolen bases while they were thrown out 33 times. Atlanta as a team walked 471 times last year and they struck out 1,107 times. They had 1,145 men left on base and had an OPS of .674. They scored 3.54 runs per game and totaled 573 runs last season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals were 69-86-11 against the over/under last season

The St. Louis Cardinals were 82-84-0 against the run line last season

Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves were 81-72-9 against the over/under last season

The Atlanta Braves were 76-86-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/1)
04/04/16 SS Jhonny Peralta Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list; out for season
04/04/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 2B Ruben Tejada Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/1)
04/04/16 CF Thomas Pham Oblique Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/4)

Atlanta Braves

04/04/16 P Andrew McKiraha Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Manuel Banuelos Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Paco Rodrigue Elbow out for season
04/04/16 P Shae Simmons Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Braves

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