Thursday, August 4, 2016

Great American Ball Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Leake vs. Brandon Finnegan

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Great American Ball Park on Thursday to play the Cincinnati Reds. The probable starters are Mike Leake for the Cardinals and Brandon Finnegan 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 57-44-5 over/under record and a 53-53-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Reds are 53-52-0 against the run line and have a 56-40-9 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 56-50 record, including 31-20 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Leake has a 8-8 record with an earned run average of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.24. He has 94 strikeouts over his 128 innings pitched and he has given up 142 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.98. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.42 and they have given up 253 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .213 against the bullpen while being struck out 307 times and walking 118 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.58 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.72 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.93. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 907 base hits and 415 earned runs. They have allowed 97 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 296 batters and struck out 816. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 3.79.

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 .447 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.88 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 942 hits, including 204 doubles and 147 home runs. They've stolen 26 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. St. Louis has walked 362 times this season and they've struck out 842 times as a unit. They've left 747 men on base and have a team OPS of .776. They score 5.08 runs per contest and have scored a total of 538 runs so far this year.

Cincinnati comes into this matchup with a 25-28 home record and a 43-62 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.68, Brandon Finnegan has a 6-8 record and a 1.42 WHIP. He has 86 strikeouts over the 117.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 108 hits. He has allowed 8.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.71. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 5.27 and they have given up 375 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the Reds bullpen while being struck out 345 times and walking 199 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 9.21 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.55 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 963 base knocks and 539 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 175 home runs this year and they give up 1.7 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Cincinnati as a staff has walked 434 hitters and struck out 789. 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 5.41.

As a team, they are batting .243, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .245 average at home. The Reds hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .304 which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 8.19 hits per contest. Joey Votto comes into this matchup batting .293 and he has an OBP of .425. He has 102 hits this year along with 66 runs scored and 53 RBI. He's struck out 97 times and has walked on 78 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 859 base hits, including 171 doubles and 120 homers. They have 84 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 34 times. Cincinnati as a team has walked 289 times this year and they have struck out 874 times. They've had 617 men left on base and have an OPS of .707. They score 4.32 runs per game and have totaled 454 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 57-44-5 against the over/under so far this season

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

Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 56-40-9 against the over/under so far this season

The Cincinnati Reds are 53-52-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

08/03/16 P Tyler Lyons Knee 15-day DL (8/2)
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)
07/07/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (7/7)
07/07/16 3B Matt Carpenter Oblique 15-day DL (7/7)
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 (3/25); out for season

Cincinnati Reds

08/02/16 SS Zack Cozart Finger "?" Wednesday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
06/23/16 P Alfredo Simon Trapezius 15-day DL (6/16)
06/01/16 P Caleb Cotham Shoulder 15-day DL (5/29)
05/02/16 C Devin Mesoraco Shoulder 60-day DL (5/1); out for season
04/10/16 CF Yorman Rodriguez Hamstring 60-day DL (3/27)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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