Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Great American Ball Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Michael Wacha vs. Cody Reed

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Great American Ball Park on Wednesday to play the Cincinnati Reds. The probable starters are Michael Wacha for the Cardinals and Cody Reed for the Reds. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -142 and Cincinnati at +132. The over/under was set at 9. The Cardinals have a 56-44-5 over/under record and a 53-52-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Reds are 52-52-0 against the run line and have a 55-40-9 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 56-49 record, including 31-19 on the road. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha has a 6-7 record with an earned run average of 4.38 and a WHIP of 1.40. He has 103 strikeouts over his 121.1 innings pitched and he has given up 131 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.71. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.31 and they have given up 247 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .211 against the bullpen while being struck out 304 times and walking 114 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.55 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.7 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.89. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 896 base hits and 408 earned runs. They have allowed 94 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 290 batters and struck out 807. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 3.76.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .257, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .262 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .444 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.87 hits per game. Aledmys Diaz comes into this game hitting .312 and his on-base percentage is at .376. He has 110 hits this season along with 64 runs scored and 57 runs batted in. He's struck out 54 times and has walked 34 times. Matt Carpenter is hitting .298 and he has an on-base percentage of .420. He has totaled 85 hits so far while scoring 56 runs and he's driven in 53. He has walked 58 times and has struck out 61 times. The Cardinals have 932 hits, including 200 doubles and 143 home runs. They've stolen 26 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. St. Louis has walked 359 times this season and they've struck out 834 times as a unit. They've left 739 men on base and have a team OPS of .774. They score 5.08 runs per contest and have scored a total of 533 runs so far this year.

Cincinnati comes into this matchup with a 24-28 home record and a 42-62 overall mark. With an earned run average of 7.07, Cody Reed has a 0-5 record and a 1.79 WHIP. He has 37 strikeouts over the 35.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 50 hits. He has allowed 12.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 6.05. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 5.24 and they have given up 370 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .252 against the Reds bullpen while being struck out 341 times and walking 197 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.54 batters per nine. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 5.16. The Reds pitchers as a team have surrendered 953 base knocks and 534 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 171 home runs this year and they give up 1.7 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Cincinnati as a staff has walked 431 hitters and struck out 781. They give up a walk 4.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.49 while their FIP as a staff is 5.39.

As a team, they are batting .242, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .243 average at home. The Reds hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .303 which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 26th in baseball with 8.16 hits per contest. Joey Votto comes into this matchup batting .285 and he has an OBP of .419. He has 98 hits this year along with 64 runs scored and 52 RBI. He's struck out 97 times and has walked on 77 occasions. Zack Cozart is hitting .266 and he has an OBP of .317. He has collected 98 hits so far while he's scored 55 runs and drove in 41. He has earned a walk 27 times and has punched out 62 times. The Reds as a unit have 848 base hits, including 170 doubles and 117 homers. They have 83 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 34 times. Cincinnati as a team has walked 283 times this year and they have struck out 865 times. They've had 607 men left on base and have an OPS of .704. They score 4.3 runs per game and have totaled 447 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 56-44-5 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 53-52-0 against the run line so far this season

Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 55-40-9 against the over/under so far this season

The Cincinnati Reds are 52-52-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

08/02/16 SS Aledmys Diaz Thumb 15-day DL (8/1)
07/27/16 P Trevor Rosenthal Rotator Cuff 15-day DL (7/26)
07/19/16 3B Jhonny Peralta Thumb 15-day DL (7/18)
07/07/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (7/7)
07/07/16 3B Matt Carpenter Oblique 15-day DL (7/7)
07/06/16 1B Brandon Moss Ankle 15-day DL (7/5)
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 60-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL; out for season

Cincinnati Reds

06/23/16 P Alfredo Simon Trapezius 15-day DL (6/16)
06/01/16 P Caleb Cotham Shoulder 15-day DL (5/29)
05/20/16 P Tim Adleman Oblique 15-day DL (5/20)
05/02/16 C Devin Mesoraco Shoulder 60-day DL (5/1); out for season
04/10/16 CF Yorman Rodriguez Hamstring 60-day DL (3/27)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald