Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jaime Garcia vs. Dallas Keuchel

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Minute Maid Park on Tuesday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Jaime Garcia for the Cardinals and Dallas Keuchel for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +138 and Houston at -148. The over/under was set at 8. The Cardinals have a 64-48-6 over/under record and a 56-62-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Astros are 52-66-0 against the run line and have a 50-61-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 62-56 record, including 34-23 on the road. Starting pitcher Jaime Garcia has a 9-8 record with an earned run average of 3.93 and a WHIP of 1.30. He has 114 strikeouts over his 137.1 innings pitched and he has given up 135 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.76. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.50 and they have given up 296 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .220 against the bullpen while being struck out 346 times and walking 129 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.64 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.07. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 1,024 base hits and 479 earned runs. They have allowed 109 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 334 batters and struck out 899. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.84.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .255, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .258 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .443 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328 which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.8 hits per game. Stephen Piscotty comes into this game hitting .276 and his on-base percentage is at .347. He has 118 hits this season along with 65 runs scored and 65 runs batted in. He's struck out 89 times and has walked 38 times. Aledmys Diaz is hitting .312 and he has an on-base percentage of .376. He has totaled 110 hits so far while scoring 64 runs and he's driven in 57. He has walked 34 times and has struck out 54 times. The Cardinals have 1,039 hits, including 225 doubles and 162 home runs. They've stolen 27 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. St. Louis has walked 404 times this season and they've struck out 936 times as a unit. They've left 837 men on base and have a team OPS of .771. They score 4.94 runs per contest and have scored a total of 583 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 34-26 home record and a 61-57 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.56, Dallas Keuchel has a 7-11 record and a 1.30 WHIP. He has 126 strikeouts over the 148 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 148 hits. He has allowed 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.88. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.27 and they have given up 341 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 423 times and walking 90 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.89 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.57 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.84. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,061 base knocks and 458 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 126 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 315 hitters and struck out 1,024. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.72.

As a team, they are batting .246, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .236 average at home. The Astros hold a .414 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 21st in baseball with 8.45 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .362 and he has an OBP of .427. He has 167 hits this year along with 86 runs scored and 73 RBI. He's struck out 50 times and has walked on 50 occasions. George Springer is hitting .260 and he has an OBP of .356. He has collected 122 hits so far while he's scored 84 runs and drove in 68. He has earned a walk 63 times and has punched out 123 times. The Astros as a unit have 997 base hits, including 218 doubles and 141 homers. They have 83 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 33 times. Houston as a team has walked 419 times this year and they have struck out 1,077 times. They've had 821 men left on base and have an OPS of .734. They score 4.45 runs per game and have totaled 525 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 64-48-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 56-62-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 50-61-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 52-66-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

08/12/16 LF Matt Holliday Thumb 15-day DL (8/12)
08/11/16 1B Matt Adams Shoulder 15-day DL (8/10)
08/10/16 P Michael Wacha Shoulder 15-day DL (8/9)
08/03/16 P Tyler Lyons Knee 60-day DL (7/31), out for season
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 60-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

Houston Astros

08/13/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11)
08/07/16 LF Colby Rasmus Ear 15-day DL (8/5)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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