Saturday, August 20, 2016

Citizens Bank Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Luke Weaver vs. Jeremy Hellickson

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Citizens Bank Park on Saturday to play the Philadelphia Phillies. The probable starters are Luke Weaver for the Cardinals and Jeremy Hellickson for the Phillies. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -132 and Philadelphia at +122. The over/under was set at 9. The Cardinals have a 66-48-6 over/under record and a 58-62-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Phillies are 62-60-0 against the run line and have a 62-56-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 64-56 record, including 36-23 on the road. Starting pitcher Luke Weaver has a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.75. He has 3 strikeouts over his 4 innings pitched and he has given up 4 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 7.15. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.46 and they have given up 301 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .220 against the bullpen while being struck out 358 times and walking 132 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.68 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.69 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.06. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 1,039 base hits and 486 earned runs. They have allowed 112 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 341 batters and struck out 920. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.86.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .256, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .259 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .444 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328 which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.82 hits per game. Stephen Piscotty comes into this game hitting .276 and his on-base percentage is at .346. He has 120 hits this season along with 67 runs scored and 67 runs batted in. He's struck out 92 times and has walked 39 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 1,060 hits, including 230 doubles and 166 home runs. They've stolen 27 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. St. Louis has walked 409 times this season and they've struck out 962 times as a unit. They've left 846 men on base and have a team OPS of .773. They score 4.99 runs per contest and have scored a total of 599 runs so far this year.

Philadelphia comes into this matchup with a 29-31 home record and a 57-65 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.65, Jeremy Hellickson has a 9-7 record and a 1.14 WHIP. He has 119 strikeouts over the 143 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 131 hits. He has allowed 8.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.06. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.44 and they have given up 401 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the Phillies bullpen while being struck out 385 times and walking 148 times this season. As a team, Philadelphia has allowed 9.22 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.32 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.54. The Phillies pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,107 base knocks and 545 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 158 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Philadelphia as a staff has walked 336 hitters and struck out 999. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.34 while their FIP as a staff is 4.23.

As a team, they are batting .241, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .225 average at home. The Phillies hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .299 which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 28th in baseball with 8.07 hits per contest. Odubel Herrera comes into this matchup batting .282 and he has an OBP of .363. He has 125 hits this year along with 64 runs scored and 41 RBI. He's struck out 99 times and has walked on 55 occasions. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .294 and he has an OBP of .355. He has collected 119 hits so far while he's scored 47 runs and drove in 29. He has earned a walk 39 times and has punched out 86 times. The Phillies as a unit have 985 base hits, including 175 doubles and 124 homers. They have 71 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 33 times. Philadelphia as a team has walked 312 times this year and they have struck out 984 times. They've had 773 men left on base and have an OPS of .688. They score 3.82 runs per game and have totaled 466 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 66-48-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 58-62-0 against the run line so far this season

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 62-56-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Philadelphia Phillies are 62-60-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

08/17/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 15-day DL (8/14)
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

Philadelphia Phillies

08/19/16 2B Cesar Hernandez Foot probable Friday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
08/19/16 P Jeremy Hellickson Back is upgraded to expected to start Saturday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
08/17/16 P Aaron Nola Elbow 60-day DL (7/29); out for season
08/14/16 P Adam Morgan Forearm "?" for next scheduled start
08/09/16 P Zach Eflin Knee 15-day DL (8/9)
07/26/16 2B Andres Blanco Finger 15-day DL (7/25)
05/01/16 P Dalier Hinojosa Hand 15-day DL (4/29)
04/24/16 P Charlie Morton Hamstring 60-day DL (4/24); out for season
03/31/16 P Matt Harrison Back 60-day DL (4/2)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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