Friday, June 10, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Michael Wacha vs. Gerrit Cole

The St. Louis Cardinals visit PNC Park on Friday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Michael Wacha for the Cardinals and Gerrit Cole for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +140 and Pittsburgh at -150. The over/under was set at 8. The Cardinals have a 37-20-2 over/under record and a 32-27-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Pirates are 29-30-0 against the run line and have a 36-22-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 49% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 31-28 record, including 16-12 on the road. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha has a 2-6 record with an earned run average of 5.16 and a WHIP of 1.51. He has 58 strikeouts over his 66.1 innings pitched and he has given up 75 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.53. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.86 and they have given up 145 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the bullpen while being struck out 186 times and walking 64 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.59 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.85 batters per nine. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.28. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 498 base hits and 248 earned runs. They have allowed 60 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 169 batters and struck out 455. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.95.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .269, good for 4th in the league while putting together a .275 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .461 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .339 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 4th in baseball with 9.31 hits per game. Matt Carpenter comes into this game hitting .280 and his on-base percentage is at .391. He has 58 hits this season along with 41 runs scored and 39 runs batted in. He's struck out 46 times and has walked 36 times. Yadier Molina is hitting .261 and he has an on-base percentage of .341. He has totaled 53 hits so far while scoring 21 runs and he's driven in 21. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 24 times. The Cardinals have 549 hits, including 117 doubles and 80 home runs. They've stolen 15 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. St. Louis has walked 202 times this season and they've struck out 453 times as a unit. They've left 419 men on base and have a team OPS of .800. They score 5.51 runs per contest and have scored a total of 325 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 18-12 home record and a 32-27 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.85, Gerrit Cole has a 5-4 record and a 1.31 WHIP. He has 52 strikeouts over the 66.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 68 hits. He has allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.04. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.02 and they have given up 183 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 158 times and walking 85 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.83 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.13 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.04. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 522 base knocks and 239 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 68 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 215 hitters and struck out 422. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.38 while their FIP as a staff is 4.52.

As a team, they are batting .277, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .293 average at home. The Pirates hold a .428 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .353 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 9.69 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .251 and he has an OBP of .336. He has 57 hits this year along with 36 runs scored and 25 RBI. He's struck out 61 times and has walked on 27 occasions. Starling Marte is hitting .320 and he has an OBP of .363. He has collected 70 hits so far while he's scored 30 runs and drove in 21. He has earned a walk 7 times and has punched out 52 times. The Pirates as a unit have 572 base hits, including 116 doubles and 56 homers. They have 45 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 17 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 215 times this year and they have struck out 474 times. They've had 475 men left on base and have an OPS of .781. They score 4.88 runs per game and have totaled 288 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 37-20-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 32-27-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 36-22-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 29-30-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
05/15/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 15-day DL (5/13)
04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (4/1)
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 CF Thomas Pham Oblique 15-day DL (4/4)

Pittsburgh Pirates

06/08/16 LF Starling Marte Ankle "?" Thursday vs. Colorado Rockies
05/26/16 P Arquimedes Caminero Quad 15-day DL (5/25)
05/24/16 P Ryan Vogelsong Eye 60-day DL (5/24)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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