Saturday, May 14, 2016

Dodger Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Carlos Martinez vs. Scott Kazmir

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Dodger Stadium on Saturday to play the Los Angeles Dodgers. The probable starters are Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals and Scott Kazmir for the Dodgers. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -101 and Los Angeles at -109. The over/under was set at 7. The Cardinals have a 21-12-2 over/under record and a 18-17-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Dodgers are 13-21-0 against the run line and have a 12-19-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 38% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 19-16 record, including 10-6 on the road. Starting pitcher Carlos Martinez has a 4-2 record with an earned run average of 2.61 and a WHIP of 0.97. He has 30 strikeouts over his 38 innings pitched and he has given up 26 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.83. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.42 and they have given up 87 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .231 against the bullpen while being struck out 106 times and walking 41 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.21 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.95 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 3.87. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 284 base hits and 134 earned runs. They have allowed 32 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 104 batters and struck out 275. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.25 and their FIP as a unit is 3.75.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .277, good for 3rd in the league while putting together a .287 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .480 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .348 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 4th in baseball with 9.69 hits per game. Matt Carpenter comes into this game hitting .266 and his on-base percentage is at .381. He has 34 hits this season along with 23 runs scored and 25 runs batted in. He's struck out 29 times and has walked 22 times. Yadier Molina is hitting .336 and he has an on-base percentage of .421. He has totaled 41 hits so far while scoring 13 runs and he's driven in 13. He has walked 17 times and has struck out 13 times. The Cardinals have 339 hits, including 74 doubles and 51 home runs. They've stolen 12 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 5 times. St. Louis has walked 125 times this season and they've struck out 278 times as a unit. They've left 262 men on base and have a team OPS of .828. They score 5.71 runs per contest and have scored a total of 200 runs so far this year.

Los Angeles comes into this matchup with a 7-10 home record and a 18-17 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.54, Scott Kazmir has a 2-3 record and a 1.42 WHIP. He has 36 strikeouts over the 37.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 41 hits. He has allowed 9.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.59. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.61 and they have given up 75 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .208 against the Dodgers bullpen while being struck out 91 times and walking 37 times this season. As a team, Los Angeles has allowed 8.98 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.28 batters per nine. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.18. The Dodgers pitchers as a team have surrendered 257 base knocks and 119 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 31 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Los Angeles as a staff has walked 91 hitters and struck out 307. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.12 while their FIP as a staff is 3.43.

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .227 average at home. The Dodgers hold a .365 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .311 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 21st in baseball with 8.03 hits per contest. Adrian Gonzalez comes into this matchup batting .287 and he has an OBP of .361. He has 37 hits this year along with 11 runs scored and 18 RBI. He's struck out 31 times and has walked on 16 occasions. Corey Seager is hitting .271 and he has an OBP of .336. He has collected 35 hits so far while he's scored 20 runs and drove in 16. He has earned a walk 13 times and has punched out 23 times. The Dodgers as a unit have 286 base hits, including 61 doubles and 29 homers. They have 9 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 6 times. Los Angeles as a team has walked 113 times this year and they have struck out 276 times. They've had 245 men left on base and have an OPS of .687. They score 4.17 runs per game and have totaled 146 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 21-12-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 18-17-0 against the run line so far this season

Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 12-19-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 13-21-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

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)

Los Angeles Dodgers

05/03/16 P Josh Ravin Suspension expected to miss 80 games
04/23/16 P Yimi Garcia Bicep 15-day DL (4/23)
04/11/16 LF Scott Van Slyke Back 15-day DL (4/10)
04/05/16 P Brandon McCarthy Elbow 60-day DL (2/19)
04/05/16 P Frankie Montas Ribs 60-day DL (2/20)
04/04/16 P Brett Anderson Back 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Michael Bolsinger Oblique 15-day DL (3/25)
04/03/16 3B Alex Guerrero Knee 15-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Hyun-Jin Ryu Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 LF Andre Ethier Leg 60-day DL (3/25)

Guy'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 Guy Bruhn