Sunday, August 21, 2016

Citizens Bank Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Leake vs. Vincent Velasquez

The St. Louis Cardinals head to Citizens Bank Park on Sunday to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. The probable pitchers are Mike Leake for the Cardinals and Vincent Velasquez for the Phillies. The opening line for this game has St. Louis at -127 and Philadelphia at +117. The over/under is 8.5. The Cardinals have a 66-49-6 over/under mark and a 58-63-0 run line record, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Phillies are 63-60-0 against the run line and have a 62-57-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this game with a 65-56 record, and they are 37-23 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Leake has a 8-9 record with an ERA of 4.78 and a WHIP of 1.28. He has 100 strikeouts during his 145 innings pitched and he has given up 162 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 10.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.98. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.42 and they have allowed 307 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the pen while they've been struck out 366 times and walked 135 times this year. As a unit, St. Louis has given up 8.69 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.72 hitters per nine. They are 11th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.05. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 1,050 base hits and 489 earned runs. They have allowed 114 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 346 batters and struck out 933. They walk 2.9 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 hitting .255, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .259 average on the road. The Cardinals have a .444 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .328 which is good for 8th in the league. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.83 hits per contest. Stephen Piscotty comes into this game hitting .274 and his on-base percentage is at .347. 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 40 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 1,069 hits, including 232 doubles and 168 home runs. They've stolen 28 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. St. Louis has walked 412 times this season and they've struck out 968 times as a unit. They've left 854 men on base and have a team OPS of .773. They score 4.98 runs per contest and have scored a total of 603 runs so far this year.

Philadelphia comes into this game with a 29-32 home mark and a 57-66 overall record. With an ERA of 4.14, Vincent Velasquez has a 8-5 record and a 1.36 WHIP. He has 130 strikeouts over the 113 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 112 hits. He has allowed 8.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.94. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.45 and they have given up 405 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the Phillies bullpen while being struck out 388 times and walking 149 times this season. As a team, Philadelphia has allowed 9.21 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.29 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.53. The Phillies pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,116 base knocks and 549 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 160 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Philadelphia as a staff has walked 339 hitters and struck out 1,005. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 4.24.

As a team, they are batting .241, good for 27th in the league while putting together a .226 average at home. The Phillies hold a .390 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .299 which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 28th in baseball with 8.1 hits per contest. Odubel Herrera comes into this matchup batting .283 and he has an OBP of .365. He has 127 hits this year along with 66 runs scored and 42 RBI. He's struck out 100 times and has walked on 56 occasions. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .293 and he has an OBP of .354. 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 996 base hits, including 176 doubles and 126 homers. They have 71 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 34 times. Philadelphia as a team has walked 317 times this year and they have struck out 997 times. They've had 783 men left on base and have an OPS of .689. They score 3.81 runs per game and have totaled 469 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 66-49-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 58-63-0 against the run line so far this season

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 62-57-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Philadelphia Phillies are 63-60-0 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

08/17/16 P Aaron Nola Elbow 60-day DL (7/29); out for season
08/09/16 P Zach Eflin Knee 60-day DL (8/9); out for season
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 Phillies

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